Over the past few years boat lifts have become very popular.  Boat lifts are certainly nothing new.  The first known boat lift was being operated back in 1789.  Boat lifts are very convenient to have, if you are a boat owner.  If you are sitting on the fence about whether to get one or not, you should seriously consider the advantages that boat lifts have to offer you.  If you don’t know much about them, then this article will help educate you about the types of boat lifts available and the advantages to using them.

The advantages of using a boat lift

Modern boats are constructed to be durable.  Just because your boat’s hull is durable doesn’t mean it’s invincible.  When you keep your boat in the water, it is constantly being barraged by water. Even if you take great precaution in protecting your boat, heavy winds can cause it to knock against the dock.  The constant lapping of water against the hull also takes its toll, in the form of corrosion, on your haul.  Not to mention, the microorganisms that live in the water can do harm to your boat.

A boat lift will allow you to raise your boat out of the water when not in use.  This will help to protect your boat from rust and corrosion.  You definitely won’t have to worry about high winds slamming your boat into the dock causing damage.  When your boat is on a boat lift it is far out of reach from harmful microorganisms.  It makes cleaning your boat haul a lot easier too.

Types of Boat Lifts

The oldest form of boat lift is called a Davit.  The concept of a Davit is quite simple.  A Davit relies on booms, a winch and a steel cable.  A boom used to be made out of steel, but since the 1980’s aluminum is more common.  Most Davits make use of two booms. To ensure durability the base of the booms are bolted in place.  They may be attached to either the sea wall or on pilings.

The booms swivel out in a 360 degree radius.  The booms come in many different sizes.  What size you get will depend on the size of your boat.  If you happen to upgrade to a larger boat but your booms aren’t big enough, you aren’t out of luck.  You can buy boom extensions.  The steel cables attach to your boat, and you use the winch to lift the boat out of the water.

Beamless Lifts:

These types of boat lifts are ideal if you own a sail boat or your boat has a tower.  As the name suggests, there are no support beams.  Instead of relying on a beam, this type of lift makes use of pilings.  Support beams make it tricky to use a lift when you own a sail boat or a boat that has a tower on it.

Cradle Boat Lifts:

As the name suggests, this type of lift cradles the boat when out of the water.  You can either have a custom cradle boat lift built or you can buy one that is close to your boat’s size.  To get the boat on the lift, you drive your boat up onto the cradle.  Once your boat is on the cradle, you then let the motor pull your boat up out of the water.

Elevator Boat Lifts:

These types of lifts are usually used when there are extraordinary docking circumstances.  For example, if the water where you dock your boat is extremely wavy, this would be a good choice.  If you live in a narrow canal or an embankment would be other good reasons to get an elevator lift.  Also if there is no way that pilings can be used this is the ideal boat lift.

Boat lifts are a great way to further protect your boat.  They also make cleaning your hull much easier.  They also make maintenance on your boat a lot easier too, since you will be able to be working while the boat is steady, and not moving.