Boat Lift/Power at Dock

[moosehead]

+5, we tried to roll with the solar panels on a hydraulic lift and got tired of buying backup batteries, hauling them up to the house to recharge, and hope we did not run out of juice during a rough water retrieval.

Run the electric properly, use GFI's, and get a water alarm: http://www.docklifeguard.org/

As others note, you'll use dock electric for many other uses and it is handy and safe if done correctly.

[JohnnyB]

Running solar surface drive for 8 years now. Never ran it down to point where it wouldn't lift....several up/down per day no problem.

I think I am running a 12x24 inch panel, a cheap batterytender charge controller and a fleet farm battery.

I always leave battery on it all winter. Replaced battery after 5 years. Replaced charge controller after 7 years.

Has served me very well.

That being said, if power was not almost 1200ft away I would go with AC because there is all kinds of other 120V stuff I would love to run at the dock.

[Upnorth07]

Definitely do 110 volt.

Just bought a 5,000lb Floe lift for the tritoon and that was a decision. Dealer said do 24v DC with solar panel.

Too many things to go wrong with solar, batteries, battery tender, etc. Hired a electrician to run 110v down to to the water with a GFCI box. Now I can use the vacuum and anything else I want at the water front on 110v.

Conversely, on my 5,000lb Shore Station lift on the other side of the dock from the tritoon, I have a Shore Station friction wheel motor drive that is 12 volt. I used my old Interstate Group 24 batteries wired for 12volts from my MC as I replaced them this spring. They are probably 5-6 years old. I topped them off in the spring and have done great this summer. Usually weekend use only with a few ups/downs per day. Not the fastest thing in the world, but it's better than cranking the big white wheel.

[dabeej20]

Okay, so now I need to figure out details. Are 20 amps enough? I'm hearing build for the future, and have read that you can't plan on using all 20, especially on a run that long.

My plan right now would be put this on a new breaker (20 amp) by itself and put a gfci box down by the water (4x4 post on shore, above where the water gets to in the spring).

Should I run 40-50 amps and have my own little 2 switch breaker down there, or is that overkill?

Thanks

[slalomjunkie]

Okay, so now I need to figure out details. Are 20 amps enough? I'm hearing build for the future, and have read that you can't plan on using all 20, especially on a run that long.

My plan right now would be put this on a new breaker (20 amp) by itself and put a gfci box down by the water (4x4 post on shore, above where the water gets to in the spring).

Should I run 40-50 amps and have my own little 2 switch breaker down there, or is that overkill?

Thanks

I have a 3 switch at my dock. If you run electric, you'd be able to have good lighting, LED string lights, or even pump water from the lake to power wash your deck too

[CruisinGA]

Okay, so now I need to figure out details. Are 20 amps enough? I'm hearing build for the future, and have read that you can't plan on using all 20, especially on a run that long.

My plan right now would be put this on a new breaker (20 amp) by itself and put a gfci box down by the water (4x4 post on shore, above where the water gets to in the spring).

Should I run 40-50 amps and have my own little 2 switch breaker down there, or is that overkill?

Thanks

20 amps is enough unless there's something unusual about your dock or needs. No reason to double the material cost.

[jimboj]

Agree with CruisinGa, the key being unusual. One post mentioned using a power washer. Those things run in the 10-12 amp range, and if you use lake water, then a water pump will be used. One evening, you and the misses decide to clean the boat using a pressure washer and a shop vac, which is in the same amp range for larger vacs, and before you start decide to have a cold beverage from the small fridge, which draws about 3 amps. So now fridge is running, overhead lights are on. 20 amp service could be stressed. Not trying to make this any more stressful, just things to think about.

[hunter991]

Agree with CruisinGa, the key being unusual. One post mentioned using a power washer. Those things run in the 10-12 amp range, and if you use lake water, then a water pump will be used. One evening, you and the misses decide to clean the boat using a pressure washer and a shop vac, which is in the same amp range for larger vacs, and before you start decide to have a cold beverage from the small fridge, which draws about 3 amps. So now fridge is running, overhead lights are on. 20 amp service could be stressed. Not trying to make this any more stressful, just things to think about.

If someone is running all that, i would run 2 -20 amp and separate. Never put that much on a single circuit. But if you are using it for operating a lift and lights, 20 amp is sufficient.

[dsiggi]

I had this debate when I got my hoist. I had shore power already, but debated a 12 V setup. I went with 110v and shore power and would never do anything else again. The 110V has so much more torque and runs so much faster than 12V. Shore Power all the way.

[IO NO MO]

I went 110 & got the Lift Tech direct drive motor with pendant ($800) for my winch. Absolutely LOVE it.

[3event]

I may be missing something obvious, but for those of you going shore power route, how do you handle extension cord from GFCI outlet on shore to the lift?

Do you leave it coiled up under the canopy and run it out whenever needing to power up or down? Any cool tricks to keep it taut and out of the water?

I presume the worst case is that you lay the extension cord on the pier - that seems like a bit of hassle and risky if you've got people using the pier while you are monkeying around with the cord.

[IO NO MO]

Cord held securely on shore & woven through the ribs of the canopy keeps her out of the water & out of the way.

[Bwinsky]

You are correct, 550 Watts. My mistake.

[Bwinsky]

Don’t think you need to bury it. My grey conduit runs along the support boards.

[Elnino31]

I went 110 & got the Lift Tech direct drive motor with pendant ($800) for my winch. Absolutely LOVE it.

I already had power down to the dock and went back and forth on a 24v system vs AC.
As long as it’s run out to the motor safely and GFCI protected, it should be safe. So, I couldn’t justify the extra cost of a battery system. Plus, I’ve never had luck with the battery life on a trickle charger.

Ended up with the same lift tech motor on a Great Lakes lift. Quick and quiet. I would love the pendant, but I don’t have a canopy yet. Maybe next year.