Floating Boat Lifts

[jgraham37128]

Based off the second pic not sure a hydrhoist will work. It takes some depth to sink them. The sunstream might be the best option.

[mmskiboat]

Based off the second pic not sure a hydrhoist will work. It takes some depth to sink them. The sunstream might be the best option.

The second pic is missing the 2nd floating dock, this is the one that I'm going to build again to have a U-shape to hold the new boat. We have lots of depth out that far and is the reason we need to be out that far in the lake. In the spring it seems very far to be out but come fall makes sense.

[Blmeanie]

I have an airdock, our lake today is around 8' less than full pool on its way to 15' below. Where my dock is I have to move the boat to the trailer at 5' below, usually in September as they take the lake level down. This lift is perfect for me, takes up no additional room, no sinking it below the surface, it works great. If you have some protection, in a cove, it works great. I have no idea how it works if you get heavy rollers periodically but on their site they show it installed in situations that look rougher than mine.

https://www.airdock.com

[mmskiboat]

As I watch more videos my concern with a Hydro Hoist is noise the compressor makes. I think it is going to drive the neighbours crazy as we boat a lot. I do not think there is a work around for thiss so might need to look more at the Sunstream Float lift which would make less noise.

[slalomjunkie]

This is what I was thinking.

While I like that idea, realistically, I think you'd have to have beams across the width to make it more stable.

@mmskiboat - get my pm?

[Covi]

Not mine but a darn nice set up.

[jgraham37128]

I tried my best to find this one yesterday but couldn't but this is exactly what I was thinking when I saw his set up. There was one at our dock for a while but I think they sold it.

[jgraham37128]

The second pic is missing the 2nd floating dock, this is the one that I'm going to build again to have a U-shape to hold the new boat. We have lots of depth out that far and is the reason we need to be out that far in the lake. In the spring it seems very far to be out but come fall makes sense.

If you got the depth Hydro Hoist is a great lift. That's all our lakes uses, everyone has one and its a great lift.

[CottagerGreg]

I would recommend if you have a floating dock to make your dock fingers wider if possible. I have a fibersteel lift FYI. I think I need to service the bushings as they are binding a bit.

[prostar205]

The Sunstream Floatlift only requires 12" plus the boat's draft of water to operator. I can tell you I run mine into our soft lake bed in late September / October and it works perfectly. The best part about this lift is the ability to walk completely around the boat and clean it after every use. I do all my maintenance on the lift. I've even removed and replaced the prop and prop shaft while the boat was on lift. I can't say enough great things about these lifts.

[kscrib]

As I watch more videos my concern with a Hydro Hoist is noise the compressor makes. I think it is going to drive the neighbours crazy as we boat a lot. I do not think there is a work around for thiss so might need to look more at the Sunstream Float lift which would make less noise.

My neighbors have a hydrohoist shallow water version and love it. The noise is more like a vacuum cleaner, not a compressor. I don't consider it loud or annoying at all.

Our lake can very from 835 ft to 865 ft, so floating lifts are all we see at our lake. The higher end docks tend to have hyrohoist. I have not heard of the other brand mentioned here, but will look into it.

We are building a new dock with 4'ft wide fingers on each side of the boat. You will need a finger (or other supportive structure) on each side of the boat to support the lift.

[mmskiboat]

We are building a new dock with 4'ft wide fingers on each side of the boat. You will need a finger (or other supportive structure) on each side of the boat to support the lift.

The new dock that I build will also have at least 4' wide fingers, probably 6 feet on the lake facing side. The AP floats that I use are 2'x4'

The Sunstream Float Lift setup while not as clean looking makes a lot of sense as you do not need to fill up and air down anything.

Our lake while not small is not that big either and noise travels, since we want to ski we will be using the boat early in the mornings. It is take 4-5 mins to fill on each docking that could add up to a lot of noise for our bay.

[mmskiboat]

I would recommend if you have a floating dock to make your dock fingers wider if possible. I have a fibersteel lift FYI. I think I need to service the bushings as they are binding a bit.

Thanks, boat looks great under the TojaGrid. I wish we could do this, I have a 6x6 setup on the land dock.

[Jorski]

As I watch more videos my concern with a Hydro Hoist is noise the compressor makes

Keep in mind you only run the blower when raising the boat, and then it's less than a minute.

The lifts with float tanks are really simple mechanically, in that the blower motor is relatively cheap and simple compared to the ones that use hydraulic rams to swing the flotation in and out from under the boat.

[kscrib]

We have a maximum slip width of 11 feet (corp of engineer will only allow us to have a 19 ft wide dock at our location). So unfortunately the Sunstream is not an option for us as it needs a 14 ft slip.

I am following this thread in hopes of making sure I buy the right lift. Right now it looks like Hydohoist....