Boat Hoist Types

Boats left in the water may be damaged by floating debris.

Commercial boat hoists and lifts raise a boat out of the water for storage. Some boat owners use a hoist only during the winter months, while others lift their boats whenever they're not in use. Using a hoist can help prevent rust and other damage, while also making it impossible for the boat to drift away if it becomes untethered.

Air Lifts

Air lifts are a type of boat hoist that use air tanks to raise a boat above the water level, providing a flotation cushion under its keel. An air lift consists of a series of tanks with valves on the bottom. To lower the house, an operator allows water into the tanks, causing them to sink. When the boat is positioned above the submerged lift, the operator turns on an air pump that fills the tanks with air, forcing the water out through the valves and causing the tanks to float, thereby raising the boat. Once the boat is entirely above water, the operator can turn off the pump and the pressure of the air will keep the water out of the tanks.

Hydraulic Hoists

Hydraulic boat hoists, also known as elevator lifts, use a metal frame attached to vertical guide posts. A hydraulic motor engages steel cables on pulleys to raise the hoist along the guide posts until the boat is out of the water.

Some elevator lifts, like those installed adjacent to docks, use four vertical guide posts, with one at each corner of the hoist. Others, such as those installed along break walls, use two guide posts that are installed at a slight angle, raising the boat in the frame up along the wall and toward shore until it is at a convenient level for passengers to disembark.

Manual Hoists

A manual hoist resembles a hydraulic hoist except that instead of using an electric motor it relies on an operator turning a crank. The crank, which often takes the form of a large wheel with one or more handles, is attached to a series of pulleys with steel cables, giving the operator a mechanical advantage to raise the boat and frame over time with relatively little effort.

One advantage of a manual hoist is that it works even when there is not a source of electricity present to run the motors needed for air lifts and hydraulic hoists.

References

• Tiger Docks: Stationary Hydraulic Lifts
• Golden Manufacturing, Inc.: Golden Elevator Boat Lifts

Resources

• SmasHits: A Look At How Boat Lifts Work and the Different Types