How to Drive Your Boat Onto a Boat Lift | BoatUS
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- BoatUS Magazine's Lenny Rudow shows you how to easily and safely drive your boat onto a boat lift, even in wind and current. He covers checking the bunks on the boat lift as well as wind and current, lining up the boat with the bunks on the boat lift, how to maneuver into the slip, lining up with the guides and knowing where the boat should align on the dock. Learn more about how to use a boat lift safely at www.boatus.com...
🚩Enjoy this video? Become a BoatUS Member today to get 25+ valuable benefits including a subscription to award-winning BoatUS Magazine! boat.us/e/sy-join
🚩Visit the BoatUS Magazine website: www.boatus.com....
BoatUS is the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters with more than half a million Members. We provide a diverse offering of services including marine insurance, on-the-water towing provided by TowBoatUS, the nation’s largest fleet, plus boat financing, graphics and lettering, representation for boaters on Capitol Hill, the award-winning BoatUS Magazine and much more. For more than 50 years, BoatUS has made boating safer, more affordable and more accessible.
🚩Download the FREE BoatUS App today to access NOAA marine weather, tides, exclusive Member discounts, and your BoatUS account. Assistance on the water has never been easier with TowBoatUS CONNECT in the BoatUS App - the fastest way to get a tow! boat.us/sy-app
🚩Connect with us:
/ boatus
/ boatus
/ boatus
/ boatus
/ boatus
#boatus #boatlift #boatstorage
Now, a video on how to do it on a windy crosswind day would be great! (with a single outboard and no bow thrusters ;)
We'll certainly put it on the list for consideration, Jim. We are, however, at the mercy of whatever the weather and conditions are the day we're shooting. We typically schedule weeks or months in advance, so we often are limited by what we're presented with. That said, we have a couple video scripts waiting for just the right conditions that coincide with our shooting days.
I have to do this with a 24-foot pontoon with only 6 inches of leeway on either side directly across current (based on where we could fit the lift based on water depth). Every single time is a challenge! What I do is navigate so that the boat is perpendicular to the slip once I am about 50 feet up current and fifty feet into the stream (turning against the current as suggested) and let the current bring me back towards the slip while I drive forward slowly and try to gauge it perfectly. Once my nose is in, I turn the wheel back hard into the current and go forward so that the stern doesn't get carried away as I pull in. I broke a few pvc guideposts learning to get it right but usually get it on the second try now!
Great method! It sounds like you've figured out what works for YOUR boat and docking situation. And while it's never fun, especially when people are watching, there's no shame into backing down and trying again. PVC guideposts are forgiving, which is why we use them! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
When I put my boat on the lift I run the bow lift for a few extra seconds after I get the boat to the height that I want. That way I make sure that the boat has a very slight tilt towards the stern which will cause all rain water to run to the stern and be pumped out by the bilge pump. It only takes a very few seconds on the bow lift to give it this slight tilt.
Thanks for sharing, Henry!
I wrapped electrical tape on both aft PVC guide poles at the level where the boat floats off. This way when I return, if I can see the tape above the water line because the tide went down, I know i have to lower the lift before I pull on.
Great tip, Michael! Thanks for watching.
Good idea Mike
Should we tie the boat even when on the lift? I see my neighbor doing that. Thanks.
Thanks for the great question, Sunny. Unless the boat will be subjected to very high winds or tides, it's not normal procedure to tie a boat that's on a lift. When a big storm is coming, however, our BoatUS Catastrophe Team has found that tying boats up while on a lift is very useful for avoiding damage. You need to be aware that in extreme cases, however, a boat tied to the dock when on a lift can actually "sink" in place if the water level rises over the height of the lift and boat. (If it's lashed down, it can't float away.) If an extreme weather event is predicted, we recommend hauling the boat and storing it on land well away from the water until the danger has passed. (Also, thanks for your patience. Our team was at Miami Boat Show, so we couldn't get back to you right away.)
great boat
What brand and size boat was that you were lifting?
It's a Key West 21FS
Do they have boat lifts for when some lakes let water out n cant use your boat so you don't have to pull out of lake.
Thanks for the question, Michael. Every state -- and sometimes different lakes in the same state -- will have different rules regarding whether or not you can leave the boat on a lift when the water's drawn down. As a practical matter, as long as the lift has been properly fitted for the boat, leaving it on there for an extended period of time is perfectly fine. (And in many areas, people shrink-wrap and winterize their boats on the lift). A lift like the one in the video would be an ideal type for this situation, if allowed.
How does he know in step 3 that he should align the gas cap with the guide pole? What’s the reasoning here?
Thanks for your question, Steven. It comes from experience and knowing where his boat is best positioned on his lift. Obviously if you're putting your boat on a lift for the first time, it may take a little experimentation to find a good reference point for your particular boat and lift, but once you have it, you'll find it helpful to ensure you have your boat positioned correctly every time. Thanks for watching!
so we all line up any boat on lift with the gas cap? thanks great info
Good question, Graham. It might or might not. You'll have to find the right spot for your own boat. Our BoatUS Foundation boats that are stored on lifts have a piece of tape on the rubrail marking where the boat should line up with the post, but if you have something like a rod holder, gas cap, or other landmark (boatmark?) that lines up, that works fine, too. Thanks for watching!
They always do this on flat water. My 5 year old can dock the boat in that. Try doing it when there are 20 wakeboard boats cruising around constantly.
Hi Doug. That's definitely a challenge and one we will cover if the conditions present themselves. Unfortunately we can only work with the conditions we have on the day of shooting because we plan our videos weeks or even months in advance. Bottom line: We try to show the basic techniques because that's the starting point. Yes, adding a various combination of other factors requires some tweaking to the skill, but the basics remain the same. Most folks don't realize that we sometimes ad lib in some of our videos when things don't go exactly as planned, which usually adds to the educational value, but it doesn't happen on cue. We certainly appreciate the honest feedback, though, and keep it in mind as we come up with new topics.
@@boatus thanks for the response. PS: you can come to the lake I live on on any sunny day and get your brutal conditions! Lol
2:00 watch the dude in the boat😂
What else are you gonna do while waiting for your boat lift to rise? Vadim was just making himself comfy for the ride. 🤷♀️😂
Make sure to get all passengers and operator out of the boat before you raise or lower the boat. Four post cable boat lifts do not meet the elevator code or are approved to lift or lower people. Check "Do Not's" in your operators manual.
Thanks for the good advice, Chuck. We always recommend consulting the manufacturer's recommendations, especially when it comes to capacity. That said, the lift rating shouldn't cut it too close to the boat weight, including gear and people. With most lifts, there's no way for the operator/passengers to get off until it's at least level with the dock. That's why it's important to have a lift with enough capacity.
@@boatus
And there is the problem. I know of NO manufacturer that builds a four post mechanical lift that meets the elevator code and is approved for lifting people. Here in Beaufort, SC we have an average tide range of 8'. That means the boat bottom is about 11' above mean low water. If you drop a boat 11' when a cable breaks, you do lots of damage, injure the boat operator and anybody in the boat with them. I know personally of two cases where a cable broke, which then broke a second cable, the boat tipped over and people were ejected, one with 7 broken ribs. My neighbor is so traumatized of a failure of a cable, he waits until high tide to run his lift, now he can only drop his boat about 3', and he NEVER rides in the boat while being lifted.
Here are some other issues:
Few people put their boats on the lift so the CG of the boat is centered on the frame, they don't know where the CG is, consequently the back cables are frequently overloaded. New boats with multi engines have a CG about 25% forward of the transom. As an example, the CG on a 42' Scout with quad 300's has a CG 10'-6" forward of the transom.
Hoist cables are frequently of unequal length, for many reasons, such that hoist frame is not evenly loaded when boat is put on, overloading one cable. When one cable breaks a second one breaks, boat drops out the back of lift or tips over.
Boat is not perfectly centered on lift, twisting frame causing unequal cable loading, same results as 2.
When winding wire rope cable on very small drums, common with four post cable hoists, cable wears internally from fatigue, not externally from sliding wear on drum. Cable to drum ratio need to be greater than 18 to 1 for cable wear to go from fatigue to external wear where it can be detected by visual inspection.
In your video, recommend you strongly emphasize that NO person should ride in the boat while being raised or lowered. There MUST be a way to access the boat in the lowered, in the water, position. When you, as an authoritative expert recommend riding in the boat while being raised and lowered, become liable if there is an accident.
Chuck Gorgen
Consultant, Marine Lifting Systems
DryDock Boat Lift
(843) 263-3088
www.Boat-Float.com
@@chuckgorgen7951 Thanks for your input.
@@boatus I have been looking for guidance on whether it is OK to stay on the boat while operating the winches because I manage seven lifts around the state and the boat crew often want to stay on board during lifting. Last year a cable broke and dropped a boat , damaging the hull and breaking off the legs of both outboards (total damage cost was $66000) luckily no-one was hurt. I found it is illegal under HSE law (in Australia) for an employee to stay on a vessel while being raised or lowered for the reasons outlined by Chuck Gorgen. I guess if it's your own boat, the HSE law does not apply, but I do agree with Gorgen that it would be good if you could address the safety issues of staying on the boat...
@@markcooper2817 I spoke with several boat lift manufacturers over the years and like clockwork, they tell you boat lifts are made for lifting boats, not people. I am guessing some lawsuits cause that to happen. The reality is people by under powered lifts and don't do the yearly mechanical reviews.
This guy is from Philly, guaranteed
😂 Close. Baltimore! Thanks for watching.
I like cockeyed