Winter storms, nor’easters, hurricanes and other unusual weather patterns have contributed to excessive damage not only to moored and docked boats and yachts, but also to the marine structures they are secured to. The conventional docking of watercraft and vessels from 600 to 180,000 pounds can be avoided by having a watercraft, boat or yacht lift.
Federal, state and local agencies and authorities in some locations actually mandate their use. Why?Because the water has problems! Big problems! GREEN, Non-polluting docking and storage lift systems are now the accepted state of the art. Boaters should have what is right for the environment. Especially in many new marina facilities. In some cases the law is that, upon approval of permits, you must install personal watercraft, boat and yacht lifts to mitigate pollution. The more boats floating in the water, then the more bottom paint in contact with and leaching into the water, the more boats the increase of shading of the water bottom. More boats increase liability resulting from dangerous or inclement weather causing unnecessary damage to the environment and property. Boaters should have security! When your 20-, 40-, 60- or 150-foot long conventional, go-fast boat or yacht must be secure, “LIFT IT!”
Boaters must have faster, [lift speeds to 54″/min] less expensive, more convenient, year-round, non-polluting GREEN docking, storage and lifting systems. Boaters must have increased life of their fiber-reinforced polymer laminate hull or metal hull. This is a must for laminate hull owners. For more than 35 years “osmotic blisters” have been a common cause of laminate hull failure in composite fiber-reinforced laminate hulls. Every laminate vessel, no matter what size or age, has the potential for developing this laminate hull disease. Osmosis and permeation of seawater through the laminate surface or gel coat and outer reinforcement layers, traps water behind that surface, causes a chemical reaction and then the evolution of gas blowing blisters into or out of the hull surface. Hopefully out of the hull surface, as inward could cause catastrophic hull failure.
Boaters want safer, GREEN extended storage options to reduce the risk of damage from winter ice, heavy rains, high winds, and other weather related causes. A boat lift provides the owner with the convenience of storing their vessel adjacent to any seawall, bulkhead, dock or slip year-round. Annual maintenance and storage costs are reduced, the need for trailer ownership and operation costs are eliminated, including the risk and liability that goes along with it. Go-Fast and performance boaters want a way to store their boats without having to paint the bottom, yet be able to put their boat in and out of the water fast and “on-demand.” Clean, slick bottoms not only reduce fuel consumption and increase speed, but also preserve the value of the boat at resale time.
Let’s take an example of a rough cost estimate for a lift that only includes the direct costs associated with the lift system and relate it to an average boat.
Rough Cost Estimate – 36′ Boat weight = 15,000 pounds total weight including engines,
fuel, water, waste, appliances, equipment and 10% of the dry weight for gear.
16,000 lb. Lift with sealed gear drive winch system (top of the line lift) = $7,300,
Permit applications and expediting = $2,100,
Four piles installed @ $550 ea. = $2,200, Lift installation = $2,600, Electrical = $ 800
Total = $15,000.
ABOUT $1.00/lb of the boat weight.
So as the boat weight/size increases, the lift cost will go down. A lift system purchased and used in northern U. S. waters can be amortized and justified over a three-year period just based upon the savings from winterization and summarization storage costs in a boat or yacht yard. Added to that is the boat’s security, safety, convenience, longevity of the laminate hull or metal hull, hauling and storage costs, hull cleaning, bottom painting, running gear maintenance, trailer costs (when applicable) and other important aspects.
Safe and Happy GREEN Boating — and lifting!