Boat Lift?

[JimW]

Now that I've already purchased a used ShoreStation to keep my SJ21 on the water while I'm not around, I figured it would be a good time to ask people around here if that's a good idea or not. . . . I've been thinking about this scheme for a while and I can't find any previous similar discussion in this forum.

Anyjuan using a boat lift for on-water, mast-up storage for their sailboat? I can't trust a mooring ball when we're away from our boat and cabin for weeks at a time. Also, I don't have any bottom paint and would like to keep it that way, and I don't want any gunk growing down there. The set up time to raise a mast and launch from the trailer is just enough deterrent to make me keep the boat in the garage for short weekend getaways. The lift should fit the boat perfectly (haven't launched yet) and I think it will be well-supported. We're in a somewhat sheltered area of the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay, but a good south wind has about 9 miles of fetch and we can get 1-2' waves at our location.

I'm thinking of pointing the boat and lift in the direction of highest potential wind. I'm also thinking of 3-4 ground anchors to tie the boat to lake bed for extra security.

Any experiences or other thoughts?

[kuriti]

My perception is that most of the posters here are trailer queens or in slips, so may not have a lot to offer. The greater interwebs will likely be of use since this is not a issue specific to SJs. I know my buddy in Fl keeps his 21' Hobie on a lift with mast up, but not sure about prevailing winds and waves. Don't know where the ramp is compared to your cabin, but i just keep mine on a trailer at the marina with the mast up. I don't want to bottom paint either or deal with a slip/slime. I take my sails off every time, but it still only takes me about 20 mins to rig and launch, less if the asses at the ramp aren't delaying everyone.

[BadgerJuan]

Here in Madison WI, I keep my boat on a mooring. Lake Mendota is about 5 miles across so it can get rough at times. In our marina, most sailboats are on moorings. However, 6 or so sailboats are on lifts with their masts up and everything seems to work fine.

I never liked setting the boat up each time I took it out and having a place to store it on a trailer with the mast up is not an option here. With the boat on a mooring, I can easily take it out by myself. I have thought about getting a lift, but haven't, mainly due to cost.

[JimW]

I would love to keep the boat on its trailer, mast-up. Our place is about 0.5 miles from an excellent public boat launch. Unfortunately, there is exactly one overhead wire between our place and the launch.

I went out with a friend on his Flying Scot last night on an inland lake. That's a sweet boat, too. All the sailboats at the club were on lifts and it was a pretty nice setup.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll let you know how it goes later this summer!

[JimW]

End of summer update:

Well, the lift worked great. Starting from rudder, motor, sails and boom in the cabin, I can be sailing in 15-20 minutes. The hardest part (after reassembling my Craigslist lift--they weren't really meant to be taken apart and reassembled) was adjusting the bunks so that the boat was happy--the hull on our boats is rather thin and requires carefully placed supports to avoid dimpling. I still need to rig up some sort of guides to make it easier to position the boat after returning to the lift.

San Juan 21 on old Shoremaster boat lift

IMG_2995.jpg (127.19KiB)Viewed 26401 times

Since we aren't nearby all the time, I was concerned about the boat staying put on the lift under the worst conditions. For what it was worth, I added four auger-type anchors and tied down the corners of the boat while it is on the lift. After the seriously destructive July 31 storms in Northern Michigan, with estimated 70 mph winds in our area, the San Juan was still sitting pretty:

July 31 aftermath

IMG_3379.jpg (42.79KiB)Viewed 26399 times

[kuriti]

good to hear!

[rodburner6011]

I saw your post and hope you don't mind me throwing my 2 cents worth in. (might help someone in the future) Your lift design is a rather standard and a very good one. The changes that I would have made are,

first, get rid of the bunk system. They are very workable but I would prefer , what I call , a sling system. basicly it works like the 4" tie down on a semi trailer but in reverse (or upside down ). In fact , those are the parts you would need. on one side you have a block that holds the strap. on the other , the ratchet part. figure the length you need and find the center point. there, you sew in a weight to keep the strap streight and hanging down rather than floating on the water.

If you position these far enough apart you can bring a post upright at all 4 corners and attache a wrap-a-round bumper to it to help you guid and center the boat. Also, if your keel is not retractable, you can undo the back one, bring the boat in and re-attach it to a preset position. There is a little cost involved but owners with a fixed keel would find it helpful.

I have used this design more than once,, lol. I'm no rocket scientist, just an old man who welded for over 35 years. For 14 of those I ran a boat lift and dock manufacturing company located around Table Rock, Beaver, Bull Sholes and Lake Taneycome in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. If we needed a new lift design, the owner would just say,,, you know what we need, just make one... lol

hope you don't mind my 2 cents
Randy

[JimW]

The sling is an interesting idea. I like the thought of the ratchets to fine-tune the fit to the boat. We can get some stiff winds where I keep the boat--how does this arrangement restrict rocking or swaying of the boat under those conditions, or is that not really a concern?

Thanks for the idea, Randy!

[rodburner6011]

The swaying is really non existant. I have put them on a lot of lifts and they are very stable.