Planing your Dock
Choosing A Dock
How to Choose A Dock
- Determine the length, configuration and depth of water the dock will be in and the max depth you want.
- What type of lake bottom Ex. muddy(muck), sandy, rocky, hard or soft clay, or a combination.
- Ask yourself, how am I going to use the dock? Boating/boat docking, loading and unloading from the boat, deck space/ sitting, will you entertain guests on the dock, dockside water recreation Ect.
- Keep in consideration your type of shoreline and how much room is required for winter storage of your varies water related equipment.
- Does your lake have noticeable wave action?
- Feeling overwhelmed? Our expertise can be put to use, Call (262)305-3913 Today.
WI DNR Rescources
Boat Lifts:
Choosing A Boat Lift
How To Choose A Boat Lift
- Determine the dry weight of the watercraft(s), please include an outboard motor if applicable Note: Correct weight is crucial in the selection of a boat lift.
- Determine fuel capacity of watercraft in gallons and multiply by 8 (Note: 8 is the weight of one gallon of fuel.)
- Estimate the weight of any additional gear you may keep in the boat.
- Calculate the total weight by adding, dry weight, fuel weight, and additional gear together.
- Measure the beam of the boat. ( Note: The beam of the boat is its width at the widest point in inches)
- Does the lake level fluctuate on an annual basis?
- What type of lake bottom Ex. muddy(muck), sandy, rocky, hard or soft clay, or a combination.
- Does your lake have noticeable wave action?
- Note: Most of the watercraft information can be obtained through your boat dealer.
- Contact us with the above information and let us set up the lift that fits your needs and meets your expectations.
Cantilever Lifts
With a cantilever lift, the weight of the boat is transferred from the cradle through two H-shape structures to the base of the lift frame. The two H-shape structures lie almost flat in a horizontal position when the lift is down in the water, and are pulled by a cable into a vertical position in order to lift the boat up out of the water. This simple design allows for the use of a single cable at the front of the lift and just three pulleys.
The main drawback to a cantilever lift is that the lift travel is limited by the height of the H-shape levers. Most cantilever lifts have 40″ of lift travel. If you have a boat that requires 18″ of water to float (as most stern drives do), a 40” lever is enough to raise it 22″ above the water (40”- 18”= 22”), which is plenty for most but not all applications. If you need more lift – because you get very large waves on your lake or want to tuck your boat up tight under a high canopy and the lake level has a tendency to fluctuate – you should consider a vertical lift. Also, cantilever lifts tend to lose their mechanical advantage when the boat exceeds 4000lbs
Some lift retailers suggest you should also consider a vertical lift if your shoreline is particularly shallow, but this is not true. Most cantilever lifts, like vertical lifts, will lower the lift cradle until it is nearly level with the base of the lift frame. Cantilever lifts may even have a slight advantage in very shallow water for two reasons. First, unlike a vertical lift, they do not need to be perfectly level, so there is a reduced need to raise the back end of the lift on the legs. Second, the carriage on a cantilever lift moves backward into deeper water as it drops.
Vertical Lifts
Vertical lifts raise the boat with cables which bear the full weight of the boat at all times. There area number of different ways that cables can be configured, but the most common involve 4 or 5 cables and 7 to10 pulleys. The cables run in Z patterns and are threaded through the hollow extrusions that make up the frame of the lift cradle. This front cable is attached to a winch and is the only cable that does any actual lifting; the other cables are there for balance and support.
As mentioned, vertical lifts require slightly more maintenance than cantilever lifts. First, they should be kept as close to level as possible (no more than 2” of variation between corners) to reduce the risk of the carriage binding against the frame, as well as premature cable wear. Second, the cables are prone to stretching over time (because they are bearing the weight of the boat) and need to be adjusted periodically to keep the carriage level. Third, cables may need to be replaced more frequently due to wear – especially the front cable which is the one which does all of the lifting. Most manufacturers suggest replacing cables every two to five years. Lastly, although both types of lifts need to kept free of weeds, this is especially true for vertical lifts. Vertical lifts have more places for weeds to gather and hide, and more pulleys that can jam up because of them. Owners of vertical lifts need to be particularly vigilant about cleaning
weeds off after each time the lift is used.
Hydraulic Lifts
They use a motor that drives a pump that pushes hydraulic fluid into rams that lower and raise the lift. The benefit of a system like this is that there is less wear-n-tear on the motor because the pump/fluid does most of the work. That does not mean hydraulic lifts don’t have issues. The main issue for hydraulic lifts, is the hydraulic ram(s) will have to be changed every 10 to 15 yrs., depending on your maintenance schedule, but not nearly as often as you would a cable on a vertical lift. They generally can vertically lift between 44″ and 77″ and can accommodate weights between 1700-24,000 lbs
Due to the ease of use and simplicity of the the hydraulic lift there in great standing with female boaters and kids alike. In most cases its push button convenience that lower and raises the lift, that’s it! Another advantage of a hydraulic lift is the quite and speed in which the lift operates. Due to the simplistic nature of the lift it has a real clean look to it, so when the boat is in the up position it looks like its on a pedestal, so one has a unimpeded view of the lake or shoreline.