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CooperS7777 · 04-17-2021, 08:08 PM

We have tried several options for our jetski on Paugus, where it can get fairly rough (though not as rough as many places in the bay).

The floating style docks / lifts, while nice, don't do so well in really rough water. They are hard on the structure they are attached to (dock) and hard on themselves. They also all seem to yellow and turn chalky / cheap looking after a few years of exposure from the sun.

The hewitt style lifts (4 leg, large hand crank wheel) worked OK for us. Most of the issues we ran into with this style lift were in regards to the water depth. Due to the placement of our dock, we had to use the longer legs with the lift, and typically had them extended quite a ways out (~3.5' of water on one end of the lift and ~4' or so on the other). Because the lift needed to be so high due to the water depth, after 4-5 seasons we had to have some welding work done to repair the legs, as well as reinforce the lift overall. Another issue we ran into with this style was in regards to water freezing in one of the legs over the winter, and splitting the square stock they are made out of. I'm not sure why it happened, the lift had drained on its own in years past, but for whatever reason, one winter water was trapped and caused the leg to split when it froze.

Just last season we kept the ski on a set of mooring whips, as our Hewitt lift was finally on its last legs, and we were also working on installing a more permanent style lift. The whips worked very well, and kept both the jetski and the dock safe from damage. The biggest downfall with of this option for us was the inability to cover the jetski while it was on the whips. It also picked up a nice scum line as the season progressed (easily cleaned by hand while standing at the sand bar, but of concern to some).

This season, after extensive dock repairs / replacement last year, we will be using a vertical, Hi-Tide elevator lift setup for 2 jetskis. This is a long term solution, and it is absolutely the most expensive, but I think this will be the best for us. We will be able to store the skis out of the water, at any lake level, and will have the ability to clean and cover them from the comfort of the dock.

If you are installing a seasonal jetski lift, you do need to file a PBN with the state, and the lift needs to be removed from the water in the winter. It is not so much a permit in the traditional meaning, as you are simply notifying the state know that you will have a jetski lift(s) at your property (they are not going to send you anything back stating that its "OK" to proceed with the lift). If I recall correctly, the number of lifts you can have correlates to the distance of shorefront you own (much like the number of docks you can have). I know that with our ~100', we are allowed to have 2 lifts.

04-17-2021, 08:08 PM	#12
CooperS7777 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 69 Thanks: 103 Thanked 20 Times in 16 Posts	We have tried several options for our jetski on Paugus, where it can get fairly rough (though not as rough as many places in the bay). The floating style docks / lifts, while nice, don't do so well in really rough water. They are hard on the structure they are attached to (dock) and hard on themselves. They also all seem to yellow and turn chalky / cheap looking after a few years of exposure from the sun. The hewitt style lifts (4 leg, large hand crank wheel) worked OK for us. Most of the issues we ran into with this style lift were in regards to the water depth. Due to the placement of our dock, we had to use the longer legs with the lift, and typically had them extended quite a ways out (~3.5' of water on one end of the lift and ~4' or so on the other). Because the lift needed to be so high due to the water depth, after 4-5 seasons we had to have some welding work done to repair the legs, as well as reinforce the lift overall. Another issue we ran into with this style was in regards to water freezing in one of the legs over the winter, and splitting the square stock they are made out of. I'm not sure why it happened, the lift had drained on its own in years past, but for whatever reason, one winter water was trapped and caused the leg to split when it froze. Just last season we kept the ski on a set of mooring whips, as our Hewitt lift was finally on its last legs, and we were also working on installing a more permanent style lift. The whips worked very well, and kept both the jetski and the dock safe from damage. The biggest downfall with of this option for us was the inability to cover the jetski while it was on the whips. It also picked up a nice scum line as the season progressed (easily cleaned by hand while standing at the sand bar, but of concern to some). This season, after extensive dock repairs / replacement last year, we will be using a vertical, Hi-Tide elevator lift setup for 2 jetskis. This is a long term solution, and it is absolutely the most expensive, but I think this will be the best for us. We will be able to store the skis out of the water, at any lake level, and will have the ability to clean and cover them from the comfort of the dock. If you are installing a seasonal jetski lift, you do need to file a PBN with the state, and the lift needs to be removed from the water in the winter. It is not so much a permit in the traditional meaning, as you are simply notifying the state know that you will have a jetski lift(s) at your property (they are not going to send you anything back stating that its "OK" to proceed with the lift). If I recall correctly, the number of lifts you can have correlates to the distance of shorefront you own (much like the number of docks you can have). I know that with our ~100', we are allowed to have 2 lifts.