Boat Lifts - Leave up or submerge?

sea_n_ski · 09-07-2010, 06:27 AM

This is the first year I have boat lifts. There is no way to take them out of the water because they weigh a ton. Not to mention it took 4 guys all day to put two of them together. They told me to just leave them in the water over the winter retracted on the bottom. I have a circulator, so ice isn't an issue.

My question is: Do I leave them up or down? If I leave them down they are underwater with the piston is retracted. But the carpeted bunks are underwater. Will they rot? If I leave them up, the bunks are out of the water, but the piston is extended and will they pit or corrode? Also in the event a chunk of ice does hit it, the lift could get damaged.

Up or down?

Gatto Nero · 09-07-2010, 06:58 AM

Not to be a downer but the the state refers to boatlifts as "seasonal boat lift" By that they mean that you have to it remove it from the lake during the non-boating season. So legally, according to the PBN I assume you signed, sinking it isn't an option.

Mink Islander · 09-07-2010, 07:07 AM

I believe a boat lift falls under the laws governing seasonal docks and as such you are required to remove it from the lake 5 months of the year.

Try this link for the rules:

http://des.nh.gov/organization/commi...-wt100-800.pdf

fatlazyless · 09-07-2010, 07:31 AM

Leave it down, under the water, otherwise snow, rain & ice forms around the sliders and supports that will expand ten percent when it changes from water to ice and that can maybe mess up the lift.

If one water circulator doesn't make a big enough circle of open water and there's still a corner that freezes up, go with the Lowe's 1/6-hp utility pump for $65 as an add-on pony circulator, as opposed to adding another $450 circulator.

The legal seasonality issue on boat lifts is probably never-ever enforced, so it's not a problem!

What can be a big problem is all the noise created by a circulator if there's a year round resident living next door. The circulators definately do a good job of disrupting the quiet of a winter day or night with long running, noisy splish-splash surface water, and your good guy, quiet unassuming neighbor may be driven over the edge, get real pissed off, and just go pull the plug on your circulator when it's 10 degrees-below and you are away.

KonaChick · 09-07-2010, 09:30 AM

I encourage you to follow the law and take it out. Think about what would happen if a snowmobile track hit it.....

meredith weekender · 09-07-2010, 03:38 PM

In addition to rotting the bunks or pitting the cylinder, you should consider that if water has penetrated the inside of the steel frame (which it probably already has) the water will expand when frozen thereby splitting the steel open and compromising the integrity of the steel structure. You paid alot of $$$ for the lifts and therefore want to insure that they will be in service for many years to come. Most dock companies that have a barge will be able to come by in the fall and lift the lift out of the water and place it in your yard. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Lakegeezer · 09-08-2010, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KonaChick

I encourage you to follow the law and take it out. Think about what would happen if a snowmobile track hit it.....

Since a bubbler is in use, wouldn't the snowmobile be skimming and therefore liable for damaging the lift? Do two wrongs cancel out each other? Its enough to make two lawyers rich

ITD · 09-08-2010, 07:02 AM

Have it taken out and put one of these setups on it. I wouldn't leave it in, the ice will destroy it.

http://www.boatlifthelper.com/HowItWorks.html

fatlazyless · 09-08-2010, 07:28 AM

Depending on how much open water is created by your water circulator, and the approach location on the lake, there's definately a few snow-mobilers out there who go for the extra rush of skimming an open water, of say 100', in the ice. They gun the engine as they approach the open water, and lean back a little to make a better angle for the ribbed rubber traction belt to grab the water......and it's five seconds skimming the 34-degree water to cheat a possible icy drowning..... what a roaring noisy watery rush!

About twelve years ago, after trying to hire three guys on a weekend to remove my boatlift I got weary of all the hassle. After one of the prior year's 20-something helpers wound up engine exhaust-rubber hose to talepipe-asphixiated in a car, in a residential garage, in Florida, in a supposed suicide, which some presumed to be a drug related murder and not a suicide; I decided to approach my boat lift removal by myself, with no assistance. So, who wants hired help like that? Sometimes, you are just better off doing things by yourself, without introducing trouble onto your property.

Anyway, what I used to get done with four strong backs, now gets done by one person, myself, using some long planks and a boat trailer winch that gets attached to a tree. If the Egyptians were able to build the pyramids using all hand laborers, then one person can usually figure a way to remove a 400-lb boat lift!

Lots-o-luck! Just work like an Egyptian!

mastercraft · 09-08-2010, 02:22 PM

We leave all the lifts in year round. Never really had any problem at all, we put the boat lift down and then drag the jet ski lifts out where it is deeper and put buoys on them so in the spring we can just drag them back. Takes no time at all

Dock and Barge · 09-08-2010, 08:24 PM

As the owner of a barge company who takes care of 30 plus lifts during the winter, I would say leave it in if money is an issue. Make sure someone watchs the bubbler and the lift during the winter, crank it all the way down, disconnect from the box, leave the cables in the water as hydraulic fluid can freeze if cold enough. Then you don't need to worry about it. We take lifts out for $450.00 for a sl6000 if there is easy access. good luck

LIforrelaxin · 09-09-2010, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sea_n_ski

This is the first year I have boat lifts. There is no way to take them out of the water because they weigh a ton. Not to mention it took 4 guys all day to put two of them together. They told me to just leave them in the water over the winter retracted on the bottom. I have a circulator, so ice isn't an issue.

My question is: Do I leave them up or down? If I leave them down they are underwater with the piston is retracted. But the carpeted bunks are underwater. Will they rot? If I leave them up, the bunks are out of the water, but the piston is extended and will they pit or corrode? Also in the event a chunk of ice does hit it, the lift could get damaged.

Up or down?

So the one question I don't see answered here, is what does the permit you filed with the NH DES say? if you put the lifts in the PBN, as GN mentions you need to get these out of the water.... However if you permitted them to stay in year around through one of the more formal permitting process then you could leave them in....

IMHO is is not wise to leave these in the water, unless they are under 3 or 4 feet of water, or protected in such a way that a moving hunk of ice can't possibly get to them... Sorry the circulator or bubbler just keeps the ice from forming, if the ice shifts a hunk of ice can head your way..... Ice is extremely powerful.... I bought a place with a previously installed crank-up dock, that was poorly designed in its installation... the ice takes its toll on it... luckly it hasn't done anything to prevent its continued use....

fatlazyless · 09-09-2010, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

.... However if you permitted them to stay in year around through one of the more formal permitting process then you could leave them in....

There is absolutely no follow-up on-site inspection, say for example, by a DES inspector going house lot to house lot, all around the lake, on a snowmobile so it is a totally unenforced state law. No state agency, and the lake is state property, really cares whether the seasonal dock and boatlift stays in or not because there's no reason to care. Like, what difference could it possibly make to anyone except for the home owner?

In the case of an argument arising between two abutting waterfront homeowners, where one goes to the town raising a complaint of excessive constant splish-splash, water circulator noise for all of the time from January to April, the local town will most likely say that the two abutters need to work on a solution between themselves, and that it is not a town problem because the lake is state property. "This is your problem and the town, quite frankly, does not wish to get involved, nor does it have any jurisdiction. This is not our problem, go fix it between yourselves!" ... is probably what you hear from the local town.

A 10' x 10' x 6' aluminum, cable style horizontal elevator boat lift weighs about 400 to 450-lbs and can have a 2600-lb boat capacity, and when purchased new, they initially get installed by the boat lift retailer. After that, it's up to the waterfront owner. What to do? Leave it in with an electric powered, water circulator, or remove it, or push it out into deeper water so it is totally underneath the surface ice? Who you gonna call and what you gonna do?......

Gatto Nero · 09-09-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

So the one question I don't see answered here, is what does the permit you filed with the NH DES say? if you put the lifts in the PBN, as GN mentions you need to get these out of the water.... However if you permitted them to stay in year around through one of the more formal permitting process then you could leave them in....

I don't believe there is any more formal process that would allow you to legally keep them in year round. The state considers them seasonal and by definition must be removed in the off season. That being said, I can't imagine that anybody would be the wiser if you just sunk it to below where the ice forms. If you leave it where it is and just put bubblers around it I'm guessing there is a good chance somebody will get their panties in a bunch over it and cause you problems.

LIforrelaxin · 09-09-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatto Nero

If you leave it where it is and just put bubblers around it I'm guessing there is a good chance somebody will get their panties in a bunch over it and cause you problems.

This is where you have to really know your neighbors.... or know if you are in a area where people are likely to notice....

I will admit, I don't see the harm in sinking the darn thing in 5 feet of water....

of course it sounds like maybe there is more to bubble in this particular case, so possible it wouldn't draw much attention.... but leaving it in shallow water would scare the crap out of me as the ice was breaking up.... As does just having a permanent dock as the water brakes up....

Gatto Nero · 09-09-2010, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

This is where you have to really know your neighbors.... or know if you are in a area where people are likely to notice....

Exactly. I happen to be in an situation where nothing goes unnoticed so I tend to err on the side of caution. I did consider installing a lift rather go through all the trouble an expense of a breakwater but I have nowhere to put a lift in the off season and I knew I couldn't get away with drowning it every winter.

Happy Gourmand · 09-09-2010, 03:05 PM

I have a neighbor who RAISES his above the water level for the winter. He slides 2 4x6x10' beams across the the dock fingers and rests the lift on them. Seems to work well.

sea_n_ski · 10-06-2010, 08:33 PM

A friend of mine leaves his in and submerges them. I did take the bunks off so they don't decay. They are completely underwater. I do have a bubbler, so he water won't freeze.

Even if I floated them off the bottom, I have no place to put them.

Spring can't come too soon...

fatlazyless · 10-07-2010, 07:20 AM

Most all boat lifts are built from aluminum pieces, just like an erector set, and the very hot & humid summer of 2010 was the mother of all NH summers for growing mildew and yucky black mold. Boat lifts being situated next to a dock and close to shore are subjected to lots of water-wave action so it all combines to turn the aluminum surfaces into easy holds for the black mold to get a grip onto the flat aluminum horizontal surfaces.

If you are really looking for something to do, while you wait for your next quarterly dividend payment from BP Oil to show up, it is not a bad idea to remove your boatlift to the nearby shore, and clean/kill the black mold with a bleach solution either with a pressure washer or just scrubbing with a big sponge and rubber gloves.

For treating the non-aluminum parts such as steel cross supports, there's an aerosol $6 can of metal maintenance-treatment for farm and garden equipment that penetrates into steel and is a good protectant. It contains stuff like penetrating oil and a liquid wax coating. Heath's Hdwe in Center Harbor carries the stuff! Canuaba car wax is good too, for the same purpose but is a lot more work to apply.

Hi ho....hi ho....it's off to demold, clean, and treat/wax your aluminum & galvanized steel boatlift, you go!

Hey there, not only do you get to pay huge property taxes, but you get to do a lot of work just to MAINTAIN your waterfront property, just to keep it looking nice!

09-07-2010, 06:27 AM	#1
sea_n_ski Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Atkinson & Meredith, NH Posts: 45 Thanks: 2 Thanked 7 Times in 3 Posts	Boat Lifts - Leave up or submerge? This is the first year I have boat lifts. There is no way to take them out of the water because they weigh a ton. Not to mention it took 4 guys all day to put two of them together. They told me to just leave them in the water over the winter retracted on the bottom. I have a circulator, so ice isn't an issue. My question is: Do I leave them up or down? If I leave them down they are underwater with the piston is retracted. But the carpeted bunks are underwater. Will they rot? If I leave them up, the bunks are out of the water, but the piston is extended and will they pit or corrode? Also in the event a chunk of ice does hit it, the lift could get damaged. Up or down?

09-07-2010, 06:58 AM	#2
Gatto Nero Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Isola Gatto Nero Posts: 696 Thanks: 162 Thanked 263 Times in 81 Posts	Seasonal boatlift Not to be a downer but the the state refers to boatlifts as "seasonal boat lift" By that they mean that you have to it remove it from the lake during the non-boating season. So legally, according to the PBN I assume you signed, sinking it isn't an option. __________________ La vita è buona su Isola Gatto Nero

09-07-2010, 07:07 AM	#3
Mink Islander Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 753 Thanks: 59 Thanked 271 Times in 129 Posts	Seasonal Dock I believe a boat lift falls under the laws governing seasonal docks and as such you are required to remove it from the lake 5 months of the year. Try this link for the rules: http://des.nh.gov/organization/commi...-wt100-800.pdf

09-07-2010, 07:31 AM	#4
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,525 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 295 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Leave it down, under the water, otherwise snow, rain & ice forms around the sliders and supports that will expand ten percent when it changes from water to ice and that can maybe mess up the lift. If one water circulator doesn't make a big enough circle of open water and there's still a corner that freezes up, go with the Lowe's 1/6-hp utility pump for $65 as an add-on pony circulator, as opposed to adding another $450 circulator. The legal seasonality issue on boat lifts is probably never-ever enforced, so it's not a problem! What can be a big problem is all the noise created by a circulator if there's a year round resident living next door. The circulators definately do a good job of disrupting the quiet of a winter day or night with long running, noisy splish-splash surface water, and your good guy, quiet unassuming neighbor may be driven over the edge, get real pissed off, and just go pull the plug on your circulator when it's 10 degrees-below and you are away. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

09-08-2010, 07:28 AM	#9
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,525 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 295 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Depending on how much open water is created by your water circulator, and the approach location on the lake, there's definately a few snow-mobilers out there who go for the extra rush of skimming an open water, of say 100', in the ice. They gun the engine as they approach the open water, and lean back a little to make a better angle for the ribbed rubber traction belt to grab the water......and it's five seconds skimming the 34-degree water to cheat a possible icy drowning..... what a roaring noisy watery rush! About twelve years ago, after trying to hire three guys on a weekend to remove my boatlift I got weary of all the hassle. After one of the prior year's 20-something helpers wound up engine exhaust-rubber hose to talepipe-asphixiated in a car, in a residential garage, in Florida, in a supposed suicide, which some presumed to be a drug related murder and not a suicide; I decided to approach my boat lift removal by myself, with no assistance. So, who wants hired help like that? Sometimes, you are just better off doing things by yourself, without introducing trouble onto your property. Anyway, what I used to get done with four strong backs, now gets done by one person, myself, using some long planks and a boat trailer winch that gets attached to a tree. If the Egyptians were able to build the pyramids using all hand laborers, then one person can usually figure a way to remove a 400-lb boat lift! Lots-o-luck! Just work like an Egyptian! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 09-08-2010 at 08:07 AM.

09-07-2010, 09:30 AM	#5
KonaChick Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 518 Thanks: 19 Thanked 62 Times in 15 Posts	I encourage you to follow the law and take it out. Think about what would happen if a snowmobile track hit it.....

09-07-2010, 03:38 PM	#6
meredith weekender Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Meredith / Manchester Posts: 373 Thanks: 87 Thanked 83 Times in 56 Posts	In addition to rotting the bunks or pitting the cylinder, you should consider that if water has penetrated the inside of the steel frame (which it probably already has) the water will expand when frozen thereby splitting the steel open and compromising the integrity of the steel structure. You paid alot of $$$ for the lifts and therefore want to insure that they will be in service for many years to come. Most dock companies that have a barge will be able to come by in the fall and lift the lift out of the water and place it in your yard. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

09-08-2010, 07:02 AM	#8
ITD Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 2,860 Thanks: 461 Thanked 666 Times in 366 Posts	Have it taken out and put one of these setups on it. I wouldn't leave it in, the ice will destroy it. http://www.boatlifthelper.com/HowItWorks.html

09-08-2010, 02:22 PM	#10
mastercraft Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 1 Thanked 8 Times in 2 Posts	We leave all the lifts in year round. Never really had any problem at all, we put the boat lift down and then drag the jet ski lifts out where it is deeper and put buoys on them so in the spring we can just drag them back. Takes no time at all

09-08-2010, 08:24 PM	#11
Dock and Barge Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 29 Thanks: 1 Thanked 30 Times in 7 Posts	leave it in As the owner of a barge company who takes care of 30 plus lifts during the winter, I would say leave it in if money is an issue. Make sure someone watchs the bubbler and the lift during the winter, crank it all the way down, disconnect from the box, leave the cables in the water as hydraulic fluid can freeze if cold enough. Then you don't need to worry about it. We take lifts out for $450.00 for a sl6000 if there is easy access. good luck

The Following User Says Thank You to Dock and Barge For This Useful Post:
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09-09-2010, 03:05 PM	#17
Happy Gourmand Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ruskin FL Posts: 1,025 Thanks: 187 Thanked 322 Times in 179 Posts	Boat lift I have a neighbor who RAISES his above the water level for the winter. He slides 2 4x6x10' beams across the the dock fingers and rests the lift on them. Seems to work well.

10-06-2010, 08:33 PM	#18
sea_n_ski Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Atkinson & Meredith, NH Posts: 45 Thanks: 2 Thanked 7 Times in 3 Posts	I submerged them A friend of mine leaves his in and submerges them. I did take the bunks off so they don't decay. They are completely underwater. I do have a bubbler, so he water won't freeze. Even if I floated them off the bottom, I have no place to put them. Spring can't come too soon...

10-07-2010, 07:20 AM	#19
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,525 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 295 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Most all boat lifts are built from aluminum pieces, just like an erector set, and the very hot & humid summer of 2010 was the mother of all NH summers for growing mildew and yucky black mold. Boat lifts being situated next to a dock and close to shore are subjected to lots of water-wave action so it all combines to turn the aluminum surfaces into easy holds for the black mold to get a grip onto the flat aluminum horizontal surfaces. If you are really looking for something to do, while you wait for your next quarterly dividend payment from BP Oil to show up, it is not a bad idea to remove your boatlift to the nearby shore, and clean/kill the black mold with a bleach solution either with a pressure washer or just scrubbing with a big sponge and rubber gloves. For treating the non-aluminum parts such as steel cross supports, there's an aerosol $6 can of metal maintenance-treatment for farm and garden equipment that penetrates into steel and is a good protectant. It contains stuff like penetrating oil and a liquid wax coating. Heath's Hdwe in Center Harbor carries the stuff! Canuaba car wax is good too, for the same purpose but is a lot more work to apply. Hi ho....hi ho....it's off to demold, clean, and treat/wax your aluminum & galvanized steel boatlift, you go! Hey there, not only do you get to pay huge property taxes, but you get to do a lot of work just to MAINTAIN your waterfront property, just to keep it looking nice! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

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