Welcome
@Paddlincanuk to the forum and congrats on your new to you pocket yacht.
Had to look up this Sandpiper 565 To see an image and learn her specs. (
Sandpiper565.com Home Page)
Have not seen many Portuguese designer boats. She has a nice daysail length and a right round belly. Suspect she will be a bit tender if you stand on her rail while boarding. Looks like you could avoid the rail and step into the cockpit onto the seat. Her draft will permit your exploration of gunk holes and island beaches.
You will need to inspect the boat for strength and lift points if they exist. Here are some general ideas based upon limited observation of the boats owners site.
Depending on the crane arm and length you could attempt to build a 3 point sling with hard points at the bow and stern corners. Your boat is said to be 1200 lbs displacement. Easy to handle on a trailer but a lift is another issue.
If the lift has slings then you might look for using 2 slings. One placed in front of the mast, and the second to the stern where the cabin bulkhead comes down to the cockpit. This would help to spread the load across the area most boat designs have reinforcement. I would be sure the two slings are tied together so that they do not slip off the hull when the boat is lifted.
This is general info. Do not attempt without verifying your boats design and strengths. As they say all boat lifts are subject to the owners direction.
Lifting a hull, any hull, is a risky proposition. If it was my boat I would prefer to back a trailer into the water and run the boat up on the trailer. Pull the boat from the water and secure to the trailer.
The boat lift motto:
There are two times when it is all on the line. When you lift the boat up. And when you put the boat down. The rest is a piece of cake. Just don’t go swing the boat.