Does anybody use a boat lift at their dock for a Water Ballast Hunter? At very low tides, my H26 sits on the bottom (soft mud) and I am considering getting a boat lift as a solution. I would think that with the water ballast system, it could work, but I would like to be aware of any possible problems before I go ahead. Also, should the water be empty while on the lift? Can anyone help?
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My Two Cents
A couple of points here to mention. I assume you have your center board up when is rests on the bottom. Even so, I would hate to put undue wear and tear on the center board pivot point so your lift idea would eliminate that risk and allow you to exchange the water in the ballast tank frequently. But if it's only a couple of feet at low tide would there be enough room for a lift to operate. The lifts I've seen at our marina have a single or perhaps two tanks mounted to a frame that sit under the boat. Wouldn't that require an additional couple of feet in depth to operate? Seems to me that in marginal water depth situations you could trap yourself on the lift. Jeff
A couple of points here to mention. I assume you have your center board up when is rests on the bottom. Even so, I would hate to put undue wear and tear on the center board pivot point so your lift idea would eliminate that risk and allow you to exchange the water in the ballast tank frequently. But if it's only a couple of feet at low tide would there be enough room for a lift to operate. The lifts I've seen at our marina have a single or perhaps two tanks mounted to a frame that sit under the boat. Wouldn't that require an additional couple of feet in depth to operate? Seems to me that in marginal water depth situations you could trap yourself on the lift. Jeff
Thanks for your help.
Tim, It is nice to hear from someone who has done this with good results. I could not find any other comments on a lift from the archives. Can you tell me who made your lift? Also, do you have electricity on your dock? or get power to the lift in another manner (generator or using boat batteries)?
Tim, It is nice to hear from someone who has done this with good results. I could not find any other comments on a lift from the archives. Can you tell me who made your lift? Also, do you have electricity on your dock? or get power to the lift in another manner (generator or using boat batteries)?
Details
The lift itself is made by a company called Golden Lifts. It was installed by Duncan Seawall Company, a local company that builds docks and installs lifts. They also built the supports for the boat. We have a local Hunter dealer here in town and were able to take measurements from a trailer at their place. (I don't own a trailer). You will need electricity to operate the lift. It is powered by two electric motors. In my case I have two 20 Amp circuits. I am sure it is possible to purchase a generator that would be powerful enough but it will be a pretty big one.
The lift itself is made by a company called Golden Lifts. It was installed by Duncan Seawall Company, a local company that builds docks and installs lifts. They also built the supports for the boat. We have a local Hunter dealer here in town and were able to take measurements from a trailer at their place. (I don't own a trailer). You will need electricity to operate the lift. It is powered by two electric motors. In my case I have two 20 Amp circuits. I am sure it is possible to purchase a generator that would be powerful enough but it will be a pretty big one.
A reasonably small gen might work
If it's too far for shore power the lift could be run on a smaller 2kw gen if the lift motors were used independently, alternating between each control(set up side by side) until the boat was up. As their phsyical size goes down many boaters might even carry such a compact generator to work on the boat or for a small ac unit during our summer sessions. Tim, we live in sarasota too and trailer our H240. Been sailing quite abit lately with the weather so nice. I'm listed in the owners directory. Look us up. Micahel on our H240 "Bonafide"
If it's too far for shore power the lift could be run on a smaller 2kw gen if the lift motors were used independently, alternating between each control(set up side by side) until the boat was up. As their phsyical size goes down many boaters might even carry such a compact generator to work on the boat or for a small ac unit during our summer sessions. Tim, we live in sarasota too and trailer our H240. Been sailing quite abit lately with the weather so nice. I'm listed in the owners directory. Look us up. Micahel on our H240 "Bonafide"
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