www.iFourWinns.com

We just purchased a piece of property that has a boat slip. We have recently been keeping the boat on the trailer when not in use in a storage yard. Now with the slip the boat will be in the water from April till October or later. The lake that we boat on is pretty clean and is of course fresh water.

My question is should we have it bottom painted and protected? If so how much does this usually run?
Or would it be cheaper and make more sense to get a boat lift?

The problem with the boat lift is the water level during the winter drops 15 feet, which would bring the slips to rest on the ground until the company allows the water to increase for the summer. Would the boat lift have to be taken out every winter or are they able to rest on the ground as well?

Thanks in advance for your help.

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

I'd go with the lift myself. I've seen people at a lake near me (Lake of the Ozarks) just take the boat off the lift for the winter and let the lift rest on dry ground as the lake level drops. Not sure what kind of long term wear and tear it puts on the lift, just saying I've seen it done.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Leaving the lift in place as water recedes is probably better than moving it every spring & fall as most people in the northern states need to. I've seen them left in over the winter ripped apart pretty good when the ice begins to break up in the spring.

If it were me, I'd go for the lift. Add a lift cover and you'll have the ultimate convenience.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

I agree...go with the lift. However, if you decide to keep the boat in the slip all summer and not on a lift, make sure that you have the correct anodes on the boat to avoid any corrosion. I believe that magnesium are for fresh water and zincs are for salt (or visa versa...check it out). I've heard stories about people slipping their boat in fresh water but having salt water annodes on their boats (thats what they usually put on at the factory) and having outdrive corrosion problems... even in fresh water....

HBender
2006 248 Vista
Norwalk, CT

Thanks for the info. I think the lift also sounds like the better way to go.

If we go with the lift, is there a need to go with the bottom protection?

Will have to check out the anodes.

Thanks again

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

I don't recall ever seeing boats up on a lift with bottom paint on them. To me, that is one of the purposes of the lift.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Paul is right. Since the boat will be spending the majority of its time out of the water, bottom growth does not have time to form and hold. I keep my Formula on a lift - it had bottom paint from its previous owner, so I have it painted every few years strictly for appearance. It was easier than blasting off the old paint.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Okay.

So, then what is a good brand for Boat Lifts? I want to get one boat lift that can still be used if we decide to upgrade to a bigger boat.

Thanks everyone for all of the help!

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

Hi MD! Here is a link to the model my cousin has at his dock! Works Great!

http://www.davitmaster.com/5_cradleLifts/aluminium.asp

Good Luck,
Jim

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

My lift was installed about a dozen years ago and I can't recall the specific brand (although now seeing the previous post, I believe it's a Davit Master too). Obviously, the choice of lift type will depend on the particulars of where it's being installed. I have a four point lift with the cradle on two galvanized steel beams - it's mounted on four pilings off my dock in an open bay in saltwater. When the boat is shrink-wrapped at the marina for the winter, the lift remains in its high position several feet above the waterline and surge height. I see many people in more protected areas having their boats wrapped right on the lift. They're rated by weight, so try to go for a size you could see yourself upgrading to. I'm fairly certain that you can't go too big. If you think you might get a 35 foot cruiser at some point, you can get a 16,000lb rated lift now. In my quick search I came across http://www.boatliftdistributors.com/boa ... -c-21.html. If nothing else, the site has plenty of pictures of the various types of lifts. I think you can operate with confidence in this arena that if you find a manufacturer that's been around for a while it probably means something. Email or have a conversation with a few distributors and I'm sure the common brands will make themselves known quickly.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Take a look at this site: http://www.boatliftdistributors.com they list many manufacture and different styles of lifts. I have a 4 point (piling) top mount lift made by Quality Boat Lift and there is almost no maintenance required (other than grease) since I installed it 2 years ago. Mine has a 12000lb capacity and when I installed I had 24 footer and now I have 26 footer. I feel around 10000 lb capacity is good capacity unless you are thinking about going to Cabin Cruiser in near future… Any case I would recommend to get a remote switch so you can make lift go up and down from your boat. Just load people on the boat and push a remote switch down and off she goes. When we return, drive boat head in and push a remote switch up. These lifts are made to go up and down constantly so I never use tie line to my slip anymore.
Good luck!

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08 H260 VP 8.1Gi DP.....Previous
2013 Crownline E6 Merc 8.2MAG BIIIX, DTS/SC

Have another question.
What is a ball park number of days/weeks/months that you can leave your boat in the water, without any bottom protection, before you start to get blistering, damage and so on? Also, do these affects return sooner after the boat has been pulled out and the bottom has dried before putting it back in for another amonut of time?

Hope the question makes sense.

Thanks

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

There isn't a good answer as to how long you can leave your boat in without damage. Ideally, if you take care of your hull every year, and stay on top of your zinc's, you can leave your boat in freshwater for a solid season without damage. You'll get the green scum and it'll be harder than heck to get off, but you can do it.

If you want your boat to stay in it's best shape... but you don't want to do bottom paint... I'd look at pulling the boat at least once a month for a good scrub down.

I have heard that you should NOT wax the bottom of your boat though - that actually attracts contaminants somehow.

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

I agree with Cougarcruiser.

It all boils down to cost! IF you can afford it, the Boat Lift is the way to go. If not, go for the bottom paint. If you really do not want to bottom paint it, then routine hauling, cleaning, inspecting for any chips or nicks that will allow water to get under the gel coat, etc would be in order.

Personally, the routine hauling and cleaning would be too much work for me. After the initial bottompaint job, subsequent years maintenance of the bottom paint is easy and inexpensive. I also hated to paint the bottom of my brand new shiny hull on my 268Vista, but once I got past that, it has worked out fine for me. I keep the boat in the brackish waters of the Hudson River, and when the boat is hauled at the end of the season, the bottom is pretty clean, and just a powerwash is all that is needed to get it totally clean. Then in the spring, I apply a new coat of the Interlux ACT, which takes me about 2 hours, and I am good for the season! No scraping, No sanding, because of the nature of the ablative paint.

Let us know what you decide, and if you need more info on the bottom paint I can give you more specifics.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

I'm far from being a 'glass expert, but I would not leave my boat in the water routinely for more than a week at a time. If I was going to leave it in even for a week at a time with any frequency, I'd either bottom paint it or (preferably) get a lift. I realize that's an "overkill" approach, but hey - we're talking about your BOAT here!

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic