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A boat lift which is also known as lift lock is a mechanical equipment for pulling up and hauling boats from a different water height. This machine provides an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane. In European countries like Germany, Belgium, England or France, boat lifts are vertically moving. Str'py-Thieu, belonging to Belgium is the world's highest boat lift, with a 73.15 metre height difference and a capacity of 1350 tonnes.

Why do you need boat lift?

If your expensive boat sits in the water for a considerable stretch of time, the boat hull will be stained by different kinds of underwater abuses. There will grow several types of water organisms like algae, moss, and muck. In addition to that galvanic action of the water current leads to the deposit of various metals from neighboring boats and docks on the body of your boat, if it sits on in the water small electrical currents are generated. This leads to pitting and blisters to the bottom part of your boat. With the help of boat lift your favorite boat will remain clean and corrosion free. It also gives you boats protection while tied against a dock, from storm waves and wake. When the boating season is over, the boat lift will help to unfloat your boat in a completely hassle free way and it guarantees a maintenance free operation for years.

Types of boat lifts

Most of the boat lift manufacturing companies offer mainly three types of boat lifts: Standing Boat Lifts, Floating Boat Lifts, and Mounted Boat Lifts. You have to opt according to your situation. Here's a brief description of each construction to help you decide which is suitable for your boat.

If you mostly boat in the glacial lake areas as found in the northern parts of the U.S. or interior of Canada, Standing Boat Lifts will be your best choice. Here the bottom of the lakes is firm with gradual slopes and the water level does not usually fluctuate more than a few feet in a season. On the firm bottom of the lake, boat lift sits securely. Standing boat lifts can be easily installed in these areas in the spring and removed during fall to protect your boat from ice damage. You have to turn a large wheel attached to a winch to raise the boat by a standing lift. The lift mechanism of a standing boat can be vertical, or cantilever. In the first case, the lift moves up and down, and in the latter case, lift pivots into position.

Floating Boat Lifts are ideally used for a floating dock. They are ideal to be used in the areas where the shoreline is marked by deep water and where water fluctuates more than a few feet during the season. Floating boat lifts can also be attached to standing docks or seawalls. A minimum water depth of four to five feet is required to use a Floating Boat Lift so that the tanks can submerge in the water and the boat can enter the lift. These kinds of lifts come with tanks that raise the boat when they are filled with air. The boats are lowered by releasing the air.

Do you boat in shallow salt water and fasten your boat on a seawall? Then Mounted Boat Lifts are the best option for your boat. These lifts use a motorized winch to raise the boat. Mounted directly against seawall, they are constructed with cable mounted frame that helps to lift the boat from the water.