boat lift input??

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dockholiday
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Location: Lake Oconee, Ga.

boat lift input??

#1 Post by dockholiday » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:01 pm

I looked at a lift a couple of days ago. The lift was about 10 years old but the surrey top had been replaced about 3 years ago and looked to be in good shape. Here is where the potential problem may be. It only measured 23 3/4 ft and my toon is a 24. The tops typically run about 12 to 15 hundred. Think all Ga Power allows are the fabric sunbrella or vinyl on the lake. The lift is rated for 4500lbs so no problem there. I would have to change out the bunks since he has a 22 ft deck boat on it now, plus have it moved to my property. Hearing 500 to 800 for that. No remote which most have now. Just the up and down switch. The owner said he paid about 10k which is about what the numbers were when I checked a few years back. I did get a quote of 7k from one of the lift suppliers on the lake with a remote. He makes and services all his stuff and seemed really knowledgeable about the mechanics of it.

The cost of the lift I looked at was 2500 +moving and set up of appx 5 to 8 hundred+ possibly installing an new surrey top 1500. Bringing it to around 5k. vs the new one with a remote for 7k. To cover the entire boat an motor would probably take a 26 to 28ft surrey top. Had planned on getting the house completed before searching for a lift but this seemed like a good price when I heard of it. Sort of rethinking it now with the top issue. Pretty sure a new top would also require a new frame. The 1200 price mentioned earlier was the material only and not top and frame. My builder knows the guy real well that quoted me the 7k for a new one an may be able to get it at a little better price. I have not checked on that yet. So need some input from you guys..........thanks.........doc (ended up being too long.......just wanted to add all the variables)

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LSVLance
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Re: boat lift input??

#2 Post by LSVLance » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:33 pm

I ran into similar pricing issues when shopping for used lifts. The initial price looked great, but by the time all of the extra costs involved with buying moving and setting up the used lift were figured in, it wasn't that great of a deal when compared to new.

Is this a free standing lift style that sits on the lake bottom?

I ended up making a deal on a new lift, the dealer offered me a fantastic price with a 30 day warranty (instead of the typical 2-5 year variety). I figured if anything was going to break, it would do it right away and i jumped on it. Going into this time of the year, I'd imagine you might also find a dealer willing to give a price break on a new lift that he won't have to sit on all winter.
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Bamaman
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Re: boat lift input??

#3 Post by Bamaman » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:57 pm

Are you talking about a floating dock with a lift, or a candilever lift sitting on the lake bottom? Can you please let us know what style lift?

Sounds as if GA Power has double standards if they require a fabric top roofs on Lake Oconee's boat lifts. At their Lake Burton, the average boathouse is designed by architects to look like the owners' houses, and they're double decker $250K three boat structures on average. Funny thing is that they require wooden support timbers (no metal) driven into the bottom of the lake with pile drivers--and some of these are pressure treated Plymart 30' 10"x10"'s.

On our TVA lake, my neighbor's new 12'x30' boathouse is concrete, with a matching 10'x30' concrete dock down below. $58K. Count your blessings you're only talking $7K or $10K.

Back to your dilemma: You might want to look at the $7K dock builders' work to see what your money gets you. Compare his work to the used dock, and what it will take to move and recondition it. You might want to get straight info on the top situation--to see what's allowable. I personally prefer a non-cloth roof--colored metal sheets cut to order on a frame. (40-50 mph stormy lake winds often shred anything cloth or canvas.)

If you're considering a candilever lift, I know where Newman brand 10' wide pontoon lifts can be purchased @ $2.5K. They're very easy to assemble/install, and come shipped in pieces. I think that's a hand crank model, so an electric winch and remote is optional.
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dockholiday
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Re: boat lift input??

#4 Post by dockholiday » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:42 pm

Pretty much a clone of this one http://www.bulldog-marine.biz/boatlifts ... oducts.htm actually this is the company he originally purchased it from. Yep Ga Power (Southern Company) is constantly changing their rules and guidelines. For instance when I first put in the dock it had to be very near your property line and your neighbor had the same set up so the two docks were only about 20 to 30 ft apart. Now you have to something like 40 ft off your property line giving a minimum distance of 80ft between docks. If you had something like 3 or 4 hundred feet on the water you could have a boat house. Now no boat houses are allowed. The original owners are grandfathered in but if the property has changed hands this option goes out the window. Think there are two boat houses on ourside of the lake to the dam.

The lifts are free standing and sit on the bottom. Like I said, I had planned to wait until the dust settled on the home before even looking at lifts but the $2500 caught my attention, since the majority of these type lifts are the alum structure and next the top. My guess is the lady that is planning on buying his house said she wanted the lift out of there, probably blocking her view. His water depth seem to be near mine so it looks like it would sit in there with out any adjustment for depth. Sure I will need one cause the wave action on my lot just prohibits mooring to the dock no matter the size of protection you have on the dock. Probably would spring for it if the top would cover the entire boat, but looks like at best it would cover just inside the playpen. Of course if the house deal falls through he is going to keep his lift.
doc

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Re: boat lift input??

#5 Post by Bamaman » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:34 pm

It's a shame you're having to deal with the electric company. They can do anything they want. We apply to TVA and the Corp of Engineers to get dock permits, but their rules are consistent as long as you don't screw around with dredging and/or snail darters. They just want your $200.

At least you've already got your basic dock constructed. You're right about big water/big waves being very serious problems for dock owners. A few years ago, a rogue swell hit the other side of our slough, and docks not high enough lost their jet ski's, which were pounded into the seawalls.

The lift you're looking at appears to be well worth the money. Boathouses must be a status symbol on Oconee--as it takes a rich man to rate that much front footage.

I would think that one of these lifts has to be attached to the bottom of the lake to keep it from the waves moving it around. If you go the used lift, you can always wait until Spring to install it.
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scfishnman
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Re: boat lift input??

#6 Post by scfishnman » Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:39 am

My current lift is mounted on wooden pilings. I also used to have a free standing aluminum lift.

Some advice based on my experience with both: (1) A remote is very very useful and IMO well worth the cost. (2) A power lift is a must. I tried to save a few hundred dollars with the free standing lift which was for a bass boat (weighed less than a 24 ft pontoon). After trying to raise the boat once, I had a power winch installed. Granted, with the large crank wheels on the manual lifts, the strength to raise a boat is not that much, but one has to turn that large wheel many many times because of the low gearing and that becomes very tiring.
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Re: boat lift input??

#7 Post by Bryden24shp » Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:54 am

I'm going through the same thing, Doc. Looking for a lift for our slip at LotO. New or used??? I guess now is the time to buy. Prices are about as low as they are gonna get on both. Remote Control is a definate. I could have bought the lift that was in the slip, from the previous owner for $6500 when I bought the condo. But was told that was too much to pay, by my realtor. I see the lift company has some used ones for $2300 installed, same 6000 pounder. Think I'll just bite the bullet and do it. Then I can pull the boat down once and leave it there.
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dockholiday
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Re: boat lift input??

#8 Post by dockholiday » Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:09 pm

Thanks for the input guys...........Thinking the remote is the way to go also. A neighbor about 2 lifts down has a manual (big wheel) and just watching him, I quickly dismissed that idea. Guess I will pass but would make a great buy for someone with a 22ft toon in the area. Glad to see you stick your head in the door Bryan, stop by when you can.

Although Ga Power is pretty strict, I would rather deal with them than Corps of Engineers. If your bank is washing away you can't put up a sea wall or even rip rap for that matter.Not sure once it gets to your property line what the rule is there or if you have to watch truckloads of your soil falling into the lake. Been to a lot of houses on Lanier you couldn't even see the water for the trees. I only have about 5 trees on the power right of way now and they are near the corner of the lot. Actually Ga Power will let you cut a tree down as long as you replace it. So you could cut a pine or oak and replace with something like a dogwood. One thing I disagree with the power company on is you can't replace any footage you lost due to soil erosion prior to installing a seawall. So if you lost 20ft of ground it is gone for good. Think our neighboring lake, Sinclair has looser guidelines. You can have a boat house there. Heard there were so many of them in disrepair an literally falling down is the reason they didn't want them on Oconee. Kind of got side tracked but thanks for the input guys
doc

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