Got a new Lift have a few questions for those of you that have one.

[NewBoater]

For those of you that have a lift or have used one.

First Question is are all lifts loud and squeaky? It’s so loud you can hear it a few houses away. Does it need grease in cables? New lift with new stainless cables that look like no grease in them. I’m assuming install company would have done it if needed? Just seems louder than I was expecting.

And a dumb question but I’m curious about. Say you use the boat on a Friday Saturday and Sunday and every night it’s back on the lift. Would you flush each night or just wait until the Sunday or Monday full boat cleaning? I just do it after the 3 days but curious if some of you do it each time you lift the boat back out.

 

[Kelso]

I’m assuming you have an overhead lift with cables to slings or a steel cradle. The cables on the pulleys can make some noise as the strands find their way through the pulley, it can be a kinda loud popping sound.

The rotating center pole that the cables wrap around do need grease, mine have zerks and I just greased mine last weekend because it was getting loud.

Flushing...are you on fresh, or salt water? I never flush when we’re on our lake, but if I take it out in salt water then I flush after pulling it out that day, or first thing the next morning if we get home late.

 

[spatty99]

The lift shouldn't make any noise, mine only squeaks if the zerks (motor gears and pole bearings) aren't greased about once a year.
Flushing doesn't hurt, but shouldn't be necessary in fresh water with regular use.

 

[NewBoater]

Thanks for comments so far. Salt water user here

 

[112Vulcan]

It depends on how much you use it. I grease the bearings on the pulley's every two months and it keeps it pretty quiet.

 

[Gym]

@NewBoater. You didn't mention the type or brand of lift. While I was on a lift I would liberally spray all stainless steel cables and pulleys with white lithium grease twice a season. Once at the beginning and once at the end. I would also grease both motor bearings with a grease gun and a waterproof grease. If your getting any noises, like squealing, you have a bearing screaming for grease. The only noise you should hear is the hum of two electric motors and the ahhhs of your family and guests as you launch for a day on the water.

Flush your engines with Salt Away after EVERY trip in salt water. Once salt dries and hardens inside your engine's cooling passages Salt Away will not remove it. Clean your boat inside & out as your ego dictates. I always get glowing remarks about my boat which keeps my ego satisfied.

 

[NewBoater]

Thanks for tips guys. It’s an East coast boat lift 10,000 pound overhead lift with stainless cables.

If you put your boat in water on a Friday and don’t pull it till Monday and flush I guess it’s different than taking it out of the water on the new lift I got after each outing. I guess if it stays in water not as much damage gets done over those 3 days than if it’s pulled and the air dries everything out?

 

[NewBoater]

Just wanted to post with an update that I found 4 Zerk fittings on the top of each side of the lift. After greasing those 8 everything is nice and quiet, just sound of the motors now. Would have thought that would have been part of install but no biggie took 30 min and now it sounds like I had originally hoped it would!

 

[boudin]

It's also interesting to note that the straps will actually squeeze your boat together... in a few days, the front glass will no longer close while it is in the lift. My old Bayliner was in the lift for about 18 months until I sold it recently, and the glass would not close for about 2 weeks after I put it on the trailer.

-Greg

 

[Beachbummer]

I closed the latches before closing the window in fear the window would ever crack due to the squeezing of the hull... Glad you got the sound figured out.. Some pulleys also have grease fittings right in the middle, I think yours do too based on the picture.

Did you get a cover for the gear plate? Without a cover, If you over-grease, there is a chance grease will drip on your beautiful boat. Keep an eye on any possible dripping grease. This was the only downside I ever had with it when I used one. (It belongs to a family member and he rented the place. I can't leave the boat there anymore, so no more lift for me. It was great though! )

 

[Gym]

It's also interesting to note that the straps will actually squeeze your boat together... in a few days, the front glass will no longer close while it is in the lift. My old Bayliner was in the lift for about 18 months until I sold it recently, and the glass would not close for about 2 weeks after I put it on the trailer.

-Greg

I would think this lift has padded bunks for the boat to rest on rather than straps.

 

[Beachbummer]

Nope, those are slings on the picture.

(Picture of the wrong slip!- sorry)

 

[msavold]

I guess if it stays in water not as much damage gets done over those 3 days than if it’s pulled and the air dries everything out?

I hope smarter guys than me from here comment but I think there's a note of caution due here... Yeah, out of the water is better than in but IMO there's 'issues' with "air drying" after salt water ops. Evaporation is how they harvest sea salt after all...
I may be a bit OCD about it but I flush the engines with Salt Away after every outing and then spray down the jets and the hull with any 'leftover' stuff in the dispenser. Then, at least once a weekend (I'll skip it if we're going back out the next day), I'll spray the nozzles, cables, etc. with T-9. Engine compartment too.
Three years and 100 hours with the boat and it still looks new.

 

[Gym]

Nope, those are slings on the picture.

The pic was posted by @Kelso. I suspect the Op's lift uses bunks rather than straps. Maybe @NewBoater will clarify.

 

[Ilmmct]

A few tidal tips:

-at low tide drop the lift and then mark (3” wide bright duck tape or waterproof paint) the stantions at the point your boat floats freely. This will help you know visually when the lift is low enough to depart or return to the dock. Also you will have a day or two in the future, when the wind and tide-flow conspire against your docking attempt. You can use the markings to slightly tweak/raise the height of the cradle, so that if you need to “come in hot” the cradle height can simulate your trailer bunks and help to bring the boat to a slow resting place between your pilings.

-if you have a Auto-stop feature on your lift, make sure it’s working (again while at low tide) let it drop and observe that the Auto-stop shuts off before your cradle hits bottom. Since the zerks were not properly greased by your installer, I think you should visually check the Auto-stop height setting. If you don’t have Auto-stop, the above recommended Markings will be your future guide to insure the cradle doesn’t hit bottom. Shoaling sand will find its way under your dock, so keep an eye on your cradle clearance relative to bottom.

-if you have two sets of stantions on your cradle, adjust the bow/forward pair to be nice and snug with the rub rail. This will help slow the boat and give you a nice tight fit when tides, wind and wakes want to throw a docking beatdown your way.

-bring the cradle out of the water when departing and consider the height you raise it relative to whether the tide is ebbing/failling or flooding/rising. Crazy winds and boat wakes and your cradle sloshing around without the weight of your boat, can foul the clean cable wrap you’ve got now.

Enjoy your salt-life boating experience!

 

[NewBoater]

Thanks for all the comments and opinions. Correct on that my lift has bunks.

Mine has the Gem remote with auto stop at bottom and top end. I have tested it and it works great. Stops just at the right spot at the bottom before hitting bottom. Luckily I can get out at the lowest tides (and have already a few times).

Thanks again all! I will make sure to flush after each time it’s lifted out of the water. Do you guys do it religiously the second you get it out of water on the lift or do you circle back an hour or two later and flush? Not sure how quickly damage can occur with the salt.

 

[Gym]

Thanks for all the comments and opinions. Correct on that my lift has bunks.

Mine has the Gem remote with auto stop at bottom and top end. I have tested it and it works great. Stops just at the right spot at the bottom before hitting bottom. Luckily I can get out at the lowest tides (and have already a few times).

Thanks again all! I will make sure to flush after each time it’s lifted out of the water. Do you guys do it religiously the second you get it out of water on the lift or do you circle back an hour or two later and flush? Not sure how quickly damage can occur with the salt.

Personally flushing the engines is the first thing I do as part of the clean up process. I like to get it done while the engines are still warm. While the engines are flushing I'm busy picking up and cleaning. After each engine flush I spray down the hull with the Salt Away residual in the applicator. Run your engine at no wake speed while your flushing. That way if you have any overheat issue the computer will drop your engine into low idle which you will hear immediatly.

 

[msavold]

I have the Gem remote too and love it! Keep waiting for them to develop their WiFi app... http://www.gemremotes.com/wifi_app.html
Will look to see if I have pics handy (or it will have to wait until the week end) but I added a (waterproof) light mounted to the outside of the white plastic motor casing. You can see there's a provision for it in the wiring diagrams for the remotes (http://www.gemremotes.com/wiring_diagrams.html - right hand side, page 2). Click on the remote when you're approaching/leaving and the light goes on to confirm it's moving.

 

[Ilmmct]

@msavold also a gemremote user. Is this the run light wiring option you’ve hacked? Would like a picture of your setup if it’s not too much trouble. Would like to add a light to my unit, but lack the skills to deal with anything with wires.

 

[msavold]

@Ilmmct Yep! *Very* easy to do - I think the most difficult part was drilling the plastic motor cover and that only because I was afraid to crack it. Oh, and working on the ladder at the edge of the dock. Love to fly. Don't like ladders. (Wires I have no problem with, just make sure the breaker is off!!!!!)
As for the light itself, I got it from Gem Remotes! $24 plus shipping from FL. It could be brighter and sometimes, when the sun is behind it, it's a bit hard to see but it works! Will try to post more pictures on the week end.

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