Pontoon Boats

Boat Lift for Pontoon

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If a pontoon boat is left in water bodies, the chemicals and constituents in the water can have a corroding effect on the boat. To ensure that a pontoon boat looks new and is well maintained, an owner may consider a boat lift for pontoon to keep it out of water while it is being docked. These lifts are available in different shapes and sizes for accommodating pontoon boats from distinct manufacturers.

Type of Lifts

There are different types of boat lifts for pontoons available depending on their design.

Center Cradle Lift: A center cradle lift has its beams positioned to pick up the boat from in between the pontoons. These lifts are ideal for shallow waters.

Bunk Style Lift: Bunk style lifts have cross beams under the pontoon for lifting the boat. These lifts require deep waters to be used.

Floating Docks: Floating docks are generally made up of buoyant parts that are combined to form a dock for boat storage. These are drive-on and low maintenance but generally do not come with canopy.

Choosing a boat lift

A few factors must be considered while choosing a boat lift for pontoon that is an ideal fit.

  • Weight of the boat: Pontoon boats come in different sizes and with different seating capacity. These affect the weight of the boat along with other installed equipment. Lifts are designed with a predefined weight supporting capability for safe storage. These may vary anywhere between 1200 lbs. to 15000 lbs. or even more. While selecting a lift, an individual must ensure that it can support the weight of the pontoon that they are buying it for. Overloading a lift may cause it to fail and even damage its structural integrity.

  • Dimensions of the boat: Boats have different dimensions and these must be factored in while choosing a lift. The length of a boat can vary from 14 feet to 30 feet while its beam width may range from 7 feet to 12 feet. A custom-built pontoon may even be longer and wider. Choosing the right boat lift for pontoon will require a person to ensure that the lift has enough room to dock their boats.

  • Type of Water: A lift to be installed in seawater will have to be treated for increasing corrosion resistance as compared to that to be fitted in fresh water. The depth of the water will also have an impact on the buying decision. For shallow waters, a vertical lift may be ideal while for deep waters a bunk style lift will be better. While choosing the boat the type of water body and its depth must be considered.

  • With Canopy or without Canopy: Boat lifts are available both with and without canopy. An added canopy removes the hassles of having to cover the boat after every use. A boat lift for pontoon without canopy will require a person to purchase a separate cover for the pontoon boat though it will cover the boat better. A person may choose one among these based on their personal preferences.

  • Manual vs motorized: Some of the lifts are operated with hand while others can be fitted with a motor for easier operation. The motorized lifts will require a power source. A user may choose one of these depending on their requirements.

Consulting the lift manufacturer regarding the specifications of the boat can help a person to decide one which is perfect for their needs.

Click this link for additional information about Fun Pontoon Boat Accessories.

Pontoon Boat Lift Prices

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A pontoon is a metallic tube, flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load over it. Boats using pontoon as a floating device are called pontoon boats. Pontoon boats are typically cylindrical and do not have inside access; they are simply for flotation.

With so many new pontoons in the market (small pontoon boats, mini pontoon boats, fast pontoon boats and many more), boat lift manufacturing companies are introducing a new line of pontoon boat lifts in order to accommodate today’s bigger, larger, and heavier pontoons. Pontoon boat lifts are a new trend in the market, even though they have been there for a long time. Companies like Shore Master, are marketing the boat lifts since quite some time now. The primary difference between a boat lift and a pontoon boat lift across the waterfront equipment industry is that when the dealer would add the appropriate pontoon accessories to a standard vertical or cantilever style boat lift to make it suitable for pontoon boats.

Pontoon Boat lifts provides protection to the pontoon boat along the entire length of the pontoon boat, imposing minimum or no danger to the pontoon boat. They are an easy, smooth option for the safety of the pontoon boats. The pontoon boat lifts are generally made with aluminium, which allows for weight saving, gives way to low maintenance and provides long lasting value both for the pontoon boat as well as the pontoon boat lift. The standard features of the boat lift make them unique for every pontoon boat they are designed for. They are generally made of standard aluminium wheel with spinner knob, and they also come with rubber end caps; they are easy to assemble. When the lift is in up position, the pulleys and cables are completely out of the water.

When it comes to the pricing of pontoon boat lifts, companies tend to make the budgeting processes easier by designing and creating specific models. The price for pontoon boat lifts vary from $3500 to $12000 according to the following features:

  • Size of the pontoon boat
  • Shape of the pontoon boat
  • Weight of the pontoon boat
  • Boat owner’s preferences
  • Usage of warranty
  • Company of the pontoon boat lift ( a Hewitt Pontoon boat lift costs around $3475, whereas a Shore Master pontoon boat lift would be priced around $ 6000 to $12000)

Usage of warranty is an important point to be noted. Suppose a pontoon boat lift is $6000, and one purchases it with the fifteen year warranty period as a guide to determine the potential length of the pontoon boat lift ownership. Thus this averages out to $400 per year, and per month it comes down to just $33 per month. Since the boat lift is protecting the pontoon boat which costs around $10,000-$40,000 (on an average), one can see the incredible value which comes along with the protection and convenience, a pontoon boat lift provides.

Click this link for additional information about Fun Pontoon Boat Accessories.

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