Size it once, cry never
A boat lift is a ten-plus-year purchase, and the sizing decision you make on day one lives with you the whole time. Too small and the lift strains every launch, wears out early, and can't handle your next boat. Too big and you've overspent on capacity you'll never use — though honestly, oversized is a much happier problem than undersized. Here's how to get it right.
Step one: the real weight
Start with your boat's dry weight — the manufacturer's number, on the trailer, empty. Then add everything the brochure leaves out. Fuel: gasoline weighs about six pounds per gallon, so a 100-gallon tank adds 600 pounds. Water: eight pounds per gallon in the freshwater tank and the livewells. Gear: coolers, tackle, safety equipment, anchors — it adds up faster than anyone expects. Batteries, canvas, and the stuff that lives aboard permanently.
Now add it all up and be honest. Most boaters underestimate by 500 to 1,000 pounds. We see it constantly: "my boat weighs 4,000 pounds" — plus 600 of fuel, 200 of water, 400 of gear, and suddenly it's 5,200. Size for the real number, not the hopeful one.
Step two: the margin
Take your real loaded weight and buy the next size up. If your rig is 5,200 pounds loaded, you want a 6,000-pound lift — not a 5,000-pound lift running at 104% every single time. Running at the limit wears cables, strains the drive, and leaves zero room for the extra gear, the full livewell, or the buddy who brings his cooler aboard.
Think of margin as lift lifespan. A lift working at 70% of capacity lasts far longer and runs far happier than the same lift at 100%. The price step between sizes is small compared to replacing a worn-out lift years early.
Step three: beam and hull fit
Capacity is only half the sizing — the cradle has to fit your hull. Beam width determines bunk spacing: too narrow and the boat sits unstable; too wide and the bunks miss the hull's strong points. Hull shape matters too — a deep-V, a flat skiff, and a pontoon all sit differently, and the bunks get positioned and padded for your specific hull.
We measure your actual boat, not the brochure. Length overall, beam, hull type, and where the weight sits. Then we set bunk spacing, bunk length, and carpet placement to cradle it properly. A well-fit lift holds the boat like it was made for it — because it was.
Step four: think about the next boat
Boats get bigger. It's practically a law of nature — the 22-footer becomes a 25-footer, the bay boat becomes a center console. If there's any chance you'll upsize in the lift's lifetime, size for the bigger boat now. The cost difference between lift sizes is small during installation and enormous as a replacement. Tell us your five-year plan and we'll size for it.
Drive type and power
For lifts over about 2,000 pounds, electric drive is the answer — quiet, fast, remote-controlled, and your arms stay fresh. Manual wheel drives suit PWCs and small skiffs. Electrical needs proper marine installation: dedicated circuit, GFCI protection, marine-rated conduit, and a disconnect you can reach. We wire every lift we install to code — dock electrical done wrong is genuinely dangerous.
Call (301) 679-9193 or send the form for a free on-site estimate.