Boat Lift Use/Storage Suggestions

It has finally happened, after 15 years of trying to get my parents on board, we just closed a lake house! Lake Gaston, NC and the house is about 65 minutes door to door from my house.

Doozie lifts (local company) has already started upgrading the 4,000 lb lift to a dual motor 8,000 lb.

This is where the murder max will reside for the summer months, then back to storage in my home shop during the winter:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...40cda68f17.jpg

What suggestions do y’all have for lift use, and boat storage/maintenance on a lift?

I’m already looking at getting a cheap, lightweight oversized eBay cover that can cover the boat with the tower down, and is easy to get on and off by myself. Since the lift has a roof I really just need something for bugs and dust.

I’m also installing a camera security system once I have internet up there (before I bring the boat).

Thanks for any insight/tips!

Congrats on the lake house and lift! I love being able to just flip a switch and ride out! On the cover, I use my good Moomba cover because of the wind during storms. I’ve seen wind whip across the water and blow this cheap covers all around and beat the boat. Your situation is like mine, boat on the lift for summer and back in the garage for cooler months. Use a good cover you can tighten to the boat. It will be in the weather for up to 5 months or so and a cheap cover slapping all that black all day and night may make you upset when you get it back home for winter. Don’t worry about what the cover doesn’t “cover” you have a roof and the minimal sun won’t hurt. Just get your interior locked down with your good cover and let it ride!


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Congrats!! I'd love to have a lake house one day.

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Originally Posted by z28ke

It has finally happened, after 15 years of trying to get my parents on board, we just closed a lake house! Lake Gaston, NC and the house is about 65 minutes door to door from my house.

Doozie lifts (local company) has already started upgrading the 4,000 lb lift to a dual motor 8,000 lb.

This is where the murder max will reside for the summer months, then back to storage in my home shop during the winter:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...40cda68f17.jpg

What suggestions do y’all have for lift use, and boat storage/maintenance on a lift?

I’m already looking at getting a cheap, lightweight oversized eBay cover that can cover the boat with the tower down, and is easy to get on and off by myself. Since the lift has a roof I really just need something for bugs and dust.

I’m also installing a camera security system once I have internet up there (before I bring the boat).

Thanks for any insight/tips!

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For your lift, did you shop around or just easier to upgrade from the current brand?

Asking from a standpoint of not knowing much about those style of lifts. Everyone around my lake lot has these style lifts.

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Good point about wind and a cheap cover JesseC, I have the ratcheting Moomba cover that came with the boat but it’s a pain to put on imo. I was hoping to get something lightweight to throw over it, the guy next to my in-laws lake house uses king size bed sheets.

I didn’t shop around since the existing lift was a Doozie, and they are local to Lake Gaston. Cost less too since I essentially “traded-in” the 4,000 lb lift.

Some more pics of the place:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6ea464722d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0671b0687f.jpg

The key was finding a house with a boathouse tall enough for my boat in our modest price range. We looked for close to a year. Hopefully I can get it out of the water with the tower up, but during the week I’ll fold it down to lift the boat as high as possible.

I'm bringing in my boat the week of 3/16-20th to Dallas Canvas to make an over the bimini cover. Seen their work at my marina and they make good stuff. Have to bring in my Max because they don't have a pattern for it yet. Won't be as cheep as sheets, looking at $1700, but my goal is to leave the boards on the rack and swiveled in, then place the cover on the bimini, roll forward - roll backwards and cinch. They also put in zippered entrances from the side and it covers the deck. They will make a cover that covers the freeboard as well, but I plan on just quickly wiping that down, pretty easy as hydrohoist lifts have rails to stand on. They claim it breaths real well.

Once I get it, will let you know if I made a somewhat expensive blunder. Don't know how many birds you have, but the reason I really want the over the tower cover and I greatly dislike lowering and raising it for some odd reason, is due to the occasional bird crap that gets on my bimini/tower. Plus, it can't be any worse to put on than the original cover. Congrats on the place, thats the dream right there!

After a good hard rain with wind that cover will be very wet and a bed sheet will just trap mildew in the boat. Every day there will be fog/dew in the air that settles on the boat every morning. I use the ratcheting Moomba cover since I wont lay eyes on the boat for a week. Sometimes if the forecasting says rain all day 2 weekends in a row, we can go almost 2-3 weeks without seeing the boat and I don’t want to drive an hour to go check the cover. The Moomba cover is a pain but it is worth the peace of mind. The wife and I can snatch that thing off in 2 minutes. Same for putting it back on.

If you don’t have a swim platform cover, get one immediately. Birds love to sit on the swim platform and that is the last thing I want to deal with before heading out.


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Originally Posted by z28ke

Some more pics of the place:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6ea464722d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0671b0687f.jpg

The key was finding a house with a boathouse tall enough for my boat in our modest price range. We looked for close to a year. Hopefully I can get it out of the water with the tower up, but during the week I’ll fold it down to lift the boat as high as possible.

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Congrats!!! We looked at that place awhile back. Right now the inventory is slim pickings at Gaston...hopefully it gets a little better here before the summer months.


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Congratulations and get ready for 2 of everything, lawn mowers, tools, salt and pepper shakers...

Your setup sounds a lot like mine, 68 minutes from door to door, boat on the lift from May 1 to Nov 1. I was getting a lot of morning sun on one side of the boat so I bought the items below. Installation was about 45 minute and I was surprised at how much sun that screen blocked.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...YO1060UD&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Kotap-BB-6B-B...s%2C256&sr=8-6

Thank you for the heads up on those sun shades.

Fortunately when my wife moved into my house when we were dating we boxed and saved all of her kitchen stuff, linens, etc in hopes to one day use them at a lake house.

The couple we bought it from asked if we wanted them to leave the grill and lawnmower.....umm YES PLEASE!

Funny you mention tools, I already bought a big tool bag for transporting tools back and forth. I’ll also go ahead and get some cheap hand tools to keep up there.

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Originally Posted by gtsum2

Congrats!!! We looked at that place awhile back. Right now the inventory is slim pickings at Gaston...hopefully it gets a little better here before the summer months.


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Thank you! If you are looking at $500k + there are quite a few, but that’s not us lol

Congrats!! We love Lake Gaston. We spend several weeks up there each summer. What part of the lake are you on?

Doozie Boat lifts are fantastic. That's an almost 40 year old company. While they are local to Gaston, they ship around the world. Also its owned by the "first family" of Lake Gaston....GREAT people.

Congrats man,

I would seriously look into UV netting to hang on the sides of the dock to protect from direct sunlight. Find out when and how long the sun is on the boat, the boat will show fading in just one summer in the South.

Also if you stern is fading the West afternoon sun, Look into Ass Hat covers, they make a rear cover that is quick to install, I just got one on my boat, they are about $350-400

Also you might look into it, most lakes will not allow the use of cleaning chemicals on the boat, so you can only use water to clean the outside, this is one of the things that prompted me to get Ceramic coating on the boat.

A cheaper way you might look into is F-11 spray coating, it’s similar but doesn’t last as long but being on the water all the time the boat will be getting a lot more dirty then your expecting.

Main thing is keep the sun off her in the lift.

you can hang netting from the ceiling. Throw all your stuff in there and let it dry out. That's what we do.

All great ideas, thank you!

The lifts are done, my dad just bought a jetski so I’m picking that up for him tomorrow. I don’t think he feels comfortable driving/using my boat (but I told him he is welcome to it anytime) so the jetski will give him and my mom the ability to go see friends up there independently. I had Doozie upgrade it to 2,000lbs and add the platforms and remote so they can easily get on it from the dock and ride the lift down and back up.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...82c1f2f334.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d463faedcc.jpg

Yesterday my wife helped my dad add a bar to the dock!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...fdf96e28fc.jpg

I really need to find some time to get the boat ready and bring it up for the season, but prepping the lakehouse is taking most of my spare time.

Put down a 2 part epoxy on the bar top after my ole lady stained it:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6a4c337920.jpg

Back when I was in early high school my dad went out on a far limb and bought a brand new (1996) seadoo gts on a whim. I learned how to wakeboard and wake skate behind it, and when I got my DL at 16 he let me take it to the lake whenever I wanted, so I entertained a few womens on it during those high school summers. He eventually sold it when I went off to college...

Fast forward a couple decades, and here he is on this 230hp badboy:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7ed713f2dd.jpg

Rona or not, it’s going to be a good summer!!!

good lookin wavehumper. like the color combo.

now just remind him the first rule of ownership: wakeboat waves are NOT for jumping :)

We plan to be out at Gaston this weekend

Congratulations! We use a "boat skirt" to protect the hull from UV. We added snaps so it is a breeze to remove. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...38db3c7ec0.jpg

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I just bought a 2021 Makai. I also just sold my 2005 Crownline 240EX and put the Makai on the same boat lift. I am not too crazy with how the Makai sits on the bunks. I see your Moomba in this photo is on a lift. Would you mind sharing how you spaced the bunks on the lift? Any photos by chance? Thanks so much. I also really like those side covers. I think I will do that too! Awesome idea.

Attachment 29518Attachment 29519

Saw this at a boat show, seemed like a good compromise between ease of use, cost and protection.
https://boathouseshades.com/

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Originally Posted by HFarr

I just bought a 2021 Makai. I also just sold my 2005 Crownline 240EX and put the Makai on the same boat lift. I am not too crazy with how the Makai sits on the bunks. I see your Moomba in this photo is on a lift. Would you mind sharing how you spaced the bunks on the lift? Any photos by chance? Thanks so much. I also really like those side covers. I think I will do that too! Awesome idea.

Attachment 29518Attachment 29519

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What's the difference in the spacing of the bunks from your trailer to the lift?

Found your post interesting to read. I cant wait to see your post soon. Good Luck for the upcoming update.This article is really very interesting and effective.
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Originally Posted by HFarr

I just bought a 2021 Makai. I also just sold my 2005 Crownline 240EX and put the Makai on the same boat lift. I am not too crazy with how the Makai sits on the bunks. I see your Moomba in this photo is on a lift. Would you mind sharing how you spaced the bunks on the lift? Any photos by chance? Thanks so much. I also really like those side covers. I think I will do that too! Awesome idea.

Attachment 29518Attachment 29519

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Congrats on the Makai! Here’s some pics from last year, this is the spacing the boat lift company set on the lift knowing what boat I have, not sure if it’s correct but seemed to work fine. I can take measurements in the next couple weeks if you’d like.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...38536a754b.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9b8962a6a1.jpg



I added some mesh tarps to keep the sun off the boat:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...12b88f920e.jpg

Yes, please do! If you can measure the width between the bunks and the length. Also the distance between the cables front to back. It appears they used 2x10 lumber? looks very secure on there. Nice setup!

Or are those 2x12?

I’m not sure on the bunks but I’ll take some measurements next time I’m up there.

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Originally Posted by HFarr

Yes, please do! If you can measure the width between the bunks and the length. Also the distance between the cables front to back. It appears they used 2x10 lumber? looks very secure on there. Nice setup!

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They are 2x12 and 12’ long, spaced 34.5” outside to outside. The metal beams are approximately 9’ apart.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6a9c5d27b3.jpg