Question for guys with a lift

I am renting a slip this year on the lake with a lift. Never used a lift before so maybe this is a newbie question. The lift is brand new and owned by a hotel on the lake.

So .... the boat and lift move around a lot when I am just walking around in the boat. Even just buckling the cover on and it is swaying from side to side.

I looked and the boat looks to be on the slip properly. Nothing looks out of place there.

Is this normal? If it moves around like this with just me ... makes me feel a little uneasy having 3-6 people in there.

Thanks!

I have had my same boat on four different lifts now. I have never had a lift that moved. Are you talking about the frame and beams moving or the part that is in the water or suspended in a boat house? I don't think the part in the water or attached to the boat house should should move on any lift. The cables that hold the cradle, the beams and boards that hold the boat, will move a bit more if the boat is closer to the water and less as it is raised assuming that it is hoisted by cables from above. Yes it will move a few inches here and there when walking around but shouldn't be anything drastic. Only the cables should move, not the lift itself.
Every slip that the boat has been in has no more than 1' clearance on each side and most less than that. I have never been on a lift where if moved so much that I thought the boat was going to hit the dock or the lift itself.
You may want to check on the weight rating for the lift. It will normally say it on the lift or call the number on the lift. There will normally be an installer sticker with their number. You can also tell by the size of the cross beams about how much the boat should hold.
My lift is rated JUST over what the wet weight of the boat with full fuel is. Of course the actual limit will be over what the stated limit is but I unload passengers once the boat is on the boards and slightly lifted.
We get some really nasty winds sometimes and I have never seen it sway or the boat move more than a few inches which really surprised me.
Follow your gut and check it out, you don't want that thing falling and it shouldn't be moving much. If it is doing it when unloading passengers they tend to push off and it does move a good bit but shouldn't smack into anything.

We have a smaller boat, 2008 OV, on a 4500lb cradle type lift. With a canopy. When raised the cradle does move a little, but not much. I would wait until the boat is lowered before having more than a couple of people in it while on the lift.

I am headed over there now I'll take a pic/video of the setup and take a look at the lift when the boat is lowered/off the lift. See what I can come up with. Just doesn't feel right to me so thanks for the heads up.

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Originally Posted by 5:00

I have had my same boat on four different lifts now. I have never had a lift that moved. Are you talking about the frame and beams moving or the part that is in the water or suspended in a boat house? I don't think the part in the water or attached to the boat house should should move on any lift. The cables that hold the cradle, the beams and boards that hold the boat, will move a bit more if the boat is closer to the water and less as it is raised assuming that it is hoisted by cables from above. Yes it will move a few inches here and there when walking around but shouldn't be anything drastic. Only the cables should move, not the lift itself.
Every slip that the boat has been in has no more than 1' clearance on each side and most less than that. I have never been on a lift where if moved so much that I thought the boat was going to hit the dock or the lift itself.
You may want to check on the weight rating for the lift. It will normally say it on the lift or call the number on the lift. There will normally be an installer sticker with their number. You can also tell by the size of the cross beams about how much the boat should hold.
My lift is rated JUST over what the wet weight of the boat with full fuel is. Of course the actual limit will be over what the stated limit is but I unload passengers once the boat is on the boards and slightly lifted.
We get some really nasty winds sometimes and I have never seen it sway or the boat move more than a few inches which really surprised me.
Follow your gut and check it out, you don't want that thing falling and it shouldn't be moving much. If it is doing it when unloading passengers they tend to push off and it does move a good bit but shouldn't smack into anything.

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I will talk to the marina manager today and see what he says as well. Good call on giving the lift manufacturer a ring. I was informed that it would fit a 23 footer and my Mojo is 22.6 or something. There is about 1' or a little less of clearance between the side of the boat and the dock. The lift and boat are definitely moving a few inches as I walk around from side to side or front to back. It feels as though it is still in the water and the waves are rocking it back and forth and it definitely is not. That is the feeling that it gives when moving around.

If its only a few inches that is probably normal. You are talking about the cradle moving then and not the whole lift. The boats are heavy so it won't be an instant movement and may build a bit. Once it does move it will keep swinging, again just a few inches. The worst is when people get off of the boat. They tend to push off of the boat for some reason and not straight down. That causes the most swing. I usually raise the boat just a bit to the point where the gunwale is even or just above the deck so they have to step down or across and that helps.
It sounds like things are pretty normal and you are probably good. It doesn't hurt to check the weight because not all 23' boats weight the same but at this point you are probably good. If it is on cables keep in mind they are flexible and are going to move some no matter what. I have had swing but in none of those four lifts have it had it hit anything.
It is just unsettling to have your pride and joy swinging around like that though. Eventually you won't even notice.

Yep you got it. I checked a bunch of the other lifts there and they all do the same thing. Just have to get used to it :D

Good glad you got it.