So we moved back to the lake last December and I sort of acquired with my house a Shore Station SSV30108 which is a 3000lb vertical lift. I called Shore Station and asked why all the parts are the same for the SSV40108 (4000lb), and they said it's the exact same lift aside from the gear ratio (I think the 4000lb has a secondary chain, 3000 has single).

I proceeded to lift my Supra and snapped the winch cable. No big, it was old and rusty. I replaced it along with the pulley for that cable (it was like oblongated), what a pain in the @$$. It worked fine after that though, so whatever.

Then I bought my LSV. Worked fine for a while, then something snapped. I took the winch tube completely off this time and tore it all apart. It had broke a pully right in half and the bushing was stuck at an angle in the winch tube. Holy crap, it took me hours to get that thing out. How I did it finally was strapping one end of the tube to a big tree and then routed a chain through with a big lock hooked to the end and hooked that chain to my 3/4 ton truck. I then proceeded to yank and yank and yank until it finally popped free. I broke the chain twice before it came apart though.

I bought new EVERYTHING, so all new pulleys, lift cable, snatch block (that's what they call it, the carrier that moves back and forth with a pulley), and all the little other parts. I put it all back together last week and it worked perfectly without my boat on it. The only problem is that my new winch cable from the first repair had some slight fraying, but I thought it would hold until winter when I could replace that again.

Put my boat on it, lifted almost out of the water, one snap, two snap, BOOM! Boat back in the water. I was so frustrated I've just been putting my boat on it's trailer every day. I assumed that frayed winch cable snapped because I could just pull it out almost all the way, so I ordered another new winch cable. I finally took it off today and went to tear it apart. The winch cable was fine! The brand new snatch block somehow turned a little and the winch cable actually pulled the pulley and bushing out and just came right apart! Now the snatch block is stuck sideways just like that stupid bushing was the first time and I can't get it out! WTF!!!!! I honestly think the replacement parts were not as good of quality, and the plastic outer bushings on the snatch block were like hemispherical instead of flat, so it really had no stability assistance. I don't know, but I'm just flat out pissed now.

Anyways, I think I'm done with this lift. It has an awesome custome aluminum canopy on it, but I'm just so sick of fixing this stupid thing.

So my question is, is cantilever really that much easier to fix as it looks since it's one cable? I think I want to go cantilever for this reason only. One cable out in the open.

What are the drawbacks to cantilever? Vertical just are so much more complex and expensive, I don't see the benefit. My only concern is my lake is a little mucky (sink to ankles while walking), and with the weight at the rear of the cantilever while first lifting/lowering the boat concerns me a little for the back legs sinking in further than the front or something.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm just so frustrated!!!