Bought a lake house

[lsupcar]

http://www.underwaterfishlight.com/

This is the kind I have.

[Darter]

Water is at least 75 feet deep under the dock...

Is your shoreline a cliff??

[jelmhorst]

Here's my experience from my 6000SW lift, and one learning tip. Hydrohoist wants you to not have the prop spinning as you enter the slip. They want you to glide in and make any adjustments with your many pairs of hands. I'm on open water where it gets rough, 3ft rollers coming in as I'm coming into the slip, so my first experience to my side entry slip in rough water means I'm in gear to steer and pop it in reverse to keep me crashing up front. Well one Sat afternoon, I clipped the bunk with the prop. No damage to the prop but frustrating nevertheless. They don't recommend trimming the bunk as I wanted to do should it happen. As you glide in you should have 2 guide ropes [don't have to be thick] setup in front that you run to the back cleats to center the boat while you flip the switch to raise the lift. As the boat gets lifted slack will come into the line, they recommend you keep the guide wires attached in case the lift fails. Congrats on the lake house, unfortunately it will involve more work and is less the retreat feeling when you are the one pressure washing the dock and maintaining everything. All that said, wouldn't trade it for the world.

Depending on your power situation, these are on my winter project list:
https://www.flexfireleds.com/waterpr...ights-300-leds

[ghebert1111]

Is your shoreline a cliff??

Yeah, I was surprised at the depth. We have a rock ledge/shelf that goes out about 20 feet and then it drops. I measured by taking my anchor and 75 feet of line and dropped it from the dock, it never bottomed out. I hear the rock ledge is great for fishing confirmed by all the bass boats there in the AM.

From what I understand, Lewis-Smith lake was a series of valleys that the power company dammed up to create the lake. It's over 200 feet in places I've heard.

[ghebert1111]

Here's my experience from my 6000SW lift, and one learning tip. Hydrohoist wants you to not have the prop spinning as you enter the slip. They want you to glide in and make any adjustments with your many pairs of hands. I'm on open water where it gets rough, 3ft rollers coming in as I'm coming into the slip, so my first experience to my side entry slip in rough water means I'm in gear to steer and pop it in reverse to keep me crashing up front. Well one Sat afternoon, I clipped the bunk with the prop. No damage to the prop but frustrating nevertheless. They don't recommend trimming the bunk as I wanted to do should it happen. As you glide in you should have 2 guide ropes [don't have to be thick] setup in front that you run to the back cleats to center the boat while you flip the switch to raise the lift. As the boat gets lifted slack will come into the line, they recommend you keep the guide wires attached in case the lift fails. Congrats on the lake house, unfortunately it will involve more work and is less the retreat feeling when you are the one pressure washing the dock and maintaining everything. All that said, wouldn't trade it for the world.

Depending on your power situation, these are on my winter project list:
https://www.flexfireleds.com/waterpr...ights-300-leds

Thanks for the input. I've got the guidelines set up to center the boat as you suggest. I don't think I'd feel comfortable gliding in either as we are on open water as well. I would have thought the bunks are so far down in the water they couldn't get clipped, I guess when we are back there this weekend, I'll put the hoist al the way down, pull the boat out and get on the bunks to see how far down they are.

I'm definitely gonna have some LEDs on that dock in the next month or 2. I did my wife's pontoon boat and it looks great, even in the pink she requested. I have had pretty good luck with the cheap LED strips from Amazon so I'm looking at these for a first try

https://www.amazon.com/WenTop-Lights...d+strip+lights

[ghebert1111]

I can measure mine on my lift if you like. Unfortunately the trailer bunks get you close but you have to watch the lines under your boat. the trailer has 3 sets of bunks to hold the boat where as the lift only has 2.

I'll post a picture of my boat on the bunks and y'all can tell me if I need to adjust them. I'm certain that they are narrower than my inner most trailer bunks.

Large bouncy balls to tie the boat to the side of the dock so you don't have to have it in the lift all the time.

There is a side of the swim pier that a boat, mine or someone else's might pull up to and tie off, should I have fenders there permanently? and if so are you suggesting the bouncy balls? doesn't that make it more difficult for, say my 80 year old dad to get in the boar? Currently we have 3 cleats in that area with old crappy looking 22 inch fenders.

Also on my slip with the lift, in the front of the slip, where the bow of the boat would hit if when you are pulling in, there is a large grey sponge-like material, I assume that is in case the bow hits that area it will protect the boat?

[ghebert1111]

http://www.underwaterfishlight.com/

This is the kind I have.

I'll have to put it on the list. I thought upgrading the boat was expensive...

[jelmhorst]

I can't speak to the large bouncy balls but one of my dock neighbors had dock line through 3 - hole through middle fenders and they kept the boat off the dock even in some awful chop. Just tie the ends up to the cleats and boat ropes over the top and held like a champ. For me, if I'm not in the boat, its up on the lift, mine just takes too much of a beating to just tie up. A couple of idiots buzzing the dock at 40 feet and you'll probably end up doing the same. Might want to buy a megaphone, help educate those on the lake that need reminders. We take turns 'helping' those who don't know the rules, and bonus points added for colorful commentary - mine is a no kid zone so we get away with more than those who have to censor themselves due to youngins.

Prob just need to do a cost comparison as to which option is more economical.
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...-x-26&i=854999

[lsupcar]

I'll have to put it on the list. I thought upgrading the boat was expensive...

One more thing that is fun is a fish feeder. We just have a small 5 gallon unit that spins for one second twice a day throwing out floating catfish food. Eaten mainly by turtles but also some big catfish.
My hydro hoist is attached to a floating dock made out of steel with concrete deck. Not a good thing for the boat to rub against. In the slip, even with vertical fenders and guide lines, my old boat was finding a way to make contact with the dock edge. I thus constructed a wooden rim with cushioning around the dock edge including the front to protect the bow. Just like it sounds like you have in the front. Also, I found that centering the boat over the center of the lift was not the easiest thing to do. I thus installed some foam 12-16 inch arms that extend out from the side of the dock edge to indicate how far to hold off the boat until to lift engages the bottom of the boat.
I find a lot of the fun is optimizing the setup. You will have fun doing it too.

[kaneboats]

Might want to buy a megaphone, help educate those on the lake that need reminders.

Megaphone? Try the Wolfeman method of getting their attention. Call them over nice and close and then give them a blast:

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds