Going to have a 4 point boat lift installed here in canal abs looking for advice on style. Slings are def cheaper but I hear they can crack gunnels after awhile from the pressure put on them. The rigid frame is def the way to go but pricey and will have to cut out other features of dock to buy. Any thoughts on slings yes/no.

Go as wide as you can with your slings to reduce point loads on the gunnels

If you have access, try and get the old firehose from a firestation. They work awesome and last a long time and you could use more than two if you were worried about stress.

Have never used them in salt though, but if you got enough to make a second set...

If price is an issue. Do the dock upgrades now and go with the sling. Swap the slings for a cradle in a couple years as budget allows.

Good point…. Was bummed because I had a guy out of AP that was going to bid the deal abs had a refurbed cradle for $3500. I liked that idea but he ghosted me after the first visit. New ones running about $10k is what he had said.

That seems really high for just the cradle....

How heavy/big of a boat are we talking?

23' dargel kat. Guy said that all the lift manufacturers had a 30% price increase first of the year. Who knows though. I have 2 other builders coming out this week to give estimates.

I cant stress this enough.......
Get a GEM remote system and NOT a mechanical switch
I learned this lesson the very very hard way:-(

We use cradles on the lifts. Doesn't make sense to go cheap on an expensive boat.

Going to create a separate thread so not to clutter up yours. Pre Harvey, my father in law had a cradle and lift similar to this for a 18 foot Majek and then adjusted for a 21 foot Pathfinder. Worked great for many, many years and was placed right next to a floating dock. Post Harvey they had to remove (long story) so he has no lift right now. They have the old cradle materials but the motors are shot and the one guy contacted didn't want to re-use any old material and I'm not sure if that was out of safety concerns or he wanted the materials markup and your price was about what was quoted. They never followed up after that. The slings would sort of freak me out since I never used them before.

Where is it located abs do they want to sell the cradle? Might be worth putting new guts/cables in and still be ahead. Not sure who rebuilds around here but might be interesting to see if it can be done. The original guy said he could put new motors abs cable on the used one for around $1k or so but who knows.

Will send a PM.

Maybe not. email me at tony_franklins_shoe at yahoo dot com if interested.

As working for a manufacturer, typically slings are a bad idea if the hull design makes the rub rail or top deck to hull attachment point as the widest beam measurement. If so then the stress will be at that widest point.
Lots of dealers still unload boats off of shipping trailers with sling lifts but much caution must be used to keep from bending the rub rails etc..... and it is only for unloading.
We lift all our boats rigged with engines by the rear tie downs and the bow eye...... but not recommended for long term storage.
I have seen many hulls distorted from faulty trailers and boat lifts with faulty placed bunks.
I also tell all owners to loosen their bow wench straps/ cables while the boat spends its life in the storage or garage on the trailer.
Trailer bunks or lift bunks should be placed under the main stringers inside the hull and outboard bunks at the intersection of the floor and hull sides if you need them.

Tumble Weed said:

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We use cradles on the lifts. Doesn't make sense to go cheap on an expensive boat.

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This! Use the aluminum frame and the cable lifts!!!!

Aluminum frames are great but they can flex bad if they are not heavy enough and braced properly. It's the way to go but needs to be of a good quality and not a generic cheap cradle.

Are you in or near Houston? if so pm me

FriscoAggieFan said:

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I cant stress this enough.......
Get a GEM remote system and NOT a mechanical switch
I learned this lesson the very very hard way:-(

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Story time! What is the very, very hard way?

We don't have remotes on our 2 lifts and no issues. I can see where it is definitely a nice to have, but not an absolute requirement.

If you get aluminum frame and set it on treated posts, make sure the installers put proper insulation between the posts and the aluminum. If not, electrolysis (guess that is what it is called) will eat the aluminum up over a period of time.

We don't have remotes on our lift. I can do it all on my own with no problems. Now when it is super windy it's tough but a remote will not make it any easier.

I am on Padre island