Author Topic: Off Topic (finding a water home for the new baby) (Read 7650 times)

scott r bishop · « **on:** August 24, 2012, 09:29:55 PM »

So we found a boat lift ~1 mile down the road from our place that we want to buy for the 18 (won't leave this thing in the water). We figure we can put it on a trailer to get it home, but getting it down the rather steep embankment that leads to the lake would be close to impossible (roughly 3' drop in a 3' span), and the thing it waaaay too heavy for people to lift it. Anyone have any experience transporting boat lifts? Brian A. (and others online) have suggested we just float it across the lake using barrels or tractor tire tubes... but that would make me extremely nervous. Mike found this guy: http://www.mndockandlift.com/#!home/mainPage, but that looks rather expensive. Anyhow, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, throw 'em at me because right now, I am truly stumped.

MikeB · « **Reply #1 on:** August 24, 2012, 09:45:15 PM »

I'm confident we could get it onto the back of one of these things:

http://www.actionrentalmn.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=26&key=TRASNO8X12

I am not confident that we won't absolutely destroy the trailer in the process.

Rosscoe · « **Reply #2 on:** August 25, 2012, 07:20:31 AM »

Sounds like you'd either have to winch it out of the spot its in and get it on a trailer or float it. I am not sure how you'd determine how much "lift" you would need to make it float as in how many inner tubes or whatever other then experimenting. Might be fun, might be a royal PITA. How did they get it in there? Assembled in place? Can you take it apart down to maybe 2 large pieces?

84carlson · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2012, 08:08:01 AM »

Float it, if it is a shore station you can reverse the lift and slide a jon boat under bed and lift it up using the wheel. Or you could rent the wheels and toung and pull it, this would be safer then putting it on a trailer. If the grade is so steep you may need to add extensions to the back legs and that will require pulling it and cleaning the legs. If you float it take the cover off or it will act just like a sail.

I had a shore station for many years and have floated and pulled them with no problems.

Joe

Hotwired · « **Reply #4 on:** August 26, 2012, 06:03:15 PM »

Quote from: scott r bishop on August 24, 2012, 09:29:55 PM

So we found a boat lift ~1 mile down the road from our place that we want to buy for the 18 (won't leave this thing in the water). We figure we can put it on a trailer to get it home, but getting it down the rather steep embankment that leads to the lake would be close to impossible (roughly 3' drop in a 3' span), and the thing it waaaay too heavy for people to lift it. Anyone have any experience transporting boat lifts? Brian A. (and others online) have suggested we just float it across the lake using barrels or tractor tire tubes... but that would make me extremely nervous. Mike found this guy: http://www.mndockandlift.com/#!home/mainPage, but that looks rather expensive. Anyhow, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, throw 'em at me because right now, I am truly stumped.

Just strap it to a boat. I have putted across lakes many times with a lift strapped to the bottom of a boat. you many not want to use the Carlson just because it is a nice boat but it would float it fine. Is the lift steel or Aluminum? Does it have a Canopy? The older Shore Station Lifts have that reverse cranking feature that makes it rather easy. If the lift does not reverse crank you will have to put the lift in shallow water and then lift the lift, and strap it under the boat with the cradle all the way in the down position. It is best to put the lift under the boat rather than put the lift on top of a fishing boat or the like. If you could find a big open pontoon they would easily carry it, but those are hard to come by!

Quesa · « **Reply #5 on:** August 26, 2012, 11:39:52 PM »

Sounds like it might be steel? For our steel lift to enter the water over the seawall we use 2 old steel roller conveyors from a grocery store. We also use the them and a -come along winch- to get it back out in the fall. For our aluminum lift the previous owner took ubolts and about 10" of 2" pipe to create a little axle on all four corners, then welded 3" of 2 1/2" pipe over the center hole on a donut spare tire. Slide the tire with the 2 1/2" over the 2", pin it and roll it anywhere. Still need help getting it up and down the wall, but it is easier with wheels.
Also if the lift is aluminum check the weight rating.

bambam · « **Reply #6 on:** August 27, 2012, 04:50:02 PM »

come over to my house I'll borrow you my duck boat and motor (12' seaking), strap that baby to it and drive her on home. That is how we rescued my buddy's this spring. I'll even drive if you don't trust it.

MikeB · « **Reply #7 on:** August 27, 2012, 05:15:31 PM »

Quote from: bambam on August 27, 2012, 04:50:02 PM

come over to my house I'll borrow you my duck boat and motor (12' seaking), strap that baby to it and drive her on home. That is how we rescued my buddy's this spring. I'll even drive if you don't trust it.

Haha, that sounds like a really funny sight to see. You wouldn't believe how heavy this lift is - both Scott and I lifting as hard as we can on a single corner it raises maybe half a foot or so. All steel construction and it weighs as much as a car!

bambam · « **Reply #8 on:** August 28, 2012, 11:05:13 PM »

where is your sense of adventure

Jason · « **Reply #9 on:** August 28, 2012, 11:07:58 PM »

You would think you could take it apart...

MikeB · « **Reply #10 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:24:46 AM »

I forgot that I had taken a picture.

Jason - the top half would come off pretty easily, but that part is mostly PVC pipe/Aluminum anyway and probably wouldn't drop much weight. The bolts fastening the members are completely rusted over, and you'd probably have to cut/drill them all off to begin taking it apart.

The rest of the lift definitely needs a wire-brushing + few coats of paint too. The good news is that the bad looking parts sit under water anyway. The parts that you see don't look all that bad.

84carlson · « **Reply #11 on:** August 29, 2012, 08:34:04 PM »

Thatâ€™s a good old Shore Station, we had one just like it, you might want to check the condition of the small lifting rods that connect to the front lifting arms they tend to rust and then start to bend. It looks like they already reversed the bed and are lifting from the back of the boat; I always thought that was the best way to configure them.

Joe

bambam · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2012, 07:44:46 AM »

where is it? is it on the lake now or in the middle of the guy's yard?

I do have access to a car hauler trailer that we could put it on as well. A snow mobile trailer would be a better fit however.

thedeuceman · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2012, 08:52:05 AM »

I just picked one of these up in minitonka, 9' wide
I only had 1 helper and have to bring it to wisconson so leaving it togeather was not really an option for me.
We removed the cross braces on the base and the lift, and took the lift section apart.
Yes a cutting torch was involved, the dude i got it from estamated it weighed 800 and they hired a crane to take it in and out.
I think im putting wheels on ours before we put it in.

Burnin Daylight · « **Reply #14 on:** August 30, 2012, 09:51:24 AM »

Do those things just sit on the bottom of the lake? Or do they float? Our lake levels vary so much that it would have to be moved several times during the season depending on the amount of rain we recieved. If they sit on the bottom, seems like wheels would be a good options.

thedeuceman · « **Reply #15 on:** August 30, 2012, 11:00:35 AM »

Yea just sits on the bottom, ours has feet now, and pins to adjust the height.
They dont look like they have ever been adjusted, may lk minatonka dont change much

Hotwired · « **Reply #16 on:** September 01, 2012, 10:03:53 PM »

Did you get that thing moved yet? You should try to find a set if these.

Shore station made this axle kit to make them easy to move. I have seen them used from time to time but they may not be real hard to make if you can find an old axle to cut up. There is a set on eBay but they want a good deal of money for them.

Item number: 140653887115

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHORESTATION-BRAND-SPINDLE-AND-HUB-ASSEMBLY-SS-50-/140653887115?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item20bf9ffe8b&vxp=mtr

thedeuceman · « **Reply #17 on:** September 01, 2012, 11:03:45 PM »

Thoes are pertty fancy...
Were thrifty, na down right cheap, maybe enevn red-neck
IMHO
2 pieces of pipe, say 1" and 1 1/4" weld on a plate, bolt a wheel to it.
Ya really dont need bearings to move somthing 20 or 50 feet in and out od the lake twice a year.

scott r bishop · « **Reply #18 on:** September 02, 2012, 08:32:20 AM »

The owner said he has wheels for it, about 15". We're still just kind of hung up on the weight of this sucker, thinking about how we'd move it in and out of the water each year. We don't have a vehicle small enough to get down to the shore (the ol' van is a bit too big

) and we're thinking an aluminum one would be a lot easier to work with in the long run...

Hotwired · « **Reply #19 on:** September 02, 2012, 08:42:59 AM »

Is there a tree near the shore you can latch a winch to? With the wheels on them the shore stations move easily and they last forever. There are a couple of $500 lifts up here, aluminum without canopies. That one you have there would handle a CV23 if you ever upgrade again! Looking at it I think that is a 3698 lift (rated at 3600 lbs I think). Same lift I moved in and out of Ottertail for 15 years!