The tree winch is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. The weight of the lift still makes me a little nervous though. The bottom of our dock is like 1.5 feet of mud/muck and things like to get stuck down there really easily. I'm afraid of getting a lift that heavy too far in and not being able to get it back up.
I also had my eye on this one in Champlin. It's a little pricier, but being able to move it with a few guys might be easier in the long run.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/3225299942.html
