Options to using a boat lift

[dave London]

My mastercraft is in a Texas lake/ dock. The boat lift is $4k , seems overkill to lift the entire boat out of the water .

Is it an option to run a water pump and hoses to essentially keep water flowing permanently along the hull water line when boat is docked to avoid buildup and staining of hull ?

 

[Edchris177]

You can pump the entire Mississippi down your hull…if the water is of the staining type, it will stain.
If you can buy, & fuel a Mastercraft, you can afford a lift. There is a fairly decent waterski club just down the shore from me, they have three courses. Mastertcraft, Ski Nautique, Malibu…not a one of them lives in the water.
live in a 500 sq km lake, I have 5 boat lifts. When a storm came up, & the guy 4 doors down destroyed his boat because the dock whips couldn’t take it, mine were all safe.
Look in the ads, you should be able to pick up a used lift for half that price.

 

[chawk_man]

Agree. The safest way to store a boat is on a lift, assuming large pilings and oversized cables. And no need to winterize as long as you drop the boat in the water about every month and let it run on the lift for 30 - 45 minutes, alternating between forward and reverse to keep the lower end well lubed.

My boat lives on the lower Potomac River, 10 miles from the Chesapeake Bay - very salty water. I keep a 25 ft., 6,000 lb. C-hawk on a lift year around. The lift is supported by 10" piles and the lift cables are rated at 6,000 lbs. so, 12,000 lbs. on each of the four corners. The lift winches are high enough that I can elevate the boat to a foot above the upper pier deck. The boat stays on the lift year around unless a serious hurricane is on the way, or I need to pull it for maintenance.