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If you have waterfront property or a boat slip, and have made the decision to invest in a boat, you have also most likely decided that it is time to purchase a boat lift. The decision to install a boat lift on your dock can be relatively simple, but deciding which of the many solutions available on the market to buy can be a difficult task. A boat lift is an integral part of your boating experience as it is the gateway to boating, and it can even increase the resale value of your waterfront property. However, this is an extremely important long-term decision, and you may feel that your friends and family are not giving you all of the advice you desire. In that case, the few tips that follow will help you make an informed decision that you will be happy with for years to come.

Whichever boat lift you choose must be able to withstand years of operation and rough conditions as the marine environment can be fairly harsh. The individual experience that comes with each different boat lift is dependent on the design and performance of the lift’s three essential operating systems. The hydraulic, the electrical, and the structural systems are all extremely important to the lift and the failure of any of the three could ruin a boat outing or even leave you stranded in the water.

One attractive option that some boat lift companies are beginning to offer is an ultimate hydraulic power package. This package harnesses the power of hydraulic technology to create a new generation of boat lifts that have a vastly improved performance compared to their competitors. They are also a more attractive and invisible addition to a dock. They generally give boaters greater enjoyment and safety than other boat lift options.

What makes ultimate hydraulic power packages so attractive is their greater ease of use, improved performance, greater family safety, increased aesthetics and improved portability. With ultimate hydraulic power packages, you can launch your boat in seconds instead of minutes, and there is a key-chain remote control to make operation easier. Operation of the lift is also faster and more reliable, there are no noisy cables or pulleys that can break and need replacing. There is also no need for frequent readjustments like a cable lift requires. Docking is hands-free and an advanced engineered design guides your landing to safely lock your boat into place, all with the push of a button. The lifts are fast and quiet, and have a hidden design that allows the boat and not the lift to be on display. Finally, the compact design of the lifts makes it easy to remove them and store them seasonally.

Other components that you may wish to look for in your boat lift system are a marine-grade hydraulic lifting system, a smart electrical system and an advance engineered frame and support. A marine-grade hydraulic lifting system has a stainless-steel construction of cylinder rams that prevents pitting and seal failure. The multi-cylinder design also spreads the load evenly. Finally, bronze shaft scrapers can remove marine growth which increases the life of the hydraulic system.

A smart electrical system makes your boat lift far easier to use and enjoy. The remote control has a “sleep mode” so users do not need to remember to turn the lift off every time they use the boat. A sealed, no maintenance, high capacity battery eliminates the need for changing the battery every few months and a low battery indicator gives an early warning for when it is necessary to change the battery. A solar panel can also provide over twenty percent more power than other lifts, and the marine-grade transmitters are sealed and water resistant. Water tight connector plugs will prevent failures due to corrosion while electronic filtering helps to prevent damage from electrical surges.

Finally, an advance engineered frame and support provides a sturdy and rust-proof frame that is constructed with marine-grade aluminum, which is twice as thick as some other lifts. The use of stainless steel prevents rusting over time and makes upkeep far easier. A spring-beam bunk design makes the loading of the boat far softer and easier. A self-cleaning design also makes for easier upkeep.

All of these features are things that you can look for when selecting the boat lift that is right for you and your boat. Important questions to take into consideration when making this decision are: How often do you plan to use your boat lift, whether year-round or seasonally? How much time can you put aside for the upkeep of your boat lift and how experienced are you at the use of boat docks and lifts? Examination of these questions will help you to decide which issues are most important to you, and which boat lift will fit best into your lifestyle.