My poor, sinking lift

mxfever

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
215
So I got the deal of the century. Two year old, shore master 4010 with top. I've been wanting one for years so i don't have to pull my boat out every weekend. All went well in the beginning. put it together and floated it out on tubes. Dropped it down on the lake bottom. I was all smiles the rest of the night. The next morning I launched the boat and pulled into the lift. Started cranking the wheel and to my delight the boat came out of water.... for about 30 seconds. Then the pads started sinking in the morrow/muck. It sank 28" until the frame work of the lift hit bottom. The better news is it hit the mud plate of my dock and pulled it down with it. Almost 12 hours, 6 people, two quads, polaris ranger, 6 foot agricultrual inner tubes, 6 ratchet straps later it's back on shore. Any tips from those that have a soft bottom lake on how to keep this from sinking? I found lake mats but I don't have that kind of money to spend right now.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Build extenders for the legs and let them get pushed into the muck and have a way to use a slip over connection for your regular legs.......or mabe get some 55 gallon drums and try to use then as a base.
 

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
Should not be to difficult to figure out the displacement factor and build something to put on the end of the legs to overcome the density of the soft bottom.
 

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Screw pilings are expensive but work good, or how about 45 gallon drums with no top or bottom set on the silted bottom, use fire type hose to blast out all the silt till barrels hit hard bottom, then fill with concrete.
 

Gyrene

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
377
Build extenders for the legs and let them get pushed into the muck and have a way to use a slip over connection for your regular legs.......or mabe get some 55 gallon drums and try to use then as a base.
If you can get some poly 55 gallon drums, cut them in half, put a half under each leg - THAT should reduce the sinkage.
 

greenbush future

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,814
Will this thing come out every winter of can you leave it in? That matters on this task to me.
 

mxfever

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
215
It will be going in and out every spring/fall. Here is what we came up with. I was so anxious I didn't think about taking a picture. We picked up 12 foot treated 2x12 and fastened them to the mud plates length wise. So the lift is now on ski's if you will. It moves easy enough I pulled it down to the water with my quad. We pushed it into the water with 3 people and once it was deep enough for the boat we slid 4' x 4' square of 3/4" treated plywood under the back legs. The lift did not sink at all. Nothing. In fact I accounted for an 1" - 2" of settle once the boat was on and it didn't happen. So I had to mess with lowering the legs but not a big deal. Hopefully this will help somebody else if they run into this issue in the future.
 

greenbush future

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,814
Sounds like a good simple fix, needing to pull her out each fall makes a big difference on how to fix that sinking issue. glad it worked out well for you.
 
Top