How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

golf101

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I'm looking at buying lake property but need to install a dock (permit in place). The dock would be a floating single slip aluminum dock with lift and a party platform on top. Needs to be big enough for my 25' bow rider. Just looking for a ballpark of what this might cost. Thanks for any insight you can give me.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

If you have a floating dock, skip the lift, unless you are exposed to serious waves. A whole lot cheaper, one less thing to go wrong, and your property will look a whole lot better without a giant boat hovering up in the air.
It's a breeze to moor to a floating dock; fixed docks with tides are a challenge. And with a boat that size, waves won't be a big issue. Design to moor on the lee side of the dock.
 

Beefer

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Cost of the lift is going to depend on the weight rating. Around here, I see 6,000 lb rated lifts for about $5k.

Get the lift. It will pat for itself in reduced maintenance vs. keeping it in the water. It also makes some work on the boat easier. I have a dock (non-floating) and a lift, and love having the lift. If you do the lift, you probably won't want to have a floating dock.
 

DaNinja

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

I'm a big fan of the lift, as well. I hate that I had to remove mine last year due to low water levels. My Starcraft was sooo much easier to clean than my neighbor's Formula which sat in the water for three months. His boat was brown from the waterline down.

The wife kept the SeaRay at the marina a few years back. The cost of cleanup and repairs could have paid for a lift.
 

26aftcab454

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

to RENTa slip & lift at our marina is $5500 per year.:eek:
 

movinon

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

I'm looking at buying lake property but need to install a dock (permit in place). The dock would be a floating single slip aluminum dock with lift and a party platform on top. Needs to be big enough for my 25' bow rider. Just looking for a ballpark of what this might cost. Thanks for any insight you can give me.


My BIL in Lake of the Ozarks,MO. paid $35,000 last year, for a floating aluminum dock, for his 28" pontoon boat. It has a roof, storage room and 2 small slips for jet skis. It has lifts for the boat and jet skis, that you fill up with air to lift the boats out of the water.
In Florida where I live it is more common to have the electric lifts. I had one put in 8 years ago for $6,000. It included 30 feet of a 4' wide walkway.
If you decide to have a boat dock and lift installed, it is usually a good idea to have it accommodate as big a boat as you can afford. This way if you decide to get a bigger boat, in the future it will fit your setup.
 

DaNinja

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

My BIL in Lake of the Ozarks,MO. paid $35,000 last year, for a floating aluminum dock, for his 28" pontoon boat. It has a roof, storage room and 2 small slips for jet skis. It has lifts for the boat and jet skis, that you fill up with air to lift the boats out of the water.
In Florida where I live it is more common to have the electric lifts. I had one put in 8 years ago for $6,000. It included 30 feet of a 4' wide walkway.
If you decide to have a boat dock and lift installed, it is usually a good idea to have it accommodate as big a boat as you can afford. This way if you decide to get a bigger boat, in the future it will fit your setup.

That's pricey. The dock we have is at LOTO, as well. I think $7K would buy a pretty sweet used PolyLift (installed). I agree with building/buying a dock bigger than you need. We are limited, by water level, to the size of boat we can have there. It still would be nice if the dock and the lift weren't a limiting factor.
 

jayhanig

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

I'm across the street from the sound and don't have direct access to the water so I have to keep my boat on a trailer. But I would MUCH rather have my boat on a lift if I did have that waterfront property. Living in a marine environment is pretty harsh on boats. In a freshwater environment, you still have to consider all the algae you're going to accumulate.

I just can't see leaving a boat in a slip for months at a time.
 

DuckHunterJon

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

My parents purchased a dock and lift two years ago. They are all aluminum, very well built. The docks are fixed alum frame with cedar tops. They have 3-16' sections that were $2400 ea. They also have an aluminum gang plank, again with cedar top, 12' that wsa $1400. The lift is a 4500 lb, bunk style lift, with remotes, dock lighting, and stainless cables. It was $5500.

These are made locally in Northern NY. They are excellent quality, but admittedly pricey.

Hope that helps.
 

lkbum

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

golf101,

I assume you will be on lake lanier, I'm on the lake also, thompson creek near athens boat club. A lift is crucial for a keeping a boat on lanier. The warm water is very likely to cause blistering and keeping the bottom clean will save in fuel every outting. As far as the dock goes, you can spend from $5k to $50k. With a lift. Check craigs list for atlanta under boating, there's always a couple of docks for sale. I would also check Martin Boat Docks in Gainesville, they build really nice aluminum docks and always have several trade in. craigs list, atlanta, dock
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/search/boa?query=dock&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

martin docks
http://www.martindocksinc.com/index.php/used-docks
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

how can warm water cause blistering? How warm is it--thermal? never heard of such a thing--or of a boat hull that isn't waterproof!
And no, you won't save enough money in fuel savings with a slick bottom to pay for a $5000 lift.

Lifts, like most boating expenses, are trade-offs for factors of convenience, maintenance (to a small degree) and safe storage. For example, my sister lives across the river from me; my cove is sheltered so I don't need a lift but her side is exposed to weather and wakes, so she does prefer to have one for a 19' boat. I'm happy to have $5000 in the bank and a boat in the water, ready to go. She likes not having to worry about it when she's out of town or when the weather kicks up.

There's no right or wrong; it's all about an individual's use, set-up and cash on hand. But I see a lot of newcomers who automatically think a lift is required. It's merely a choice. It's not a bad idea to go through a season without one to see how it goes, unless you are certain your conditions make it necessary. Just don't assume your neighbors know.

By the way, I think lifts (or trailers) are the way to go for a second home, when you are not living there to deal with the stuff that happens, usually on a Wednesday night when you are out of town on business!
 

lkbum

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Home Cookin
You are dead wrong.... Water SURFACE temps reach 100F on southern lakes, especially in the area between floats and the boat. That's one of the reasons the very fine blisters occur right at the water line. If you haven't heard of this, it's just ignorance on your part. And yes this happens on Sea Rays to Gradys. Outdrive Corrosion and permanent hull staining also occur on Southern Lakes, like Lake Lanier, where I assume the OP is planning on purchasing a dock. And $5k is way out of line for a typical lift. Used lifts can be purchased in the Atlanta area for $1500 to $2000, ignorance on your part again. Just how much time have you spent on lakes in the atlanta area? And how many boats have you seen or owned that were dock in the south on freshwater lakes?
 

golf101

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

golf101,

I assume you will be on lake lanier[/url]


I'm actually looking on Nottely and Blue Ridge. Have a lift in mind because I won't be there all the time but, in season, would like to leave the boat there.
 

lkbum

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Golf,
Both nice lakes, personally I would never leave a boat in the water. I assume you are aware of the severe fluctuations of these two lakes ( I think over 20' per season is average, Nottely is jokingly reffered to as Not-A-Lake by locals). If you get a lift, a couple of lift manufacturers offer kits that allow them to rest on the ground with the boat still on them. This may be important for you. Depending on the property you look at, the exposed shore during winter may not be so great for lift to sit on even without the boat. If you haven't shopped property on lanier lately, I would take a look. A lot of small affordable places currently on the market. I looked at an acre lot with a small house and a small cabin, great water depth and double slip dock last week for $300k (near warhill park) see link http://www.georgiamls.com/agentsite/search/propertyDetail.cfm?SiteID=SINCLAIRMARY&LN=2934939#. I've owned on lanier since 1984 and all things considered, I've never seen prices this low. I know Lanier can get more crowded, but if you choose wisely and have your own place you will find you are never affected by crowded waters. There are docks on Craigs List on occasion for both Nottely and Blue ridge, but not that often.
 

shrew

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Home Cookin
You are dead wrong.... Water SURFACE temps reach 100F on southern lakes, especially in the area between floats and the boat. That's one of the reasons the very fine blisters occur right at the water line. If you haven't heard of this, it's just ignorance on your part. And yes this happens on Sea Rays to Gradys. Outdrive Corrosion and permanent hull staining also occur on Southern Lakes, like Lake Lanier, where I assume the OP is planning on purchasing a dock. And $5k is way out of line for a typical lift. Used lifts can be purchased in the Atlanta area for $1500 to $2000, ignorance on your part again. Just how much time have you spent on lakes in the atlanta area? And how many boats have you seen or owned that were dock in the south on freshwater lakes?


Why simply post yout thoughts and corrections when you can kick the guy in the teeth in the process?

I like boat lifts for the following reasons:

No staining or blistering or growth on the gelcoat on the hull

No need to bottom paint

a failed seacock, hose, through hull fitting, bellows will not sink the boat.

Unusually high rains combined with a bilge pump failure or dead battery will not sink the boat. (not to say you shouldn't have a bilge pump, howevr you don't need to worry about it).

Unusually high wind or wave action doesn't bang the boat around or against the dock. No need to worry about parted dock lines while away for extended periods.

Currents (same as above).

can make it easier to embark/disembark from boat, particularly on fixed docks in tidal areas.

Boat 'can' be stored on a lift offseason.

Maintains boat safety during large fluctuations in water levels (tides, spring runoff high's, fall low's, dam controlled bodies of water, etc.)
 

dingbat

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Home Cookin
You are dead wrong.... Water SURFACE temps reach 100F on southern lakes, especially in the area between floats and the boat. That's one of the reasons the very fine blisters occur right at the water line. If you haven't heard of this, it's just ignorance on your part.

Instead of calling people ignorant, why don?t you point us to a paper that explains how warm water temperatures cause blisters at the water line?

The temps that Home Cookin experiences are well into the upper 80?s all summer long. I?ve even seen low 90?s from time to time. The conditions in his ?south? are not that much different than the conditions you describe and blisters just are not an issue here. The fact that it affects only the water line would lead me to believe that its water quality or a water composition issue more so than temps.
 

golf101

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

Golf,
Both nice lakes, personally I would never leave a boat in the water. I assume you are aware of the severe fluctuations of these two lakes ( I think over 20' per season is average, Nottely is jokingly reffered to as Not-A-Lake by locals).

I hear you on that, but we are looking at deep water lots that, even with the drawdown (about 8' on Nottely and 12' on Blue Ridge) would not affect the dock or the ability to keep it in the water year round without the lift resting on the botttom. I will look some at Lanier, though. I haven't so far because I've got a brother in law with a place in Cumming and the lake is like a shopping mall at Christmas after 10:00 most days during the summer.
 

lkbum

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Re: How much does a boat dock with lift cost?

I think Nottely is more like 16' or so.. (see link http://www.tva.com/river/lakeinfo/op_guides/nottely.htm , but it's clear you know what to expect. There are a lot of places on Lanier right now at bargain prices and because the lake is full (especailly for this time of year, Lanier averages 8' down in dec), unkowning buyers think they are getting great deals. In an average year, they are mudfront from Oct to Jan. I stay away from Cumming, and most of the "south end" of the lake as much as possible. North of browns bridge it's still pretty light traffic and when you go up the Chestatee or further up the Chattahoochee it's even lighter except for holiday weekends. If you like send me a private message and I'd be happy to share what we've seen in the last 25 years. My biggest concern for Lanier, other than too many people, is the continuing fight between the states over water rights.
 
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