Re: BOAT LIFT - please help me decide!!
I have kept my pontoon in a boathouse since it was new in 1985, and it's still in good condition. We're fortunate to have boathouses built on eight 4-5" steel pipes driven 3-4' into the lake bottom, and a 5" channel steel frame @ 12' above the water. I have a 10'x25' wooden pier beside the boathouse. Most people on our lake use 2800 pound $450 Ace lifts, which are sold @ Overton's. I have a pitched roof--like a garage. I imagine a boathouse like this would run $8-9K now. A contractor did the metal work, and we did the carpentry--a satisfying job.
I looked into an aluminum PWC lift last year, but they were $1100 for manual and $2K for electric. I'm going to spend less than $1K for a 5x19' addition to my boathouse.
My neighbor last year bought a $38K Harris tritoon with a Merc 150 4 stroke. He then spent $58K on a concrete topped boathouse with a concrete pier down low.
Our house is on the main lake channel, which is from 1-2 miles wide and up to 100' deep. High waves prohibit us from keeping our boats in the water. I look at a boathouse as an investment, as it allows us to keep our boats in good condition just about forever. We also use our boats all the time--much like we'd use a car.
