Boat Lifts in Sarasota, FL

Boat lifts in Sarasota earn their place for one plain reason: a hull left in warm salt water grows barnacles and slime quickly, and running gear corrodes. A lift raises the boat clear between trips, makes it easier to rinse, and keeps it from banging the dock in a chop or a passing wake. With a small tide range here, the lift also gives you a dependable boarding height whatever the water is doing.

Lift types we install

• Elevator lifts: mounted to the face of a seawall, with a platform that rides up and down on rails. They suit canal lots where there is no room for pilings beside the boat.
• Four-post lifts: a cradle or bunks hung from cables between four pilings, driven by motors on top beams. Common on open water and for heavier boats.
• Two-post and davit setups: for smaller boats where a full four-post slip is more than needed.
• Personal watercraft lifts: small lifts or floating ports for jet skis and kayaks, often added beside a main lift.

Sizing the lift

Capacity has to cover the boat's wet weight: hull, engines, fuel, water, batteries and the gear that lives aboard, plus a margin. Manufacturer dry weights leave a lot of that out. We also check beam width against the bunk spacing, draft against the depth under the lift at low water, and the height of the top beams against the City of Sarasota's requirement that plans show the maximum height of the lifter beams.

The structure under the lift

A lift is only as strong as what it hangs on. Elevator lifts need a seawall and cap in good condition, because the load pulls on the wall face. Four-post lifts need pilings driven deep enough to resist both the weight and the side load from wind and waves. On many older docks the honest quote includes new lift pilings or seawall work before the lift itself.

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Roofs, canopies and permits

FDEP's dock guidance allows a roof over a lift as long as it extends no more than one foot beyond the footprint of the lift and the boat, and it counts roofs and boat canopies in a dock's over-water area. Slips may not be enclosed with walls. Inside the City of Sarasota, lift locations and electrical work are part of the dock permit drawings. Floating boat lifts have their own exemption under state law when they stay within a previously permitted slip or the size limits in the statute.

Replacing or repairing an older lift

Common problems are frayed or rusted cables, worn sheaves, motors that hum without lifting, corroded switches and cradles with broken bunks. Cables and switches are routine repairs. When the beams are pitted through or the motor and gearbox are both failing, replacing the lift is usually the better use of money, and that is a good time to step up capacity if you have bought a heavier boat.

Living with a lift

Rinse the cables and motor housings with fresh water, keep the motor covers on, and run the lift through its full travel every few weeks even if the boat is not used. Before a storm, follow the manufacturer's guidance for your lift and secure or remove canopies, since high water and wind can damage the boat and the lift at once.