Boat lift advice for 242

[Pointblank]

Has anyone installed an overhead boat lift for their 242 or similar? We're finishing our boathouse build and trying to determine the best setup.

For the motor, we're looking at an 8500lb 1.5hp single pull which could be expanded to 12000lb with a double pulley if we ever needed it (unlikely). For the lift, the builder recommends straps instead of a lifting cradle. I've seen reports of straps compressing the hull over time. However, I'm equally concerned about the cradle getting tossed around by the semi-rough wave conditions and that it'd be trickier to dock if not inflict more damage.

Other than a GEM remote, does anyone have any other tips or advice they could share before we lock down the design?

Thanks!

 

[Kelso]

We are in the quote stages of retrofitting our lift at our lake house. The lift in the past had suspended a small jon boat sized fiberglass boat, I'd guess 1000-1200 pounds. So our quote includes going to double cable and pulleys for the heavier boat.

All the specifics of our retrofit aside, the installer did recommend a cradle due to the straps inward push on the hull, but me having grown up on Galveston Bay all we ever had was straps, and so I'll go that route. He did say that it could flex enough that my windshield center section may not close while on the lift. Oh well.


I'm interested to hear others input.

 

[GTBRMC]

I know next to nothing about this type of boat lift, but...

If you use a spreader bar setup, you can minimize compressive stresses on your hull. Example (except with straps below the hull instead of the structure below the hull):

 

[captainhook]

I can't make any recommendations on the lift but I can share my experience with a cradle having grown up with a boat on Lake St. Clair which can certainly get pretty rough. We always had a cradle as did nearly all of the neighbors. What my father did was lower the cradle into the water completely and we had PVC guides on the sides like many have on trailers. In addition, my father (an engineer, of course) installed a strap at the front of the lift made out of seat belt that ran from one side of the lift to the other. We had some pretty decent sized cabin cruisers over the years that are much larger and heavier than a 242 and had no issues. The boat rested on the strap only while the boat was in the water and helped to hold the boat in place. As rough as the water was I don't remember worrying about the cradle damaging the boat at all.

 

[Geiger41]

You could always go with the v-lift. It can hold up to 11k lbs