It may seem like a strange notion to think that water is bad for boats. However, sitting in stagnant water like that found around a dock truly is hard on a boat’s hull. Boats and other watercraft like jet skis develop an algae coating on any surface below the waterline when left to sit for long periods of time. Algae buildup causes many performance problems, and can eat away at the fiberglass composition of many boats and PWCs. Sitting in the water at dock can damage boats, and especially PWCs, when waves from passing crafts hit them and push them into the pilings, too.
In spite of the potential problems, nothing is better than having a PWC or boat readily available at a dock. Whether the dock is at a home or a marina, having the ability to jump in and go rather than sit in lines waiting to back down a slippery ramp and deal with all of the headaches of launching and retrieving is fantastic. Keeping a boat in a slip means it is going to be spending a lot of time just sitting in the water, though. A much better option is to hoist up a boat or PWC on a lift.
Boat lifts give boaters instant access to their water toys at all times, while keeping them up and out of the water when not in use. There are manual lifts for areas where no power is available, drive on lifts that let you pull right on to a floating dock with a PWC or small boat, and swivel lifts that can get your personal water craft out of the water and over land for easy access, repair and safety.
By far, the most common lifts have electronic switches that power motorized lift bunks to hoist even heavy cruisers out of the water. Boat lifts range in capacity from 1000 to 16000 pounds, and PWC lifts are available up to 1500 pounds for a dual lift that can handle two PWCs at time. Boat lifts can be used in slips, alongside docks, at temporary docks, alongside pilings or floating docks. They are easy to install and affordable to obtain.