Hobie on a boat lift? Looking for feedback and comments.

Looking for advice and information regarding storing my Hobie 18 on a boat lift. I've pulled it up onto the beach using beach wheels for a few years. The H18 isn't the lightest, and i'm getting sick of busting my a** to get it up onto the grass where I can tie it down. I am on a inland MN lake and have a dock.

Can anybody please provide their opinions on this boat lift idea? I've shied away from it because I was concerned about the boat being more prone to being lifted and flipped, but with the appropriate tie downs this could probably be avoided.

Thanks!

If it can ride in the water you can use my idea of floating dock for the hobie I used four black plastic dock floats with a 2"X6" frame I pull the boat up with a winch floats are real slick and the boat just slides back into the water

A friend uses a jet ski lift attached to his dock I think they sell them at Overtons they use a wheel and cables to raise and lower boat
He just added extensions to the support bars
These are usually attached to a pier piling
They work great
Check the MAX wt. rating
Gary

I like the float idea. Could you possibly post a pic or two of your design?

How do you secure it in place? The location where I would have it floating is only 1-2 ft.

Do you have rollers for the boat to roll up on?

Thanks in advance.

I kept my Hobie 16 on a lift for one summer. I won't ever do it again. Keeping it tied down wasn't an issue... just used the same tie downs I did for keeping it on the trailer. Depending on where the wind was coming from tying it to the dock after getting it into the water and getting the sails up wasn't the easiest. It worked, so if you think it will work for you go right ahead. But for me anyways, the beach proved to be a far superior location for boat storage.

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Ben Wells - Hobie 16

A free floating platform would be sweet. It would probably weather vane itself if it were only tied down at one point. That would make raising the sail easier.

What lake are you on?

Are you making it down to lake city for the regatta June 6-7th?

Not looking for anything free, just a pic of the design. I'm happy to build it myself.

I was thinking of doing 4 tie downs with the earth anchors that you screw into the ground. I use those on the lawn, and it seems to work great. I have plenty of beech, so getting her into the wind for raising the sail isn't too much of a deal. (Last year I handed my wife a pair of binoculars and had her keep an eye on the hook...that was an ordeal and probably not within the scope of this thread... )

Letting it weather vane scares me. I see this all the time with moored sailboats on our lake, but a strong storm will pull out one tie down quite fast.

Boat is on Ottertail Lake, MN.

Karl, my job has me working most weekends, so that's why I can't ever make your regattas. Plus, I just don't trailer that much. Thanks for the invite though!

Multiple anchors, attaching towards the front?

Ottertail is a hike from Lake City, so I understand. Ottertail looks like a good sailing lake from Google Earth though, if I'm looking at the right one. 8 miles long, 2 miles wide.

What about an electric winch to haul it up on the grass? On problem with rigging above the water is dropping pins, shackles, ring-dings, etc. into the drink.

If you're thinking of hauling the boat up on a lift like ones used for motor boats then it can be done just using dock pilings and carpeted 2 x 4s, and maybe a sheet of plywood to keep stuff from falling in the water.

I will take pictures of both kinds of boat lifts when I get my camera back from my daughter who jacked it for her vacation

I even have a real lift for my Hydra Sport 24 CC that would work great for a hobie it would be over kill but it would work pricey ar $4000.

Please E mail me if you have any questions on the build of the Hobie Poly Float idea The wood frame just holds the poly floats in place The entire boat rests on the poly floats which is very slick and also gives a lot of contact area for low pressure loading on the hulls. The boat rides on this year around.
anyway pictures coming soon
Gary

I have a mooring in Mission Bay, San Diego and would like to create a float for a Hobie 21 SC that I might get. Is there any way I can see your photos please?

Thank you

Steve

I've had my 16 on a lift before. It works out fine if the water isn't rough.

Forget trying to get the boat on and off the lift if there are large waves. Floating it off the lift and taking it into the shallows to raise the main and jib worked the best.

I read it again, you've got a beach.

If you can get a used lift for the right price, I think the lift would work ok. You can keep the boat on the lift and float it off and walk it into the shallows to get the sails up. I think if you time it right you won't get run over by your cat trying to get it on and off the lift.

I keep my Getaway on a modified pontoon boat lift at my dock. Just lower, pull it off and go to the beach and point it in to the wind. Hi Tempo in White Bear Lake made it for me. There was NO WAY I could pull that thing up the beach by myself. I am very happy with it.

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+++amamama

Here is a picture of Patrick Farmers in Florida. He keeps it rigged on a floating dock at GPS coordinates 30.098138,-81.633072, if you zoom in all the way on Google Maps you can see her from space.



I wish I could keep it rigged and on the water.

If you are still looking on help with getting your hobie on to the shore. Here is how we worked out the problem on lake Poinsett , South Dakota. We used pcp pipe laying on the shore and then draged the boat up the shore with little energy needed. we were moving Waves which are a lot smaller put the same principal. this year I had to put Wave on a lift. Our water came up a long way and we didn't have a beach anylonger. Even with the lift I would let it down and walk it over to the little shore we have and put up the sails etc. I didn't want the sails to get caught on the posts of the lift. Hope you had a great sailing year. Any time you want to come down to Lake Poinsett with your boat we have a small regetta first of June.