Preparing Your Boat Lift for a Hurricane

By heather | June 5, 2020

Get Your Boat & Boat Lift Ready for Hurricane Season

2020 Predicted to be a Record Breaking Hurricane Season

We are just two days into the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and Hurricane Cristobal is already churning in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the third Atlantic storm powerful enough to get a name this season; no other year on record has seen three named Atlantic storms so early. Don’t be caught of guard! Let Boat Lift Distributors help you prepare your boat lift in case the hurricane is headed your way. Performing these tasks will ensure you receive as little damage to your boat lift as possible!

PRE-STORM
  • Remove the boat from the lift & store in a safe place.
  • Raise the sling or cradles as high as you can & tie off to your structure.
    • Tying of makes it easier to retrieve later if your cables snaps, thus dropping the structure to the sea floor.
    • If tying off is not an option, you can sink the sling/ cradle below the water level.
  • Remove the boat lift motors, switches, covers & enclosed drives and store in a dry safe place.
    • If the gears go underwater saltwater will collect inside that sealed housing allowing the salt crystals to freeze up the gears.
    • Make sure you lower the cable down to the lowest point BEFORE removing the gear as the cable will free spool back down once the gear is removed.
  • Tighten all nuts & bolts on the lifts.
  • If the boat CANNOT be removed & your configuration is ABOVE Storm Surge Levels:
    • Raise the craft as high at you can
    • Tie the vessel snug to the lift.
    • Remove the boat plugs so water will drain out & not overload the structure.
  • If the boat CANNOT be removed & your configuration is BELOW Storm Surge Levels:
    • Raise as high as you can & secure to the lift.
    • Also, secure long ropes to anchor points, in case the surge lifts the boat off the lift, “potentially” this will help it stay somewhat close to your boat lift.
    • Removing the plugs is up to you, either way you look at it your boat will have a lot of water in it.
  • Contact Boat lift Distributors before the storm for possible post storm service.
POST STORM
  • Visually inspect the lift before operating again; make sure the structure is sound & square. If the lift has shifted the unit needs to be realigned for proper performance.
  • Double & triple check the cables to ensure there are no questionable areas. If you see issues do not operate the lift until new cables can be purchased & installed.
  • Inspect below & behind the boat lift for any debris & clear out accordingly.
  • If you have power after the storm, place the motors back onto the drive units, power up & inspect that everything operates properly & smoothly.
  • Assuming there is a loss of a power a generator can be used BUT, the generator needs to be properly grounded or the motor will burn up. Amps x voltage will tell you what watt generator is needed to successfully operate the lift.
  • If you do not have a generator try the BLD Over-ride Adapter. It attaches to the end of a cordless drill & can raise & lower the boat manually.
  • Inspect all the attaching hardware on the boat lift, if you see bent bolts replace before operating. Double check that the fasteners are tight & in good condition.
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