Hurricane Boat Lift Inspection & Replacement Parts Guide
After a hurricane, your boat lift may need more than a quick visual check. Use this guide to identify the components to inspect, recognize potential damage, and find replacement parts for your boat lift.
Whether you own a pontoon lift, a boathouse cradle lift, or a boathouse sling lift, Boat Lift Distributors can help you find compatible replacement components for a variety of lift brands.
Inspect Before Operating Your Lift
Hurricanes can cause structural damage, shift lift supports, damage cables, and affect electrical components. Some damage may not be immediately visible.
- Do not operate a lift with suspected structural damage, frayed or displaced cables, unstable supports, or damaged lifting components.
- Keep people clear of the lift and suspended loads.
- Have structural, electrical, or load-bearing damage evaluated by a qualified professional before operating the lift again.
- Never work beneath a suspended boat or lift.
This guide is for preliminary visual inspection only. It does not replace a professional inspection or the manufacturer’s service instructions.
Choose Your Boat Lift Type
Pontoon Boat Lifts
Inspect cradles, chocks, cables, pulleys, and drive components.
Boathouse Cradle Lifts
Inspect cradle beams, bunks, cables, sheaves, and supports.
Boathouse Sling Lifts
Inspect slings, straps, cable connections, and drive components.
Pontoon Boat Lift Inspection Checklist
High winds, storm surge, floating debris, and shifting dock structures can damage lift components or move them out of alignment. Before using your lift again, have the system inspected and look for the following warning signs.
- Lift frame and support structure
- Look for bent members, cracked welds, shifted supports, loose connections, or visible movement.
- Cables and cable attachments
- Look for fraying, kinks, broken wires, corrosion, loose attachments, or cables out of position.
- Pulleys and blocks
- Check for cracks, deformation, seized pulleys, damages mounts, or cables that have jumped the pulley.
- Cradle beams and pontoon chocks
- Look for bent beams, damaged brackets, loose hardware, or displaced chocks.
- Winch, motor and gearbox
- Check for impact damage, water intrusion, damaged wiring, unusual noises, or signs of binding.
- Electrical components and controls
- Look for water exposure, damaged wiring, loose connections, and damaged switches or GFCI components.
Pontoon Lift Replacement Parts
If a component is damaged, use these links to explore available replacement parts. Match the part to your existing lift’s specifications before ordering.
Replacement cables, clamps, thimbles, cable weights and winders.
Shop Cables & Accessories
Shop Cable Hardware
Shop Winders & Weights
Replacement pulleys, blocks and pulley mounting components.
Shop Pulleys and Blocks
Replacement cradle assemblies, beams and pontoon support components.
Shop Pontoon Cradles
Shop Cradle Beams
Shop Pontoon Chocks
Replacement drive systems, motors, gears and compatible components.
Shop Motor & Gears
Cradle Lift Inspection Checklist
Boathouse cradle lifts support the boat on rigid beams and bunks. After a storm, inspect both the lifting system and the structure supporting it. Damage to the boathouse itself can affect the lift even if individual components appear intact.
- Boathouse beams and mounting points
- Look for shifted connections, bent members, cracked welds, loose fasteners, or structural damage.
- Cradle beams and end plates
- Check for bending, twisting, cracks, damaged end plates, or displaced pulley assemblies.
- Lift cables and attachment points
- Look for fraying, kinks, corrosion, broken strands, or damaged cable connections.
- Pulleys and sheaves
- Inspect for deformation, seized rotation, damaged mounting hardware, or cable misalignment.
- Bunks and brackets
- Check for split or displaced bunks, bent brackets, missing fasteners, or uneven support.
- Drive unit, motor and gearbox
- Look for impact damage, water exposure, electrical issues, or damaged drive components.
- Pipe supports and hardware
- Inspect visible supports, connections, bolts, and other load-bearing attachment points.
Boathouse Cradle Lift Replacement Parts
If a component is damaged, use these links to explore available replacement parts. Match the part to your existing lift’s specifications before ordering.
Replace damaged cradles components only after confirming the required dimensions, material and configuration.
Shop Cradle Beams
Find replacement boat supports and mounting hardware compatible with your cradle.
Shop Boat Lift Cradles
Shop Cradle Bunks
Explore replacement cables, sheaves, pulley blocks, clamps and attachment components.
Shop Cables & Accessories
Shop Cable Hardware
Shop Pulleys & Blocks
Find replacement drive components and electrical accessories for compatible systems.
Shop Motors & Gears
Sling Lift Inspection Checklist
Sling lifts use fabric slings and associated lifting components to support a boat. Storm debris, abrasion, shifting structures, and uneven loading may damage the sling assembly or the components that support it.
- Sling fabric and webbing
- Look for tears, cuts, fraying, abrasion, exposed safety-core material, or unusual stretching.
- Sling seams and attachment points
- Inspect visible stitching, tabs, rings and connection areas for damage or separation.
- Cables and sling connections
- Check for damaged cables, corrosion, bent fittings, displaced connections, or broken strands.
- Pulleys and blocks
- Look for cracked or seized pulleys, damaged mounts, and cables running out of alignment.
- Overhead beams and supports
- Check for visible movement, bending, cracked welds, damaged mounting points, or loose hardware.
- Winch, motor and drive system
- Look for impact damage, water intrusion, electrical damage, and unusual wear.
- Sling position and alignment
- Look for displacement, twisting, or signs that the sling may no longer support the boat evenly.
Important: Do not reuse a sling with suspected storm damage until it has been evaluated. Hidden damage to webbing, stitching, or attachment points may compromise its ability to support a boat.
Boathouse Sling Lift Replacement Parts
If a component is damaged, use these links to explore available replacement parts. Match the part to your existing lift’s specifications before ordering.
Compare sling width, length, capacity and attachment configuration with your existing system.
Shop Replacement Slings
Find compatible cables, clamps, thimbles and other connection components.
Shop Cables & Accessories
Shop Rigging Hardware
Explore replacement block pulleys, slide-on pulleys, aluminum pulleys, and compatible mounting hardware.
Shop Pulleys & Blocks
Find replacement drive components and electrical accessories for compatible systems.
Shop Motors & Gears
Shop Replacement Parts by Category
Know what you already need to replace? Browse our selection of frequently replaced boat lift parts after a hurricane. Don’t see what you need? Check out our full list of boat lift replacement parts or give one of our knowledgeable team members a call at 800-657-9998.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Boat Lift Distributors carries replacement parts and components for a variety of boat lift systems and manufacturers. Compatibility depends on the specific part and your existing lift configuration. Contact our team if you need help identifying a suitable replacement.
Start with the visible structural supports and connections, cables, pulleys, cradle or sling components, winch, motor and electrical system. Look for bending, shifting, corrosion, fraying, broken strands, water intrusion and other signs of damage. Have suspected structural or load-bearing damage evaluated before operating the lift.
Not every lift necessarily requires cable replacement after a storm. However, damaged, kinked, frayed, displaced or corroded cables should not be used. A qualified professional should evaluate questionable lifting components and determine what needs to be replaced before the lift is operated.
Identify your lift’s manufacturer, model, capacity, cable diameter, pulley dimensions, material and cable-routing configuration. These specifications can vary between systems, so don’t assume a visually similar component is compatible.
Boat lift slings are available in different widths, lengths, capacities and attachment configurations. Choose a compatible replacement for your specific lift and boat. Do not continue using a sling with suspected damage to its fabric, stitching or attachment points.
Contact Boat Lift Distributors with the lift brand and model, available measurements, existing part numbers and photos taken from a safe location. Our team can help you determine what additional information is needed to identify the correct component.
Do not operate the lift to test it if you suspect storm damage to the structure, cables, supports, electrical components or other load-bearing parts. Have the lift evaluated and cleared for operation before testing it.
Get Your Boat Ready For The Water Again
Don’t guess when it comes to replacement parts. Boat Lift Distributors can help you navigate the available components and identify the information needed to find a compatible replacement for your boat lift.
Call 800-657-9998 for assistance identifying replacement parts.