This travel lift can pick up a boat and take it right out of the water. People work on their boats after they are set on a parking lot. It allows access to all parts of the boat when it is sitting up high and dry.
Here the belts are being lowered into the water and slipped under the boat’s hull. You can see the front belt resting in the water, waiting for the sailboat to float over it.
Now the belts are snugged up, making a cradle to lift the boat out of the water. The travel lift, basically a frame on wheels, rolls along over the water, bringing the boat closer to the parking lot.
As it gets quite close to dry land, the operator of the travel lift must make sure that the boat is sitting securely in the cradle and that it has been lifted high enough so the keel clears the level of the pavement.
The lift operator is standing front of the boat in the photo below, using a remote control gadget to lift or move the boat and the “frame on wheels.” You may notice that there are two belts lying on the pavement. These are spares that are not necessary for a small sailboat. Two belts will be enough to lift it. But when it is time to lift a heavier boat such as the Captain’s troller (which weighs over twice as much as this sailboat), the extra straps will be needed to lift it.
A week earlier, the Captain had his commercial troller lifted out and put on the parking lot so he could work on the hull of the boat. Now it is time to lift it up and carry it back to the water.
How powerful must that travel lift be to raise up a 39-ft. troller and roll it across the parking lot back to the water. Notice the extra straps, front and back.
Let’s hope the operator gets the wheels of that lift aligned with the pathways for it on either side of the water. You wouldn’t want to miss. I see floating containment “booms” to keep something scungy away from the boats and the shore. Not sure what that is all about. Probably to catch any oil or fuel that might leak from a boat that is in need of repair.
July 7, 2021 at 11:57 am
This is so interesting since I grew up with boats! The trawler is a very big boat. 😎
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July 7, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Yes, it is, but this is a “troller” which is a different thing. A trawler drags gear on the ocean floor; a troller does a hook and line fishery, catching one fish per hook, and it doesn’t disturb the ocean floor. (BTW, John, I can’t get onto your blog to comment unless I do some weird stuff with double security and JetPack which I don’t understand. I can click Like, but I can’t comment unless I figure out how to sign in and so far, no luck.)
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July 7, 2021 at 3:38 pm
Thanks. And oh boy, I thought I took care of this. Sorry, I’ll have another look.
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July 7, 2021 at 3:42 pm
Hi Anneli, can you please try again, I’ve changed one setting that should fix this – I hope. That’s what get for messing with settings!
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July 7, 2021 at 8:46 pm
In your post about Approaching 6000 Posts, it still tells me I have to “Log in to Reply” or “Log in to Comment.” I can click Like, but that’s all it lets me do. Sorry.
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July 7, 2021 at 8:50 pm
Gotcha, please try again, I hope that was the last uncheck,…
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July 7, 2021 at 12:08 pm
We had our boat lifted into the ocean last month..it worked well.
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July 7, 2021 at 3:25 pm
It’s so much better than having it hauled up at high tide with a winch and an underwater railway track, so you can only work on it at low tide.
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July 7, 2021 at 12:28 pm
That is clever. Must be pretty powerful to lift the boats.
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July 7, 2021 at 3:26 pm
Hydraulics, I guess. Very powerful stuff.
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July 7, 2021 at 1:04 pm
Very interesting and informative post on boat lifting, Anneli. My brother-in-law has a small lift for just his little speedboat, so it was great to see these photos pointing out what the bigger boats go through. Ahoy!
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July 7, 2021 at 3:26 pm
It’s a huge responsibility for the guy who is in charge of the remote control.
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July 7, 2021 at 1:56 pm
Very interesting, Anneli. When I was younger, I always thought it would be fun to have a boat. But then I grew up and realized having a friend with a boat was much better! 🙂
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July 7, 2021 at 3:33 pm
You’re right. A friend who will pay those neverending bills. Also, the romance goes out of boating if you get seasick (which I do).
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July 7, 2021 at 3:42 pm
LOL! Oh no!
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July 7, 2021 at 7:29 pm
Interesting device and amazing skill its operators have.
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July 7, 2021 at 8:36 pm
A lot of responsibility. Dropping a boat could be expensive.
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July 7, 2021 at 8:57 pm
In my past there was a sail boat; I remember these lift cradles well. Great photos of the process.
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July 7, 2021 at 8:59 pm
Money, money, money! Every year. Our boat came with a little plaque that said, “A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which one pours money.”
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July 7, 2021 at 9:09 pm
Haha. That’s definitely true! 🙂
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July 8, 2021 at 12:11 am
Interesting to see this. I wonder how they did it before there where lift´s.
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July 8, 2021 at 7:35 am
I remember watching the Captain drive the boat to a spot next to the wharfhead at high tide and tying loosely to the pilings on the wharf. Then when the tide went out, the boat would settle on the big beams that were already in place and you could work on the hull until the tide came in again. If you weren’t finished, you’d have to wait for another low tide before you could do the rest of the work and then at high tide you could untie the ropes from the wharf and float back out into deeper water. There are two places like that here at the wharf – one for fish boats and one for the shiny sailboats.
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July 8, 2021 at 2:43 am
We know this too as we are living at coast. Great documentation of the process of lifting.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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July 8, 2021 at 7:36 am
It is much nicer to have the boat lifted right out than to have to work only at low tide while it sits on a grid next to the wharf.
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July 8, 2021 at 9:06 am
We absolutely agree
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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July 8, 2021 at 11:44 am
I learned a lot from his post, Anneli, and I learn a lot from your books too. Your knowledge adds wonderful authenticity to your reads. Enjoy the water. Happy Summer on the water.
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July 8, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Thanks, Diana. Having been on these trips up and down the coast and having the Captain check my terminology helps a lot in writing those books.
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July 8, 2021 at 12:24 pm
🙂
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July 9, 2021 at 9:21 am
Fascinating!
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July 9, 2021 at 9:55 am
I like it when technology has a practical use.
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July 10, 2021 at 4:23 am
Definitely!
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July 9, 2021 at 12:59 pm
HUman ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for sharing!
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July 9, 2021 at 8:24 pm
It’s great when it works for us, isn’t it?!
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July 12, 2021 at 9:06 am
It reminds me of the process of lifting immobile, heavy people in hospital and care homes. Lovely photos, Anneli!
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July 12, 2021 at 9:14 am
Same idea, I guess!
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August 16, 2021 at 2:20 pm
What is it like to lift a boat? How much training do you need?
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August 16, 2021 at 3:16 pm
I think it comes with on-the-job training but for many years, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. I’m not sure if there are actual courses in how to do it. Something I should find out!
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