Billfo Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 Do boat slips with the pneumatic lifts have a "locking mechanism" that will mechanically lock the boat lift in the UP position ? Email me Red-Right-Returning is for quitters !
Kayser Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 Depends on what you mean. The ones that I have seen on LOTO just have a valve that closes to keep the air in the tank, so the lift is still up, but it will still ride the wakes. If you are wanting it to stay at a set level next to the dock and not go up and down with the wakes, they might make one, but I don't think I've seen one. WARNING!! Comments to be interpreted at own risk. Time spent fishing is never wasted.
Billfo Posted July 8, 2010 Author Posted July 8, 2010 "go up and down with the wakes" I didnt think of that. Makes sense. Thanks Depends on what you mean. The ones that I have seen on LOTO just have a valve that closes to keep the air in the tank, so the lift is still up, but it will still ride the wakes. If you are wanting it to stay at a set level next to the dock and not go up and down with the wakes, they might make one, but I don't think I've seen one. Email me Red-Right-Returning is for quitters !
Kayser Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 Would also like to add that there IS a physical stop (not air operated) on the lift to keep it from going above a certain point. AKA- they will go up so far, catch on the stop, and not go up any higher in relation to the dock, no matter how much air you can pump into it. And the control boxes usually consist of an On/Off switch for the air pump, and a selection lever (valve) that can select either Raise/Lower or Hold. Raise/Lower opens the valve, and you can either turn on the pump to raise the lift, or just open the valve to let the air out and lower the boat and lift. Turning the lever to "Hold" closes the valve to the tank and keeps that amount of air in it, holding the lift at that height in the water. Whether it's up, down, or somewhere in between. And then you an put a lock on the control box to make sure nobody messes with it. Hope this helps, Rob WARNING!! Comments to be interpreted at own risk. Time spent fishing is never wasted.
Billfo Posted July 9, 2010 Author Posted July 9, 2010 Thank you very much for the informative reply. That lock... That will lock the lift in the UP position EVEN IF there is a loss of pressure ? IF our plans materialize, I will keep my boat in the slip for 4 weeks at a time- them fish with it 1-2 weeks. ( nice schedule huh !) Thats why all the questions.. NO experince with boat lifts. I am concerned about the lift loosing presure & lowering the boat back into the water while I am in Nebraska ! Would also like to add that there IS a physical stop (not air operated) on the lift to keep it from going above a certain point. AKA- they will go up so far, catch on the stop, and not go up any higher in relation to the dock, no matter how much air you can pump into it. And the control boxes usually consist of an On/Off switch for the air pump, and a selection lever (valve) that can select either Raise/Lower or Hold. Raise/Lower opens the valve, and you can either turn on the pump to raise the lift, or just open the valve to let the air out and lower the boat and lift. Turning the lever to "Hold" closes the valve to the tank and keeps that amount of air in it, holding the lift at that height in the water. Whether it's up, down, or somewhere in between. And then you an put a lock on the control box to make sure nobody messes with it. Hope this helps, Rob Email me Red-Right-Returning is for quitters !
Kayser Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 There is a second fail-safe valve on the hose that leads to the tank(s) that can be closed for long term storage, just in case the Hold option doesn't "hold" like it should. It traps all of the air in the tank(s), and since it can only go out through the fill hoses or the bottom (when filling), the two valve system works pretty well. Small chance that you might get wet when trying to close this valve, due to it's positioning... This is what most people do at Lake of the Ozarks when they cover their boat up for the season. I really haven't seen any lifts lose pressure and sink down, and I've been down in March, when people have been gone for a few months, after some ice storms and big thunderstorms. So they hold a few months without problems, I don't think a few weeks would be too much trouble for one. Rob WARNING!! Comments to be interpreted at own risk. Time spent fishing is never wasted.
flytyer57 Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 There is a second fail-safe valve on the hose that leads to the tank(s) that can be closed for long term storage, just in case the Hold option doesn't "hold" like it should. It traps all of the air in the tank(s), and since it can only go out through the fill hoses or the bottom (when filling), the two valve system works pretty well. Small chance that you might get wet when trying to close this valve, due to it's positioning... This is what most people do at Lake of the Ozarks when they cover their boat up for the season. I really haven't seen any lifts lose pressure and sink down, and I've been down in March, when people have been gone for a few months, after some ice storms and big thunderstorms. So they hold a few months without problems, I don't think a few weeks would be too much trouble for one. Rob BP also had a "fail safe" valve. I would make sure the boat is tied off in case it does fail and lower the boat into the water so it don't float down to the dam before you get back. There's a fine line between fishing and sitting there looking stupid.
Kayser Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 BP could have stopped it, they just chose not to because it was still profitable. But this isn't the place for that. Yes, you definitely still want to tie your boat off. While I have never seen the valves fail, people do tend to forget to put the lift on "Hold," and the lift will sink back down and the boat will be in the water. Rob WARNING!! Comments to be interpreted at own risk. Time spent fishing is never wasted.
rps Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 Some lift owners here have a locking device that serves two purposes. It prevents the lift from descending even if someone operates the levers discussed above. They have welded rings to the angle iron from which the supports are built and they chain the lift up with a padlock closure. I haven't done this, but I live on the bluff that looks down at the marina. Then again we have one boat owner (high level Lund) who visits twice a year and his boat is in the water, no lift, all year.
flytyer57 Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 BP could have stopped it, they just chose not to because it was still profitable. But this isn't the place for that. Yes, you definitely still want to tie your boat off. While I have never seen the valves fail, people do tend to forget to put the lift on "Hold," and the lift will sink back down and the boat will be in the water. Rob I never mentioned anything about whether or not BP chose to stop it. In your post about valves, you said; "There is a second fail-safe valve ..." so I used BP as an example of how "fail safe" valves can be. There's a fine line between fishing and sitting there looking stupid.
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