Leaving boat lift in during winter/permanent docks

[jjj8882]

I just had permanent dock installed in the winter and love it. I am on Minocqua chain on the north/west side of my lake. Wind
does not seem to blow towards me, but always away. I am thinking about leaving boat lift in over winter. Any one have
experience with this? Should I drill pilings around the corner of lift?? I know it is risky, but am I total fool for doing this??
It is used lift I got for $1500. Can the lift and dock be insured? Dock dealer will replace my dock one time if ice does crush it.

 

[Rupp Collector]

I'm going to guess the boat lift is aluminum and the tubing will be full of water which will freezer to the point of expanding the tubing and destroying the lift. The only one I have experience with is full of water when we pull it in the fall.

 

[whitedust]

It's not the freezing water is is the ice flows & movement that destroys piers & lifts during iceout. This year the wind took the ice east to west never seen that before but it is wind subject to change. In Phelps everything comes out for me. I had 2 boat lifts in all year for at least 10 years in Elkhorn,WI with full canopy tops but had southern exposure & a little protected bay. Both piers came out & I did sweat ice flows on 1 of the lifts but lucky it was in 18" of muck. If on a hard bottom or sand bottom flows will move the lift get it out & pier too.

 

[jjj8882]

The lift is aluminum and I can get one set of wheels to put on in the middle...used for $250....should I do the wheels instead to make it easier to move?

 

[skidoolouie]

heck just leave lift in water with the boat on it and before ice out use bubbler for day or 2. this what goes on in sisters lakes mi.

 

[whitedust]

The lift is aluminum and I can get one set of wheels to put on in the middle...used for $250....should I do the wheels instead to make it easier to move?

Wheels are up to you & your grade to water the water. 5 guys lift my Floe with electric drive & canopy top walk it 100 feet in & out.

 

[cooksend]

Pull the lift! You have $5,000 worth of aluminum sitting in the lake in the hopes that the wind doesn't blow an ice slab your way and destroy it. I would put two sets of wheel kits on it and you can then move it around very easy with out having to balance it on one set of wheels. You can get a brand new wheel kits for about $300.

 

[jjj8882]

My permanent dock is now in, it looks great! I used home depot treated lumber and like the nice white look to it. question: Anyone suggest a wood
protector or stain that will keep the wood looking clear and not gray on me too soon??? I have had good experience with wolmans products in the past.

 

[ezra]

the lake around my house has like 5 dock guys with barges/work platforms with backhoes on them $100in $100out takes these guys like 12 min or less to pull a lift and set it on the shore and move to the neighbors. I think they do better on lifts than shore line landscaping .well this yr no shoreline work going on every ones shore is under water.

 

[ezra]

few guys around me have the old railroad tracks that go in to the lake with a cart u drive the boat on hook the winch and it pulls cart/boat up on to shore usually in to boat house thing.
some big wide body boats we are talking like 10 and 12 meter . sweet set ups and they all freeze the tracks in think it would take some serious ice sheets and wind to bend railroad track.