Knowledge about boat lifts is probably reserved for those who actually possess a boat. They used to be known as davits, and the common image which comes to mind when hearing the term is that of a large ocean liner. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Before the seventies, a davit system was used in order to lift boats; either that or a pair of davits that consisted of a front and a rear system of cables. These were linked to the holes on a boat while the davits’ arms were usually tied to a pier.

It took nothing more than turning a winch, and some cables, which were attached to the boat and the davits, completed the task of lifting the boat from the water. Although davits are still used, most people nowadays prefer using boat lifts. The difference is that boat lifts offer support for the boat, which comes to underneath, unlike davits that use cables which can put a lot of pressure on the rib system of a smaller, less solid boat.

In the eighties, however, a new design swept the nation, and the whole world, for that matter. Boat lifts became more and more popular, and galvanized steel used for davits was soon replaced by aluminum. It does cost more, that’s true, but rust is completely out of the question, and since it’s resistant to corrosion, a neat appearance lasts longer.

Dinghy lifts can be ready within a matter of weeks, and are very strong while providing safety for you and your family. They have the great advantage of being usable by nearly anyone on the boat – it’s not a complicated system at all, and everything takes place in as little as 15 seconds. Amazingly enough, dinghy lifts don’t weigh much – somewhere around forty, fifty pounds, but they can lift much more than that – even up to 450 pounds, and they’re always easy to keep under control.

Also, dinghy lifts cost quite a lot less than other versions of lifts, and can be installed both at port or starboard, while making every single boat trip a lot safer for everyone joining in. They extend your boat’s length by very little – 12 to 18 inches to be precise, so mooring is in no way a problem. Needless to say, they’re stain resistant to the fullest, since they’re usually made of marine grade stainless. Installing dinghy lifts isn’t complicated: you can install one yourself, since it arrives with all the necessary instructions. And this is a great way to reduce the costs by hundreds of dollars.