Marine construction
Boat Lift Installation & Repair on Lake Livingston
Installing and repairing boat lifts, and building the dock around them.
Keeping your boat out of the water
A boat lift raises the boat out of the water between trips. That helps keep the hull clean, keeps the boat from rubbing against the dock in wind and waves, and makes it easier to step aboard.
Onalaska Builders installs and repairs boat lifts with our own crews. Recent work includes a lift and its motor inside a lakeside boathouse, and a watercraft lift at the end of a pier. Because we also build docks and piers and boathouses, the lift and the structure it attaches to can be looked at together.
Boat lift work includes:
- Installing boat lifts
- Lifts for personal watercraft
- Repairs to lift hardware and motors
- Dock and boathouse framing work around a lift
Existing lifts
Signs your lift needs attention
- The motor strains, stalls or will not run
- The lift raises unevenly or slips
- Grinding, squealing or other new noises
- Frayed or rusted cables and worn hardware
- Loose, rotten or damaged framing where the lift is mounted
A lift that is not working right is worth fixing before it fails with a boat on it. Stop using it and tell us what you are seeing.
Lift types
Common kinds of boat lifts
Lifts come in several designs. Which one suits you depends on the boat, the water and the structure it will sit in or beside:
- Overhead or cable lifts hang from the framing of a boathouse or covered slip and raise the boat on cables. The roof structure has to be built to carry the load.
- Free-standing lifts rest on the lake bottom beside a dock and lift the boat on a cradle, so they rely more on the bottom than on the dock.
- Personal watercraft lifts are smaller units for jet skis and similar craft, often at the end of a pier or beside the main slip.
Before choosing a lift, it helps to know:
- Your boat. Its weight and dimensions decide what lift will handle it.
- The water. Depth at the slip and how the lake level changes.
- The structure. Whether your existing dock or boathouse can carry a lift, or needs work first.
- Power. Motorized lifts need a suitable power supply at the dock, and electrical work should be done by a licensed electrician.
If you are also planning a new dock or boathouse, it makes sense to design the slip and the lift at the same time.
Upkeep
Keeping a lift working
A little regular attention goes a long way on a lift that sits over the water all year:
- Look at the cables for fraying, kinks and rust, and have worn cables replaced before they fail.
- Watch the motor and gearbox. Keep covers in place, and pay attention to new noises or slower lifting.
- Check the mounting. Bolts work loose and wood framing can rot, especially where it stays damp.
- Raise the boat fully and use the lift as it was designed, without overloading it.
- Check after storms. High water and wind can knock things out of line.
Lake Livingston
Boat lifts around Lake Livingston
Structures on Lake Livingston's shoreline fall under the Trinity River Authority, which runs a permit process for property owners. Check what applies to your project before new work starts.
We work on boat lifts around the lake and within about 35 miles of Onalaska, including Livingston, Point Blank, Coldspring and Trinity. See our full service area.
More marine construction services
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Questions
Boat Lifts questions
Do you repair boat lifts?
Yes. Our crews work on lift hardware and motors, and on the dock or boathouse framing the lift is mounted to.
Do you install lifts for jet skis?
Yes. Our work includes a personal watercraft lift at the end of a pier.
Can my existing dock hold a boat lift?
It depends on the dock's structure and condition and on the lift and boat. We need to look at the dock, or good photos of it, to say.
Does a motorized lift need electrical work?
A motorized lift needs a suitable power supply at the dock. Electrical work should be done by a licensed electrician.
How do I get an estimate for boat lift work?
Call (806) 480-0328 or send the estimate form with the town or ZIP code. Tell us whether it is a new lift or a repair, what boat it is for and what the lift is doing, and include photos if you can.
Get started
Lift giving you trouble?
Tell us what is going on and where the dock is. Send the form or give us a call.