Let's say you've finally reached that point in your boating life where you're ready to become the proud owner of - ta-da! - a marina slip. (Okay, technically, you're more likely to be the proud lessee of a marina slip, but let's not get bogged down just yet.) No more trailering, no more long queues at the launch ramp. Easy street, baby! There's one thing, though - if your slip doesn't already have a boat lift installed, you're going to have to decide whether to install one yourself, or go with the old-school technique of letting the boat float. On the one hand, a lift is cool, and it keeps your boat up and out of the water, reducing algae and barnacle growth. On the other hand, boat lifts aren't cheap, and, didn't we leave boats moored in the water for a few thousand years without too much bad happening? What to do?
Let's start by agreeing that it's generally a good idea to keep your boat out of the water when you're not using it, if possible. If the boat's in the water at all times, that gives things like algae and barnacles the opportunity to attach to the hull and grow, compromising performance. If the boat's out of the water, it's not going to get hit by floating debris. And if the boat's out of the water, it's not going to get buffeted by wave action, so a line's not going to come loose and allow the boat to get hammered against the dock. For most of us, some sort of boat lift is a good investment.
Again, generally speaking,
there are two types of boat lifts: hoists that actually lift the boat up and out of the water, and
floating docks that you can drive or winch the boat up onto for dry docking. Each works as
advertised, although each also has certain traits that make it more appropriate for specific
uses.
The "traditional" boat lift seems like it's been around forever. There are two variations on this theme: one uses pontoons that are filled with air by a compressor to raise the boat, the other uses electrically powered winches to lift the boat. Because these lifts rely on the sturdiness of the dock as a platform (even the pontoon lifts attach to the dock), they're obviously not very useful if you're thinking of keeping your boat in the water at your lakehouse - and there's no standing dock already in place. (Of course, you can always build that standing dock. It's your call.)
The pontoon and electric winch lifts are quite useful, though, in a traditional marina setting. Whether your dock is fixed or floating, the pontoon or electric winch lift is mounted to the dock and operated by a dock-mounted switch. The mechanics are simple and straightforward in each case. The pontoons are connected to an air compressor, and by manipulating the pontoons' valves to add or reduce the amount of air in the tube, you're able to raise and lower the boat. Electric winches (generally) use steel cables attached to bunks. Pull the boat onto the bunks and flip the dock-mounted switch; electric motors raise and lower the boat on command.
The powered lift and lower capabilities of the pontoon and electric winch lifts make them a breeze to operate, and some manufacturers and dealers are even offering remote control units with the lifts so you can raise or lower the boat while inside the boat, instead of having to disembark. Disembarking is one of the drawbacks of the powered lifts. Another drawback is installation. Yes, you can install these lifts yourself, just like you can build your own house from the ground up. All you need is time, tools and training.
Truth is, a professional
installation is a smart play for a number of reasons. One, your local dealer will know the
idiosyncrasies of your lake - how much the water level can be expected to rise or fall, wave
intensity, etc. - and match you with the right lift for your needs. Two, if anything ever goes
wrong, the dealer should be able to fix it. Three, and this can't be said loudly enough, WARRANTY.
You break something during installation, it's yours to fix.
Drive-on docks, on the other hand, are almost perfectly designed for self-installation, and are especially good for beaches (like the one behind your lakehouse). Again, there are some variations, but for the most part, drive-on docks are collections of sealed polyurethane blocks that you fit together like a really easy jigsaw puzzle. They float atop the water, but are designed with a bit of a wedge shape so the dock is receptive when you drive up onto it.
Drive-on docks first caught on with the PWC crowd, and they're still about perfect for that use. But boaters with larger craft began to take note of the drive-on docks and asked for bigger configurations that could accommodate heftier vessels. As a result, there are now drive-on docks that come with winches and rollers, so you don't have to drive all the way up on the dock - just nose up enough to hook the bow cable and let the winch take it from there.
Although they're exceptional in shallow waters and beaches, drive-on docks also work with fixed structure docks. And according to the manufacturers, "most municipalities" don't consider these as "permanent structures" or additions to an existing dock, so you may not have to deal with installation permits. (Check it out first, though. Every marina and every municipality has its own rules, and it's your responsibility to know and operate within those rules.)
Another benefit of the drive-on
dock is its portability. Not so portable that you can pack it up and schlep it along every time you
go cruising the Intracoastal (although it would be cool to bring your own dock along, wouldn't
it?), but portable enough that if you move to a different marina or get a new lakehouse, it's not a
huge deal to take the drive-on dock to the new place. (The pontoon and electric winch docks are
pretty much in place forever.)
A final consideration, and a final plus for the drive-on docks, is maintenance. The drive-on docks require virtually none. Yes, algae and barnacles will grow on them, since they remain submerged, but that growth won't compromise the dock's performance in any way. With pontoon and electric winch docks, you'll have to perform at least minor maintenance - oiling, etc. It's not much maintenance, to be fair, but it's more than the drive-ons demand.
It would be nice to make a definitive argument for either a pontoon or electric winch lift versus a drive-on dock, but the truth is that every boater's circumstance is different, and there are no blanket solutions. However, it can be said with authority that if you keep your boat in the water for extended periods, you and your boat will be well served if you invest in and use a lift of some sort.