Buying first boat lift. What Guide-ons?????

I plan to order a 3009 Shoremaster boat lift with canopy soon. I never used one before. What guides-ons do you recommend and why? Boat – Alumacraft Classic 165CS w/ 60HP Merc. The two choices are:

– The 4 vertical roller – PCV guides.

– The full length “bunk-like” guides. I was told these are a little easier than the roller style to drive your boat in on wind days. A different dealer told me these can damage the boat, scratching the paint. He recommends the rollers.

Again I never used one. I drove my snowmobile around the lake. There are a lot of lifts. All but 2 had the bunk style guides. Your insights will help.

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How big is your lake, what side are you on?

How will the lift be orientated on the dock?

Don’t want to make it seem like it’s too complicated but angles are important when the water is rolling.

will be watching this one as i have a similar boat and will be wanting to get one of these in the next few years

My lift has guides like the PVC guides you show, but mine are foam over a flexible bar. We have a bigger Four Winns in ours, and on windy days they are not stout enough to keep the boat centered. The neighbor has a Ranger about the same size and has the full length guides, seems to be much more stable when loading in wind.

My recommendation would be the full length guides.

Deuces wrote:

How big is your lake, what side are you on?

How will the lift be orientated on the dock?

Don’t want to make it seem like it’s too complicated but angles are important when the water is rolling.

Northwest shore of a small lake, 1 1/2 miles across. Dock and lift perpendicular to shore. You can see far shore in right side of picture. AND my 96 year old Dad. I added another 10′ section of dock since picture was taken. Now 3 – 10′ sections + 8′ ramp. My new boat and the last 50 years boat.

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I have a 1675 impact, floe lift, no guides at all. 900 Acre lake, dock faces due north, if its a west wind it can get tricky, but I find I really don’t need anything. 5 years no troubles.

I’d vote full length guides. You’re in a pretty sweet spot as far as convenience goes. Those type guides don’t do well and can scratch when you need to come from down wind a bit and turn into the ramp using the guide as a pivot point, but being your size lake and location on it I wouldnt worry about that much at all.
I’d opt out for the convenience that the guides offer in slipping right in and allowing either yourself or passenger to reach over to grab and position for the hoist up.

“A different dealer told me these can damage the boat, scratching the paint. He recommends the rollers.”

Dealer is right the full length guides will scratch the paint. My buddy on our lake has the full length guides and his new Alumacraft has scratched paint. I have the 4 vertical PVC guides on my lift and not one scratch after a full summer of use.

The key to getting back on the lift in a cross wind is when backing off the lift only lower the lift until the boat starts to float than power the boat off the lift with the big engine. When loading the bunks will catch the boat and prevent it from hitting hard against the guides.

What mmitties said.

The key to getting back on the lift in a cross wind is when backing off the lift only lower the lift until the boat starts to float than power the boat off the lift with the big engine. When loading the bunks will catch the boat and prevent it from hitting hard against the guides.

A further enhancement is to have a remote control with an electric lift motor. Lower and glide out. Once out of this lift use your remote to bring up the lift carriage about 4-5 inches. When you come back in our boat will glide onto the lift but not too far. If you need to lower it a bit to get fully on use the remote and move forward.

We have been using an electric lift motor with a remote control for over 10 years. My daughter, son-in-law, son and wife can get the boat off and on smoothly. Even in rough water, because the boat goes onto the lift and is stable immediately and you can “fiddle” a bit to get it on exactly as you like if needed.

Another improvement when using a lift is to add a small triangular piece of dock to your main dock that you place where the bow sits on the lift. Everyone can board and get out of the bow area without have to crawl over gunnels or lift support braces from the side of the boat. Hopefully your Dad still goes out with you. This piece would help him immensely.