4300 Sovran Hydrolic Lift Question

[denis]

Looking to add a hydraulic lift to carry a 400lb tender on our 43 Sovran.

Anyone have any real world experience with Freedomlift or SeaLift?

Perhaps there may be other options we dont know about. We tried some manual davits and the tender was just way too heavy to be lifted by hand.

[jongott45]

I refer you to the Tiara Open forum titled "Best lift for my dingy".

[bwise]

I would recommend the LaConner Maritime Davit system. I have it on my Sovran 4300 with a 600 pound dinghy and motor and it works great. You can find them at http://www.laconnermaritime.com/HaD.html

Bob

[Chris Burkard]

400 lbs. is not too bad on a 4300 Sovran. Lifts such as the Freedom Lift are convenient, but they have two drawbacks. The first drawback is they have underwater equipment that is subject to corrosion. Any parts that are made of aluminum cannot be painted with traditional copper bottom paint. Copper reacts with the aluminum and can hasten galvanic corrosion. Aluminum requires special anti-fouling bottom paint. The second drawback is the lift places the tender further aft behind the swim platform. This has three drawbacks. First it effectively lengthens your vessel, so you have to account for the additional length for your dockage calculations. Secondly it moves your center of gravity further aft and may cause adverse handling characteristics, especially in heavy sea conditions. 400 lbs. should not be that much of an issue. The last issue is by having the tender so far aft, that in large following sea-conditions, the tender can be swamped. Damage can occur to the tender and/or lift and in a worse case scenario even the hull mounting points can be overstressed. When carrying a tender like this, it is best to stay out of heavy sea-conditions. Also keep in mind that placing a tender on this type of lift in less than calm conditions can be dangerous. The Tiara and the lift will likely move up and down with the waves at a different rate than the light weight tender. It is best to launch and retrieve in calm water situations only.

Davits have their plusses and minuses. A davit is mounted on top of the swim-platform/transom with no underwater machinery to worry about. A davit places the tender on the swim platform, so it is less likely to cause adverse handling conditions by shifting the center of gravity aft (it will shift the center of gravity aft, just not as much). Having the tender on the platform is safer during heavier sea conditions and following sea conditions. The drawback is they are not as convenient and are more difficult to use than a hydraulic lift. Davits are also safest when launching and retrieving in calm conditions.

My opinion is if you are a fair weather boater and mainly use your vessel for short coastal cruises and/or generally boat in protected water ways, the freedom style lift is just fine. If you tend to boat offshore or tend to make longer runs with your vessel, a davit style lift is safer and more reliable.

Good Luck and let us know how you make out.