Choosing the right boat lift can be a challenging task, with so many options available on the market. However, the convenience this investment offers is unlimited, it will make it easier for you to get your boat in and out of the water and help prevent corrosion and water damage caused by harsh marine environments.
Placing an order for a boat lift and getting it installed is an exciting experience for any boat owner. To plan for the lift installation properly, it’s crucial to understand the time duration from order placement to installation. Understanding this timeline helps in ensuring a smooth process.
Let’s explore the general process and usual timeline involved in getting a boat lift installed.
Placing the Order
The exciting journey starts with you placing an order, you will have to select the kind of boat lift that will best suit your needs. Golden Boat Lifts understands that boat owners have diverse needs, which is why we provide a variety of options such as elevator lifts, 4-post & 8-post lifts, floating dock lifts, tornado boat lifts, boat houses, deck lifts, Float-A-Vators, PWC lifts, our patented GatorVator lifts, our newest Invisilift and even custom-designed boat lifts.
Initial Consultation & Site Assessment
After placing your order, the boat lift company typically conducts a site assessment. A skilled and professional team will visit the site to assess the specific conditions such as how deep the water is, dock configuration and accessibility to the installation site.
This evaluation helps ensure that the lift that you have ordered for your dock and boat is suitable considering the location. The time taken for a company representative to assess the site can be anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks, this time varies depending on the availability of the company representative.
Design & Customization
If you have chosen to order a custom-made lift the design process will take place after the site assessment. During this phase, detailed engineering plans are made according to your specific needs.
If you choose to go for a pre-existing boat lift model this phase can be completed faster, but for custom-made lifts, the time taken will be longer. The usual time duration for this phase is between one to three weeks, depending on how complex the design is.
Manufacturing
After the design is finalized, the manufacturing process begins. The time taken for manufacturing varies. For smaller capacity vessels, it takes between two to six weeks to build. For larger vessels, it can take up to 12 weeks to build. This duration is influenced by the complexity of the design, the material’s availability and the lift’s size.
Shipping
Once the manufacturing process is completed, the lift is shipped either to your location or your installer’s location. The shipping times can vary depending on the distance from the manufacturing facility to your location. Typically, domestic shipping within the United States takes anywhere between a few days to half a month but for international orders, the shipping time can be much longer due to customs and increased distance.
Installation
The installation process includes assembling the lift, securing it to the dock and checking that all the mechanical and electrical systems function seamlessly. Installing simpler models like single-post lifts or small lifts takes around one or two days. Complex models such as multi-post lifts or custom-designed lifts take much longer to install and may take up to a full week for the finished product.
Other Factors Influencing the Timeline
Some factors influencing the timeline include seasonal demand, customizations, complex site conditions and obtaining permits. During peak boating seasons demand for boat lifts may increase, which could lead to longer wait times. Manufacturing custom-made lifts also takes longer as they have extra design and customization.
Certain sites are also more challenging, at such locations site assessment and lift installation require more time. Another reason for increased installation time is permits, obtaining necessary permits can make the timeline longer.
The overall time duration involved in ordering a boat lift and getting it installed can take approximately 6 to 12 weeks. However, this timeline can vary based on the circumstances mentioned above and so it’s necessary to plan ahead of time and contact a reliable boat lift provider to help you get your boat lift installed.
For ordering and installing 4-post boat lifts, elevator boat lifts, floating dock lifts, deck lifts, custom-made boat lifts, or any other of our incredible boat lifts, contact Golden Boat Lifts. We can be your perfect partner ensuring that our high-quality lifts make your boat experience an enjoyable one.