With the number of deep keel sailboats,houseboats and the size of powerboats increasing, it's important for marinas and boatyards to have a boat lift powerful enough to handle larger craft.  Although he already had a 32-ton Sea-Lift machine, Howard Bean of North Harbor Diesel & Yacht Services in Anacortes, Washington, needed a larger unit.  Using specifics provided by Bean, KMI Sea-Lift engineers built a 45-ton Sea-Lift capable of lifting boats up to 65'.

The challenge was designing and building a stronger machine with improved capacity without increasing its overall size.  Bean's yard has been organized to accommodate the size of his 32-ton Sea-Lift.  To avoid rearranging his whole operation, his new 45-ton unit had to be able to fit within the current lay-out.  "We had to have something that conformed to the space requirements of the yard," Bean said.  "Boats are getting bigger and I need a machine that can handle that, but it needed to conform to the lay-out of the yard."

Height, length and width of the new Sea-Lift remained true to the original 32-ton model.  Instead, significant changes were made to the length of the air bunks that support a boat's hull, from 25' to 30'; to the height to which the machine can raise a vessel, from 5' to 10'; and to the design of the operating platform, a wishbone configuration to accommodate the prow of a boat.  Though Bean's machine is not equipped with it, a four-wheel drive option was also added to the new 45-ton model.

Bean is using both of his Sea-Lift machines to launch, haul out and transport vessels of varying sizes and says he's happy with how quickly the process goes.  "I'm using my machines in tandem to get more done more efficiently," he said.  "My new 45 works great."

The Sea-Lift is a self-propelled hydraulic boat trailer that quickly moves and manages vessels of nearly any shape and size.  Its unique design allows the boats to be stored gunnel-to-gunnel, which eliminates wasted space and provides additional profit areas.

Contact Sea-Lift, a division of Krause Manufacturing, 6059 Guide Meridian Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226; Phone Darryl Krause at 800-381-5101; info@sea-lift.com; www.sea-lift.com.