How To Select the Right Hydraulic Boat Lift
Hydraulic Boat Lifts
KT Waterfront Construction is proud to be the Master Distributor of RGC Hydraulic Boat Lifts for the State of Texas. RGC Hydraulic Lifts are built by RGC Marine, a US manufacturer that has been in business for over 70 years. With production based in New York, RGC boat lifts are made in the USA and recognized as the premier lift available.
Hydraulic Boat Lifts have steadily grown in popularity due to their numerous attractive features when compared with the traditional ‘pipe and cable’ type boat lift. The fundamental difference between hydraulic boat lifts versus pipe and cable lifts is the manner in which they lift the boat out of the water. Hydraulic boat lifts sit on the floor of the lakebed or on an underwater cradle and lifts the boat from the bottom versus a pipe and cable lift that lifts and supports the boat from the roof structure of the boat dock. With this difference in mind, some of the reasons hydraulic lifts are becoming so popular include:
- Capable of lifting longer and heavier boats
- Wakeboard and Wakes Surf boats popular today are significantly longer and heavier than boats built 5 or more years ago. Many docks were not built to carry the weight of these larger boats resulting in significant costs to modify and upgrade the dock structure to carry these heavier boats.
- Many older boat docks were built with slips that were 9’ wide. Boats today are typically 8’6” wide leaving no room for the lift cables and cradles necessary with pipe and cable lifts.
- Because hydraulic lifts are cantilevered, they lift the boat up and forward offering more protection and coverage for the longer boats available today.
- Maintenance Free – Hydraulic lifts are virtually maintenance-free.
- Removal of unsightly cables – Pipe and cable lifts have a significant number of components including cables, PVC pipe, chains, cradles, etc. that block often beautiful views. Hydraulic lifts, by comparison, offer a clean view without the clutter.
- Faster – Hydraulic lifts raise boats out of the water significantly quicker than pipe and cable lifts. This fact is important in bodies of water in which wakes and waves make docking difficult and often result in boat damage when the boat is floating in the slip.
- Portable – Homeowners that move to another home on the lake have the option of taking the lift with them.
Why RGC vs the Competition?
RGC Hydraulic Lifts are recognized as the highest quality hydraulic lift available.
- The lifts are manufactured in the US which allows for greater quality control versus most of the other lift manufacturers that really serve as assemblers of parts that are outsourced from third parties all over the world. This allows RGC to use a higher-quality aluminum with greater wall and tube thickness than most of the competition.
- RGC hydraulic cylinders are aluminum and stainless steel. In the unlikely event of a cylinder failure, repairs can be made onsite ensuring the lift is repaired quickly. Repairs on many of the lesser brands require the lift to be removed from the water and repaired in the shop delaying your enjoyment of the water.
When you are ready to upgrade your lift and go with a hydraulic lift, give KT Waterfront a call. We would love to add you to our list of hundreds of happy RGC customers!