Jet Ski Lift
Jet Ski Lift Types
When it comes to a jet ski lift there are different types available. Each different type has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of what type you are looking for you will most likely need to know the weight of your jet ski in order to be sure the lift you purchase will do the job for you.
Jet Ski Lift Maximum Weight
First let’s go through how to calculate the weight of your jet ski. To calculate the weight for your jet ski lift you will need to do a little math. Yeah, I know the weight is listed in the owners manual but look at the foot note and you will see that the weight shown is the ‘dry weight’. That’s the weight of the jet ski without any fluids in it. That means with no gasoline and with no oil. At about 8 pounds per gallon, they can add quite a bit of weight. For example, if the dry weight in the owners manual says 650 pounds then that’s your base line. Next look in the owners manual and find out how many gallons of gasoline the jet ski holds and how much oil it holds. Typically these can be around 16 gallons for the gasoline and 2 gallons for the oil. So 16 gallons of gas plus 2 gallons of oil at 8 pounds per gallon is 144 pounds. So the weight you will be looking for in a jet ski lift is 794 pounds. Now you can get into to trouble if you decide to stay on the jet ski when the lift is operating because you will need to add that weight too. Not that it’s ever recommended to do that, it’s just something to think about. In our example an 800 pound lift would work okay unless you, or someone else, decides to ride the lift too. In that case your 800 pound lift might not get the job done and you may damage some parts in the process too.
Now that the weight calculations are out of the way you next need to decide what type of lift you are interested in. The simplest and the cheapest are ones that just sit on the shoreline. You usually winch the jet ski onto these by hand. Simple and pretty cheap but there is some work involved.
If you have a dock then you may want to consider a dock mount lift. In that case be sure you understand exactly what type of structure is needed to hold the lift. Some require pilings that are driven very deep. And along with that comes the vertical lift distance. Be sure your jet ski lift has enough vertical lift to handle the jet ski when the water level is at its lowest point. That’s a lesson a lot of people learned the hard way during droughts. If the lake level you are docking your jet ski on varies though out year then plan on the worse case scenario.
Once you know how much weight the jet ski lift must handle, then you have to decide if you want electric lift or hand winch lift. Obviously electric lifts are easier but there’s not always electrical power available on all docks. Another potential problem is that if the electrical lift ever sticks during a lift there’s not much you can do about it. Hand winches are more reliable and cheaper but, again, require more work for the user.
What you decide will depend on what you want it to do, the weight of the jet ski and the amount of vertical lift you need. Then you will have to decide on the type of material for the jet ski lift. Aluminum is the most expensive and nearly all manufacturers offer models in either aluminum or galvanized. The galvanized is cheaper but will require more maintenance. The aluminum will not corrode but cost more.
Take your time, do your homework, double check your calculations and make sure the lift you have in mind will do the job you want done and, as always, be sure to read and follow all instructions for installing and using the jet ski lift.
