Rectangular tanks provide a wider stance and greater stability than round tanks thereby reducing stress on the dock.

Bottoms Up features rigid all welded frames as opposed to multiple pieces bolted together. Rigidity lends structural integrity to the dock while the alternative relies on the dock to provide rigidity for the lift.

Our design limits travel mechanically on all four corners at a predetermined depth. This places about 600 lbs. on the dock distributed evenly around the slip (150 lbs. @ each point). The primitive alternative to this design is to hang the lift on chains at the aft end, thereby placing the weight of the entire lift toward the opening of the slip where the dock has the least buoyancy. Chains corrode as they hang in the water, even when the lift is raised. When the chains break, the lift will go all the way down and can travel past center. This can result in the lift rising in the other direction, potentially causing damage to the lift as well as the dock.

When in the UP position, all metal components are out of the water, with the occasional exception of part of a dock-mounting bracket. Our specially designed polyethylene tanks, attached to the frame by bolts through the tank’s top perimeter, make this possible. We could not have accomplished this should we have used cylindrical shaped tanks that have to be held in place by metal “tank bands” secured by nuts and bolts. These bands and bolts, which remain in the water, are common failure/maintenance points.

The heaviest part of most boats is the aft section. We designed our lift to stay level mechanically rather than rely on buoyancy placement. This eliminates the need for tanks to protrude aft, being in the way of running gear, i.e. propellers.

The ¾” pivot bolts are placed in sleeves which reduce wear to both the bolts and the components that pivot. We provide sleeves, rather than putting bolts through holes in flat plate, as this drastically reduces the wear factor.

Adjustment to the slip’s width and boat’s bottom is accomplished by slide mechanisms with set bolts. This design prevents the need for disassembly to make the necessary adjustments.

Diagonal braces that support the bunks distribute pressure against the boat’s bottom. We mount these diagonals so as to support the bunks between the stanchions. Without BOTH diagonals being placed between the stanchions the bunks can sag away from the boat’s bottom, yielding inadequate support.

Our bunk pads are maintenance free and won’t harm the boat’s running surface. Carpeted boards clearly create a maintenance situation and carpet retains silt and sand that is suspended in the water. This, in effect, becomes “underwater sandpaper” against the hull.

Vertical side guides are attached to the horizontal stabilizers and move with the lift centering the boat. The reason we don’t use horizontal side guides is that they can catch on protruding hull lines and rub-rails when rising. The reason we don’t mount vertical guides to the dock or dock bracket is that the boat could catch on the guides when traveling up and down.