"My rationale for purchasing a boat lift was fairly straight forward; I keep my Sea Ray 320 in the brackish waters off the Chesapeake Bay so have to worry about everything from algae to barnacles, galvanic corrosion and bottom maintenance to winter boat storage. A boat lift would provide the answer to all of these challenges. So then it came down to selecting the best lift for my requirements. I needed a lift that could easily carry my 16,000lbs+ load with room for growth. I also wanted the lift to be reliable and low maintenance. My slip is 120 ft. from shore power and I'd read the stories of long expensive power runs and the electric motors that had trouble lifting boats half my weight. That had me looking for alternatives.
So with research in hand, I went to the Annapolis Boat Show with the intent of finding my lift. After looking at all the options there, it was an easy choice for me to go with the 20,000lbs. lift built by ShoreStation. First and foremost, the ShoreStation lift design was simply the most elegant solution to the problem: A hydraulic lifting system that didn't require long lengths of cable tightly wrapped around a drum. No cable overwrap or fatigue to worry about. ShoreStation's 15-year warrantee on both the hydraulic ram and the cable reflects the simplicity and robustness of the design. Installation could not have been easier as the hydraulic pump is a direct current (DC) motor which runs on batteries. Two deep cycle 12V batteries run the lift and I had the option of using a 110V battery tender or a solar panel to keep them topped off. Because of this, I didn't have to pay an electrician several thousand dollars to install a marine-grade 120ft. run of AC power out to my slip and I don't have to worry about stalled AC motors when lifting my boat.
Finally there's the comfort-factor of buying from ShoreStation. I'll admit that I hadn't heard of the company before starting my research, but their experience in the marine industry goes back over 50 years and their facility and manufacturing capabilities are truly impressive. Throughout the selection process, manufacturing and installation, I've had an excellent experience with the staff and take comfort that there's a substantial company standing behind my lift. Here's the bottom line; I have three neighbors with three different lifts that I've seen operate and could have purchased. I chose ShoreStation then and if I had it to do over again, I'd still select a ShoreStation lift."