Hydraulic Lift and Personal Watercraft Ramps
The most unique feature of this houseboat is the hydraulic lift and boat ramps on the back. No other houseboat has a full-size ski boat lift AND 2 full-size personal watercraft ramps, especially with automatic tilt so you don't even have to use a winch. Movie clips are linked at the bottom of this page.
Consider these advantages:
- Your ski boat is stored out of the water, no ugly moss lines
- You don't have to trailer it from home or a storage facility
- You don't have to pay any additional slip fee
- It is always handy and immediately available for a quick launch and ride
Below is a view of the heavy-duty hydraulic system from the underside of the platform before the houseboat was launched.
Below is a view from the top of the houseboat looking down at the Malibu which has just been driven up onto the hydraulic lift.
The picture below shows the boat lift in the "up" position so you can see the ramps. All the ramps are made of aluminum, covered by a composite deck board, and the entire assembly is covered by carpet.
The picture below shows the boat ramp in the down position, ready to receive the boat which loads in the same way as you would load a boat onto a trailer.
The hydraulic lift is raised and lowered with a switch inside the locker on the back deck.
The picture below shows the ski boat on the ramp. Notice that the drive shaft, prop, and rudder extend beyond the end of the supports to avoid any contact during loading. It also makes it very easy to change props.
The picture below shows one of the Waverunner/SeaDoo ramps in the "down" position ready to receive the personal watercraft. It pivots on a removable hinge-pin at the end of the platform. It lowers onto the shock absorber as the Waverunner is driven up the ramp. When the Waverunner passes the mid-weight point, the ramp automatically tilts. Or, you can winch the boat up, either with a manual crank or an electric button. The ramps can be removed by pulling the pin, and the ladder that is stored under the platform (not visible) can be lowered. However, as a practical matter, we hardly ever use the ladder. When we go swimming, we just lower the boat ramp and walk onto it like walking up on a beach.
Click the following movie clips to see how easy it is to load and unload your ski boat and personal watercraft. Basically, it is the same process as loading and unloading a boat on a trailer.
Unloading the personal watercraft
Loading the personal watercraft
More pix...