Floating Dock Boat Lift for small boat

anyone know of an idea or way to be able to put a small boat up on the floating dock with a winch or lift? I have a 17’ aluminum boat that can’t weight much.
Thanks

21 scout w/150 yam 4str
16’ Alum. w/40 yam

How high is the top of the dock above the water?

Install some carpeted or rollered bunks, winch, and yank it up. The tough part is the height of the dock and getting it over the hump. The boat weighs more than you think with the engine, fuel, etc.

http://www.dockmastersllc.com/floatingdocks.html

Relaunching will be more difficult than you imagine. It is unlikely your winch will be any good in returning the boat to the water. When you shove the boat back in the water your bow will raise very high and you may innundate the upper part or your motor.

I had a 12’ fiberglass jon boat with a 15hp evinrude. I was able to winch the boat up on my dock. (Winch was hooked to my ramp railing) Once the boat was on the dock I was quite unsatisfied. The end of the dock where the outdrive of the motor was nearly submerged my dock. Boat wake from inconsiderate boaters would occasionally innumdate my dock and wanted to float my jon boat off. Needless to say, I’ve tried what you are considering and abandoned the effort after several months. I got rid of the jon boat.

I use a Jumbo Jet T floating dock for my 14’ Whaler. It cost $2200 several years ago and I affixed it to the end of my doc with one 2X8. I can drive my whaler right up on the floater and back it right off and still have my regular dock unencumbered. This is really the best way to go. Those are the gray floaters you see around. They are manufactured locally and the company is a good one. I’ve had zero problems with mine going on five years now.

Your tin boat is longer than my jon boat and like others have opined, weighs more than you think.

your existing floater can be easily modified to work. i’ve done many and would be glad to give you an estimate.

however

you would probably be happier with attaching a drive on- if you have the room.

Jeff Davis is my President

A drive on can designed to allow the boat to ride up and when backing down drop the motor in and pull off.I have a perfect winch you can have.

Stonoman

I have both a drive on for my flats boat and motified floating dock for my jon boat. The drive on is the way to go if you can spare a few thousand for the purchase. Check with Mitch Brown from Boat Float, he is the local Carolina Water Works dealer and has an ad on the home page of this site. As far as putting the boat on your existing floater, assuming you have enough floation to handle the weight of the boat it is fairly easy if you are handy with a few basic tools. The best way is to cut the portion of the dock where the boat will load down to a ramp configuration. If you don’t cut the dock down it will be hard to load and unload the boat without the tansom and motor going under the water as the boat goes over the edge. Use PVC pipe mounted directly to the dock decking as runners, and a large roller at the edge of the dock. I made my large roller myself with a piece of galvanized pipe run through some pvc it works alot better than a standard boat roller. My configuration allowed me to mount the winch to the railing on my fixed pierhead at the top of the ramp. With this set up my wife can even load and unload the jon boat by herself.