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How to Build a Boat Hoist

Whether you own a yacht or a small boat, maintenance costs mount up quickly as problems occur naturally from prolonged exposure to the elements. To that extent, some seafarers and boat owners elect to have a boat hoist lifting their boats out of the water when at dock. Ideal for private docks, basic boat hoists -- also known as lifts and davits -- can be built to withstand up to 1,000 pounds, accommodating most small boats. Prepare for a challenge when building your hoist. This task requires one or two helpers due to the weight and handling of steel, wood and boat.

Things You'll Need

Workbench
2 Steel I-beams, 12-feet-by-6-inches
2 Steel I-beams, 7-feet-by-6-inches
Protective heat mask
Heat repellent gloves
Cutting torch
Welding torch
Drill press
1/2-inch steel drilling bit
1/2-thick metal sheet
Steel eyebolts
4 2-by-8-feet planks
2-inch pulley blocks
1,000-lb. test nylon line
3/16-inch stainless steel cable
Winch
Winch thimble
Concrete cinder block
Shims

Instructions

- 1
  Place each of the four steel I-beams -- the central part of the frame -- on the workbench one at a time.
- 2
  Put on a protective heat mask and heat-repellent gloves. Use the cutting torch to cut one end of each I-beam to a 45-degree angle.
- 3
  Join one 7-feet I-beam to a 12-feet I-beam at the 45-degree angles, welding them together. Perform the same procedure for the second set of I-beams. Each of the two I-beam combinations will form an L shape into the davits, the arms that hold the boat's weight.
- 4
  Drill 1/2-inch holes at each corner of the davits using the drill press with a 1/2-inch steel drilling bit.
- 5
  Place a metal sheet on the workbench. Align the sheet to the cutter. Cut two steel plates 6 inches wide by 4 inches tall.
- 6
  Place the plates at the bottom of the 12-foot I-beam. Weld them to the steel beams.
- 7
  Center a steel eyebolt, a fastener with a ring, at the end of each 7-foot beam and weld it to the beam.
- 8
  Make a mark on the dock for both the beginning and end of your boat's length. Place the davits at each mark.
- 9
  Secure the davits to the dock by bolting them into place. Install a 2-by-8 wooden plank lift to each set of davits. A V-shaped cradle at the shoreward plank will steady the boat's bow. Make the planks longer on one side, allowing them to support a plank walk with the boat.
- 10
  Attach 2-inch pulley blocks to the eyebolts. The pulley blocks should have hooks at their ends. Screw four additional eyebolts into the lifting planks inside the vertical beams.
- 11
  Attach two boat lengths of nylon line to the lifting planks. Run a length with the steel cable from the boat winch to the thimble as a safety device for the winch.
- 12
  Secure the winch to a solid, heavy object, such as a concrete cinder block, far enough from the hoist to allow for lifting the boat from the water.
- 13
  Attach an eyebolt to the stem of the boat and another at the transom frame.
- 14
  Attach the plank lines to the eyebolts affixed to the boat. Lift the boat from the water with the winch.
- 15
  Guiding the boat to the dock with the winch, plank walk the boat into place. Align the bottom of the hull to the V-shaped cradle. Secure the boat to the davit arms with shims.

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