One of the disadvantages of an electric boatlift can be that the height at which it is raised blocks your view of the water and beyond. There is also the lost convenience of just stepping or climbing aboard your boat when it is kept in the water.
But considering how often recreational boat owners use their craft the lowering of the boatlift into the water is a small effort, while the peace of mind of having it out of the water the rest of the time is worth the trade-off.
A boatlift gets your boat off the water and eliminates the problem of chafing wear to dock lines and fairleads. It also prevents constant bumping into a dock from wind, waves and boat wake.
By not leaving your precious boat in the water, a boatlift allows you to forego anti-fouling – an expensive and recurring job.
Also putting your boat up on a lift minimizes damage from leaks in sea cocks or through-hull fittings, bilge pump failure, pier or dock impact, and ensures the security of your boat, sailboat or jetski from bad weather, high wind, and theft.
Boatlifts come in all sizes and capacities to fit most recreational boats. There are several styles of boatlifts to choose from. The most popular is the 4-piling, 2 lift motors configuration with a cradle and bunks that the boat rests on. These lifts use AC motors geared low to rotate 2 shafts which wind on cables attached to cross beams so that the boat bunks rise and fall vertically between the pilings. Some have manual turn wheels in case of power failure.
Another method is to use an inclined beam on which a cantilevered cradle slides and elevates the boat at an angle up and toward the dock or seawall. This design makes outer pilings unnecessary.
In 1970, Michael Galati, Sr., and his wife, Anna Maria, moved to Anna Maria Island and founded Galati Yacht Sales. It was a family effort, based on hard work and a strong commitment to taking care of the customer before all else. They have built their family industry into a company with 12 dealership locations around the Gulf of Mexico, including Palmetto, Cape Coral , St. Petersburg, Destin, and Naples, Florida; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Houston, Texas. They have 171 employees, according to Boating Industry.
Voted the number one boat dealership in the country, for 2007 and 2008, by Boating Industry, the commitment of the five Galati siblings has really paid off. Their Customer Satisfaction Index was 95 in 2008.
Boating Industry based their award of the number one spot on Galati ’s myriad ways of offering service. From the way the sales team is structured to the thoroughness of every service appointment to the friendly question of whether any help is needed every time a Galati boat is encountered, the management and staff take care of their customers very well.
For years, people arriving on Anna Maria Island via any of the bridges have had a wonderful close-up view of the water along the way. In fact, many of the island’s more laid-back residents and visitors express their welcoming of bridge openings, as opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. They don’t mind pausing for a few minutes to appreciate the place in which they have chosen to spend time.
Although the Anna Maria Island Bridge on Manatee Avenue has recently been repaired and restored to last another ten years, there already is a major bureaucratic process underway to determine the ultimate future of this bridge. In fact, what happens to the bridge ten years from now is almost settled.
On March 26, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach , the FDOT held the final hearing at which they received public input on options for the Anna Maria Island Bridge ’s future. In addition to filling out questionnaires and comment sheets at the hearing, members of the public spoke and their comments were incorporated into the permanent public record. Those who did not attend the hearing can still enter their feedback into the public record by filling out questionnaires and comment sheets and submitting them to the FDOT by April 9. These forms can be downloaded from the site www.annamariaislandbridge.com. Input also can be given by phoning 863-519-2293.
The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, F.I.S.H., will hold the first ever “Mullet Invitational Fishing Contest” in Cortez, Florida.
The event will be held Friday and Saturday September 5-6, 2008. The contest will be a tribute to Ben Gullett of “Gullett’s Smoked Mullet” fame and proceeds will be to the benefit of F.I.S.H.
Holmes Beach will get some canals and channels deepened in the next round of budgeted dredging projects.
The Holmes Beach City Commissioners approved funding $270,000 in their last meeting for about a dozen locations to be dredged, under a multi-year State permit.
A beautiful day on Tampa Bay last weekend brought out sailors and boaties taking advantage of the breeze and perfect temperature to enjoy a day on the water.
Sailing out of northern Anna Maria Island presents no barriers or bridges into Tampa Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and to the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa Bay is one of few Florida deep water bodies of water, along with Charlotte Harbor, where keeled sailboats can enjoy unencumbered cruising without too much fear of running aground on shoals and dredged spoil banks.
Sailing under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a treat and navigation is little constrained up to St Petersburg.
Out in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico the ship channel is around 90 feet deep but care must be exercised to avoid being in the path of frequent merchant ships, towed barges, and cruise ships.
Within the protected Tampa Bay area close to Anna Maria Island we enjoyed a close reach up to De Soto Point, and return toward Bean Point, with a couple of broad reaches toward Manatee River and back to Anna Maria Island at the Galati Marina entrance.
Noted by its absence is Passage Key, until recently a favorite anchoring spot for pleasure boaters, sun bathers, and a protected bird sanctuary, but now under water, as a consequence of shifting sands.
Thanks to Ed for an ideal way to enjoy lunch and company for a few hours, get away from home chores, and appreciate the dolphins and seabirds.
Perfect beach weather greeted spring break visitors to the Sun Coast this weekend. A refreshing breeze made the beach a comfortable place to get the summer tan started. The UV index is 9 (very high) so be careful not to stay exposed for long. Warm gulf air ahead of an approaching mild front brought out locals and tourists alike. The S wind also pushed up some breakers for a few surfers. As the wind clocks around to the west and drops the surf may clean up a little, but onshore conditions prevail through Sunday. Today is a better day for kite-boarding on the north end or bay side. Tomorrow look forward to 80°F, sunny, W to NW 10mph and water temperature 69°F; waves 2 – 4 feet, SW, period 6 secs. For you boating people, small craft should exercise caution with some wind gusting to 30mph. High tide is at 5:37pm and sunset 7:40pm.
Back in 2001, a former landmark restaurant “Pete Renard’s”, and briefly “Marina Bay”, lay abandoned and deteriorating in the heart of Holmes Beach. Opposite the main mall Island Shopping Center, and sitting on prime waterfront with boat canals and docks, the previously family run night spot with the revolving floor and popular restaurant changed hands and then closed.
It’s been 7 years since an aspiring developer put together a plan for a complex of 40 luxury hotel condominiums, a deepwater marina for yachts and boats up to 65 feet in length, a restaurant, lounge and meeting facilities, to be called Tidemark Lodge & Marina.
Pre-construction sales of condominium suites were priced from the $300,000s to the $600,000s. The plan was approved by the city commission and demolition began. Periodic press releases promised great things even as long periods passed with no activity on the site.
Some out-of-area commercial fishermen were checked for compliance with fishing regulations while netting for mullet in Bimini Bay (also known as Fiske Bayou) on Anna Maria Island.
The new Bradenton Boat Club marina and boat condominium is emerging from the former C&C Marina in Cortez. Construction is progressing on 3 buildings that will accommodate 272 boats in dry storage, and 10 wet slips. The $17 million boat storage project won out over residential usage of the 4 acre site as other boating facilities declined in the area.
Boatlifts come in all sizes and capacities to fit most recreational boats. There are several styles of boatlifts to choose from. The most popular is the 4-piling, 2 lift motors configuration with a cradle and bunks that the boat rests on. These lifts use AC motors geared low to rotate 2 shafts which wind on cables attached to cross beams so that the boat bunks rise and fall vertically between the pilings. Some have manual turn wheels in case of power failure.
