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.
One of the very best features of Anna Maria Island is how often you get to see the water. This may sound like an obvious part of being in an island paradise. However, many beach communities that promote themselves as paradise offer far less than Anna Maria Island does, when it comes to water views. Think about how rarely one gets to see the Gulf when driving the main roads of Longboat Key. Or Sanibel Island. Or Siesta Key. In most cases, it is only the people in beach front homes who get to see the water, and these large homes block the view for everyone else.
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.
