Stock #78

Does your dock look like this?

Summer is officially here, and you spent the long holiday weekend on the lake. Was everything as great as you remembered?  Or was your lakeshore equipment looking a little old and worn out?   If it’s time for a new dock, lift or rail system, stop in and talk to us.  We’ll work with you to get your shoreline looking new again.

It’s more than just looks, though.  It’s also safety and value.   Older docks–especially ones with wooden decks–can become weak after years on the water.  Splinters, loose nails, and rusted frames can result in injuries that can take the fun out of your time off.   A new aluminum or vinyl dock not only eliminates those problems, but stays in good repair far longer.

A new dock from ShoreStation or Wickcraft can also add value to your lakeside home.   A small investment now can mean a large return later on–and years of enjoyment in the mean time.

We do!

Just drop off your lawnmower or chainsaw blades at our service counter, and we’ll have them sharpened and ready for you the next business day.  It’s just that simple.

Whether you want to remove your lift and dock right after Labor Day, or leave them in the lake until late in the fall, now is still the time to call.

We’ll be adding a new service this year.  Now, as we remove your lakeshore equipment, our crews will be giving it a once-over to see if there’s any excessive wear, damage, or other items that should be serviced.  We’ll let you know what we find so you can decide what to do.   And there are even more lift and dock services in the works.

Give us a call today and ask what we can do for you.

Geographic data for Wisconsin lakes

As promised, new maps have been uploaded to our site.

4 new maps have been added to our Maps Page. We now have available the Madison chain of lakes.  Mendota, Monona, Waubesa,  and Kegonsa.  You can view them online or download the KML/KMZ files to load into your own copy of Google Earth.  If you have a pro account with Google Earth–or other conversion software–you can even import them into your GPS unit and take them along when you’re on the water.

The new maps include:

• Lake hazards:  stumps, rock piles, and other obstacles.
• Channel makers: buoys marking safe channels and reference points for un-marked channels.
• Warning markers: buoys marking underwater hazards, restricted areas, and special zones such as mooring areas.
• Public access: boat landings, piers, fishing areas, and swimming areas
• Lakeside resources:  on-water gas stations & restaurants
• Rest and recreation areas:  Campsites, picnic areas, public restrooms

These maps are for general reference only.  Manke Enterprises makes guarantees of accuracy.   They’re meant to be an additional tool to give an overview of the lakes, but are no replacement for accurate tools, safe boating practices, and plain old common sense.

Help us improve the maps

You can help us to improve our maps.  If you know of a point of a lake hazard or point of interest that isn’t listed on our maps, or if you have more detailed information about any of the points that are listed, let us know!  We’ll add the information and post the updated map.   We’re not asking you to give away your secret fishing hole, just let us know if we’ve missed a stump, if there are restrictions on a boat landing, or if there’s something that other boaters should be aware of.

More to come

We have more maps coming.  In the next week or two, we’ll be adding Fox Lake, Lake Ripley, Beaver Dam Lake, and several smaller lakes.  And we’ll be updating the Lake Wisconsin maps–there’s so much information on Lake Wisconsin, we had to break it up into 3 separate maps:  Hazards, Channel Markers, and Public Access.

These maps are built using Google Earth.  They can be viewed online or downloaded to view on your own copy of Google Earth.  OR… if you’ve subscribed to Google Earth Pro, you can import the data directly into your own GPS unit and take it with you when you’re out on the lake.

The maps include reference points for

• Lake hazards (stumps & rock piles)
• Warning buoys
• Navigational buoys
• Public access points (boat ramps, piers, fishing areas, & swimming areas)
• On-water gas stations
• Water-accessible restaurants
• Public restrooms
• Campsites and picnic areas

We’ll start posting the maps next week

In the spring when lifts are being used for the first time, we will get a lot of phone calls saying “My lift doesn’t work”.  In many of these cases, the solution is really simple:  battery connections.

Take a couple minutes to check your battery connections (if you have a DC-power lift).  Make sure that the connections are clean and tight.    That little fix can save you time, money, and headaches.

Cantilever Lift

The job of a boat lift is to get your boat out of the water when it’s not in use.  They generally do this in one of two ways:  Vertical lifting, or cantilever lifting.

The most common style of lift is the vertical lift.  Vertical style lifts use a series of cables and pulleys to make the carrier travel straight up and down.   Because the direction of lift is in line with the legs, vertical lifts are more stable and able to handle greater weights.    Vertical lifts work well in deep water or in situation where you want to raise your boat higher out of the water–such as place with high waves or fluctuating water levels.

Cantilever lifts work by pivoting the carrier out of the water diagonally.  Cantilever lifts are best suited for shallow water and smaller craft such as PWCs.

Platform length (click for larger view)

When choosing a lift, it’s important that you get one that will handle your boat–both in size and in weight.

The first, and most obvious thing to ask is “Will my boat fit on that lift?”  The two dimensions you need to look at are length and beam.  Length is fairly straight forward.  Most ShoreStation lifts run between about 9-ft and 11-ft long, though someof the hydraulic models can go over 15-ft.   With the boat properly seated, a 9-ft platform is sufficient for most boats in this area.  For pontoons, the bunks (the pieces of wood that the boat actually sits on) extend beyond the platform, giving more stability and support.

The width of your boat is known as the “beam”.  This is measured at the widest point.  For a variety of reasons, most boats you’ll see in this area have a beam of 8’6″ or less.  For these boats, you’ll need a lift with a 9′ width (this gives you a couple inches on either side).  If you’re unsure about the beam of your boat, check your owner’s manual, it should be clearly listed in the specs.

Lift beam (click for larger view)

Weight capacity is the other important factor to consider, and it’s a bit more tricky.  The owner’s manual for your boat should list its “dry weight”, but there’s more to it than that.  You also have to add on the weight of the motor (if it’s an outboard).  That’s still not everything.  A full 30-gallon gas tank will add almost 250 lbs. Then there’s the cooler filled with ice and drinks, the trolling motor, the tool box you have stashed under the back seat…  by themselves, they may not weigh very much, but when you add them up, it can end up being a lot more than you think.  If you’re getting close to the rated capaticy of a lift, it’s smart to move up to the next size; better safe than sorry.   On the other hand, if all you have is a tiny little fishing boat, there’s no need for a 10,000-lb lift (unless you expect to catching a 2-ton muskie!)

Choosing the right lift for your boat and your needs isn’t difficult, but it IS important.  That’s why we’re here to help.  Give us a call or stop in and talk to Ben.   We’ll help you find the lift that just right.

Wickcraft Rail System

Marine track systems are an alternative to boat lifts.  They consists of a dolly (which holds the boat), a pair of rails, and a winch to move the dolly.  Rail systems work well if you have a boathouse or are unable to install a lift.  Marine track systems are designed in 2 configurations:  gravity or push-pull.

Gravity systems:

The gravity system is just what it sounds like:  A system which uses gravity to get the boat down to the water.  Gravity systems work best in areas where the shorline (or boathouse) is several feet above the water level.  Gravity systems require a sloped surface no less than 6″ per 10′ to kept the dolly rolling.

The motors on the gravity system allow the dolly to travel at about 19 feet per minute, so on an average-sized 40-foot track it would take about a two minutes to launch or store your boat.

Push/Pull systems:

A push-pull system has a cable mounted to both the front and back of the dolly so that the boat can be pulled (“pushed”) out of the boathouse using the power of the motor, and then recalled the by pulling in the opposite direction.

The advantage of a pull/pull system is that the boathouse floor can be lower to the water, and the concrete can be poured level.  This is helpful in new construction–especially in areas where the lot is flat.

Our systems come from Endres Manufacturing and Wickcraft.  Both systems, gravity or push/pull, can have the rails mounted above an existing concrete or dirt surface.  If you’re interested in a rail system, give us a call.  We can answer all your questions about the specifics and find out which system is best for you.