Divnick Lifts include applications for full-size boats and PWC Rails. This page describes the full-size lifts. If you are interested in PWC Rails, please click here.
Our full-size lifts are mounted on the rear of houseboats and yachts. They provide a unique way to lift and store ski boats, wakeboard boats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, runabouts, and tender boats.
Because of the structural requirements, these lifts CANNOT be added to existing boats without major cost. They are best suited for new houseboats.
Full Size Boat Lifts
Basic Description and Benefits of the Divnick Lift
Now you can easily lift and store your small boats on the rear of your houseboat or yacht where it is always handy and ready to go. It is no longer necessary to rent a separate slip, pay for a hoist, or tow your boat to the marina every trip.
Divnick Lifts feature the following advantages over old-style lifts:
1) Operates straight up and down
Allows you to load boats without having to winch them up
Lowers into the water so there is no friction or wear on the bottom of your boat while loading and unloading as with slanted rails
Allows the boat to be loaded backwards (stern-first) to work on the engine or prop or for long term storage
Allows the boat to be loaded by hand if its engine is disabled
One person operation
2) No hydraulic hoses outside the houseboat or yacht where they can cause an environmental mess if they rupture, and would be very expensive to repair because you would have to raise the houseboat out of the water.
3) The 4-post cradle makes it easy to clean the hull of your boat for better appearance and to operate at maximum speeds.
4) When raised, the entire lift is contained within the profile of the platform for a clean look
None of the lift mechanism is in the water where it will be contaminated, covered with algae, or other growth
The mechanism that lifts the platform is inside the transom where it is completely out of the weather
5) The Divnick Lift pays for itself in saved cost of separate slip or storage fees for your small boat, and a water lift or hoist which can easily top $5,000 per year in many marinas.
Divnick Lifts can be designed to accommodate whatever size and type of water craft you want to lift, including ski boats, wakeboard boats, fishing boats, tenders, and dinghy's.
Click here to see pictures of a full-size Divnick Lift on a 108-foot houseboat. The lift platform is 9' 3" wide by 18' long, and doubles as a large submersible party deck.
YouTube Videos
Loading, Bow-First
Unloading
Loading, Stern-First
Bonus Uses
In addition to the basic functional advantages of lifting a boat or PWC, there are some additional uses that can be a lot of fun.
You can take the removable rails or risers off, put chairs on the platform, and lower it into the water and read a book on hot summer days while sitting in the water!
You can use it as an extended play and swim platform. Submerged down into the water, it is easy for kids, adults, and pets to get in and out of the water.
You can also use it like a swim-up bar!
You can exercise on the platform at a depth of up to 4 feet in the water and achieve all the benefits of water-resistant movement. It is like the shallow end of a swimming pool.
As shown in the following pictures, you can use it as a work-surface for your boat or PWC's. It makes it easy to change props on your boat, remove sticks or ropes from jet intakes, or to work on the steering or other mechanical elements.
A Seadoo ready to remove sticks from the impeller...or ski ropes as many people have experienced..
This picture shows the PWC resting only on rear posts to make it easy to access the impeller. The posts can be moved to a variety of positions and heights depending on what you want to raise.
Past Full-Size Boat Lifts
In the past, the only ways to lift a small craft completely out of the water on a yacht or houseboat was with cable davits, slanted hydraulic platforms, or floating docks. None of these old methods provide the advantages listed above.
Davit cable lifts require a crew and significant time to operate and are very dangerous on the way up and down.
Slanted platforms load like a trailer, but that creates friction burns on the bottom of the lifted boat. Also, the hydraulic hoses and rams are in the water where they get contaminated and require regular cleaning.
Private Pier and Boat House Applications
Although it could be adapted for piers and boat houses, it isn't practical for that application. There are already several dock-lift options available for those applications that would inevitably be less expensive, including air tank boat lifts of all sizes.
If you wanted to have a platform and mechanical lift system attached to a pier slip, you could easily position cables and pulleys on all 4 corners of the slip, thereby eliminating the need for the scissor arms that our lifts use. The advantage of our scissors is that they can lift a cantilevered platform with nothing above or under the rear corners. That isn’t necessary in a dock slip.
We don’t have pre-made platform lift kits, so there is nothing to sell to someone wanting to install a DivnickLift on their dock. You would have to have it fabricated by a metal shop company, then install it yourself. It would be cool, but much more expensive than buying a lift that is made for a dock slip.
Click here to see pictures of a full-size Divnick Lift on a 108-foot houseboat.
"I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how impressed I was with your Divnick Lift. I have added it to the specs for our new houseboat which will handle our 23-foot ski boat. Your lift operates very smoothly, and I like how it moves straight up and down compared to the old-style slanted lifts, and how it is completely out of water when in the raised position. That is very cool, but also functionally important. The fact that we will have our ski boat on our houseboat will make heading out for a weekend so much easier.
"I also like the idea of using it as a “submersible party deck” and to cool off in our chairs while reading a book! It'll be like sitting in the water on the beach, only better because we'll have all the conveniences right there.
"It was a no-brainer financially. We have been keeping our ski boat in a rented slip at $4,000 per year on a HydroHoist which cost $5,000. So the new lift will pay for itself very quickly and save us lots of money every year after that."
Jeff Rogers, Old Kentucky Insurance
Special Recognition
Special thanks to Thoroughbred Houseboats for its pioneering willingness and skill in building the first Divnick Lifts.
Click here to see pictures and a video of the Divnick Lift on this beautiful houseboat. This Lift was designed for 2 PWC's and as a submersible swim deck. The video shows how the hydraulic ram-and-cable system works.
Click here to see pictures of a full-size Divnick Lift on a 108-foot houseboat.
Newsletter
If you want to be notified as new pictures are posted, please contact us and let us know that you would like to be on the "Divnick Lift News List."
How to get a Divnick Lift
If you have any questions or are ready to order Winch-Up Rails, please call Steve at 937-384-0003 (Eastern USA) or click here to send an email. We will work with your builder to design a lift that is perfect for your houseboat or yacht and the boat you want to lift.
In addition to the basic functional advantages of lifting a boat or PWC, there are some additional uses that can be a lot of fun. 
"I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how impressed I was with your Divnick Lift. I have added it to the specs for our new houseboat which will handle our 23-foot ski boat. Your lift operates very smoothly, and I like how it moves straight up and down compared to the old-style slanted lifts, and how it is completely out of water when in the raised position. That is very cool, but also functionally important. The fact that we will have our ski boat on our houseboat will make heading out for a weekend so much easier. 
