BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Boat Lift Remotes

wrote in message . ..
I just had a 1,500# lift installed, and would really like to have the
remote option. Unfortunately, the manufacturer wants what I consider
a ridicoulous $400 for the remote option. Garage door openers with
remote control cost less than $200 for the whole thing, so why $400
for the remote option on a lift? I know, it's "marine"......... 8)

Anyway, has anyone used another product, and integrated it into your
lift to provide remote functionality? It's tempting just to buy a
garage door opener and pull it apart!

It depends on how your lift operates but I suspect the $400.00 option
includes more then just the radio control set. Living on the coast of
SW Florida this question has been asked of us a number of times & it
is not as easy to add as it sounds.

Many lifts have separate switches for up & down that require constant
pressure in either direction to get the lift to run & you let go of
the button when you want it to stop. The relay in a standard garage
door opener (or gate opener) does not "latch" by holding the
transmitter button constantly so then you would need another latching
relay for each direction to get the lift to run & a way to stop the
lift once it got to the position you desired. You would also need a
dual channel receiver w/ a 2-button transmitter to separate the up &
down function. If this is your case then the $400.00 probably isn't
all that far out of line & may save you a big headache.

If your lift should not happen to require constant pressure (most do
since the water height isn't always the same) to run then it would
just be a matter of putting the receiver in a weatherproof box and
hooking a receiver up to the up & down wiring of the lift (may or may
not still require a dual channel w/ 2-button set-up).

Before you do too much you may also want to verify that adding your
own equipment will not void any of the warranty on your new lift.

Doordoc