Canoe lift

[Kim and Ed]

I have built and paddled canoes since I was Boy Scout. Twenty-six years ago I was on my first date with my then future bride Kim. I picked her up at the dock at Vancouver’s Granville Island. Aside from trying to be novel and stand out from the crowd of her suitors, I wanted her to experience one of my passions. Since then we have spent countless trips paddling lakes and rivers from New Zealand to the Artic Circle.
This will be our third season plying the waters of the Salish Sea in our Ranger TugEtheness and we simply had to find a way to bring along an Open Canadian. The dinghy has been great for shore excursions but nothing beats the Song of the Paddle.
To accomplish this I spent some spare time this winter designing, mocking up and building a lightweight, knockdown, roof mounted, manual,Stainless Steel canoe lift. It is a derrick crane.
I’m happy to report it has worked out pretty well. I can easily lift our 50 lb canoe from the water to the roof, flip it over and tie her down in few minutes without damaging the tug or my back. Put in is even easier. When running, the whole assembly knocks down and is stored on the rack beside the canoe using clips and a hinged hold down.. Here are a few pics of the lift from concept to installed. I will follow up with some photos of the lift actually lifting the canoe when time permits.
Ed/
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[PetDrs]

Very impressive!

But to be totally honest, I MUCH prefer your first idea....... 😉

 

[SgtAlf]

I'm impressed! Make me one?

 

[Familyguy]

That is very cool. Well done!

 

[BB marine]

Very nice ! I like the boom up/down along with cable up/down. I'm building a lifting davit for my 9.9 mariner that I purchased over the winter. I will use it to lift the motor and assist in lifting the dingy out of the water using weaver davits. I have lifted the dingy by hand in the past but it is a handful. I have lifted my 7.5 Evinrude by hand (57 lbs) also a handful. I was going to purchase a 2 hp Suzuki (easy lifting but slow) I found a clean 9.9 mariner that puts our RIB on plane with two people easily, but weighs 80lbs. Thats a back breaker if there are any waves in an anchorage or even in calm harbor it is my limit. Hence a crane for 2019 season. I may incorporate some of your design with mine. I am cockpit mounting my lift. We have inflatable paddle boards that mount on our pilot house roof. (very light)

 

[Kim and Ed]

Brian, to keep things lightweight and still lift heavier weights a temporary back stay can be clipped onto the top of the mast back to a lower fixing point. The boom could be much shorter for a motor lift as well. Difficulty lifting the dinghy on the Weaver Davies is not so much the weight,but rather the low angle you are pulling at. A lift will raise the angle greatly and make lifting the dinghy mere child’s play. Good luck with your build.
Ed/