To correctly care for the boat, to provide a convenience for the boater, and to complement rather than complicate the dock structure was the aim of HydroHoist’s inventor – a marina owner and boater himself – and it’s still our aim today. Our engineering staff designs our lifts for safe, sure, confident operation; for correct and safe support of its craft; and for minimum effect to the boat dock or mooring environment.
Over the years, we have continued to upgrade and enhance our products to better satisfy today’s boater. Many of our lifts now offer impact-resistant polyethylene tanks, all steel parts above the water, shallow water installations, simple drive-on docking and roll-off launching, and easy, simple, level lifting operation. We offer hoists for all types of pleasure boats from small personal watercraft to 40,000 lb cruisers moored in virtually any type of boat dock, boat house, boat slip or pier. HydroHoist can lift boats that are often impractical for davit, hydraulic, gear driven, or sling lifts.
“We offer hoists for all types of pleasure boats from small personal watercraft to 40,000 lb cruisers moored in virtually any type of boat dock, boat house, boat slip or pier”.
We are very proud of our history, our product, and our company, but our greatest pride is the satisfaction that HydroHoist owners have in their boat lifts. Ask other HydroHoist owners, they’ll be glad to tell you about the low maintenance, dependable performance, and worry-free security their HydroHoists deliver. We invite you to ask them about the sale, installation and service experience they received from their HydroHoist Dealer. We’re confident that you’ll hear genuine acclaim for our dealers’ professionalism, product knowledge, helpfulness, and promptness. Our dealers are simply the best in the boat lift business.
“Universally recognized as the very best in the industry”
Another HydroHoist “best” is the resale value of our lifts. HydroHoist owners know that should they want to sell their lift for any reason – upgrading boats, or relocating residence, etc. – they have an eager market of boaters that are waiting for a HydroHoist to come on the market. Trust your boat to the best, whether you have a Bass Boat, Coastal Fishing Boat, Pontoon Boat, Waterski / Wakeboard Boat, Small or Large Runabout, we have designed and engineered the best lift for you. Various boat brands you will see on our lifts include the following: Grady White, Angler, Aquasport, Boston Whaler, Century, Cobia, Hydra Sports, Key West, Polar, Pro-Line, Sea Fox, Triton, Triumph, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Chaparral, Caravelle, Crownline, Cobalt, Formula, Four Winns, Larson, Maxum, Glastron, Baja, Ebbtide, Stingray, Monterey, Regal, Rinker, Bennington, Crest, Crestliner, Lowe, Odyssey, Sun Tracker, Correct Craft, Malibu, Master Craft, Moomba, Supra and Tige. Nestled securely on one of our HydroPort Series of PWC docking platforms you might see the seasons newest Sea Doo, Yamaha, Polaris, Kawasaki or Honda personal watercraft. In any market, there are the brands that are universally recognized as the very best obtainable in its industry. HydroHoist is one of those brands. Why, our name has even been used as a generic description of all boat lifts – even when its mispronounced as Hydra Hoist, Hydra Lift or Hydro Lift, boaters everywhere know that you’re talking about the best in the industry!
History:
Henry Rutter developed the hydro-pneumatic method of raising boats in the early 1960s. A dry-dock marina owner whose facility was on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, Rutter wanted to accommodate his customers who wanted dry storage for their boat slips. However, Rutter found the traditional winching method used at his marina was impractical on floating docks because they could not support the extra weight of the winch. Rutter then intended to build a quick, economical system that displaced the water by air and formed a free-floating lift. His first lift mechanism consisted of inverted fiberglass tubs and a used vacuum cleaner motor that blew air in the inverted tubs, forcing the water out and raising the boat and lift above the surface of the water. As an inventor, he patented the hydro-pneumatic system in 1964, which became the original boat lift manufactured and marketed by HydroHoist. Once word of Rutter’s invention became known, demand from boat owners increased, first in northeastern Oklahoma, and then throughout the Midwest. During the 1970s and 1980s the industry expanded to meet consumer demand to hoist a number of different vessels – from personal watercraft, to lake cruisers, houseboats, sea planes, submarines, Coast Guard cutters, and other military boats.
“Rutter found the traditional winching method used at his marina was impractical on floating docks”
As the demand for lifts continued to grow from individual customers, marine retailers quickly realized the profitability of making the hydro-pneumatic lifts available to them. They were offered either through lease or permanent ownership agreements. As lakes and coastal water areas became more populated and congested, many boat lift manufacturers have sought to beef up hoist strength and durability to meet the demands of customers in various water and wave circumstances. The components and design features of the hydro-pneumatic lifts now include a hot-dipped, galvanized framework of polyethylene tanks. This allows the system to be used in both fresh and salt/brackish waters. The polyethylene tanks allow the steel components to be above the surface of the water while the hoist is in the “up” position. This is designed to prevent corrosion or deterioration of the framework. Hull support pads are also made of materials (extruded plastic and pressure-treated lumber) that resist corrosion. For rough water applications, hydro-pneumatic systems maintain a uniform levelness through the use of attachment points that prevent any movement of the tanks. Current lift capacities for HydroHoist range from 1,500 pounds to 120,000 pounds. Customized lifts can handle even higher boat weights. Boat lifting has gone through an impressive evolution since the early practices of converting coves into dry docks. HydroHoist lifts offer a quick, convenient, and economical way for boat and personal watercraft owners to dry-dock a vessel and protect it from damage, while providing easy access for maintenance and repair tasks. When figuring the benefits of improved performance, peace of mind, fuel economy, and higher resale values; HydroHoist is the #1 choice for boat lifts.
Exporting:
HydroHoist exports products to 23 countries and has an international distributor and dealer network in more than 18 countries. With 96 percent of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, the economic security of our nation is increasingly dependent on exports. If we are to continue to grow as an economy, we must look outward to new markets where consumers seek the best products and services in the world… those made in the United States. HydroHoist export efforts in over 23 countries exemplify this outward reach.
Supporting Education:
HydroHoist®, LLC grants multiple $1,000 college scholarships for employees and children of marina members in good standing with Marina Association of Texas (MAT) and Marina Recreation Association (MRA). HydroHoist has been offering these scholarships for over twenty years to members of marine associations. “HydroHoist®, LLC takes great pride in offering scholarships for organizations like MAT and MRA. We view this as having long-term benefits to the people that support us and our industry,” said Mick Webber, President, and CEO. The scholarships ($500.00 per semester) are good for tuition and books. The application can be sent via email request to ron@boatlift.com. Completed applications must be submitted by September 1st. Additional details are outlined in the application. See our scholarships.
55+ years and going strong:
HydroHoist®, LLC is the oldest and largest hydro-pneumatic boat lift manufacturer in the world and celebrates over 55 years of business.
The company was launched in 1964 when Henry Rutter invented the first hydro-pneumatic boat lift on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma. Rutter called his invention HydroHoist, and as the product developed, he moved operations to Claremore, Oklahoma where the company has been since 1971.
“Initially the need for the HydroHoist boat lift was created because of a restriction for land space for boat storage,” said Mick Webber, CEO. “Boat owners were demanding convenience and immediacy of use, and Rutter’s boat lift system offered dry storage in the water for a price comparable to land space. Remarkably, some of the original hoists are still in use,” Webber said.
HydroHoist®, LLC manufactures and sells lifts ranging from 1,500-pound drive-on docking platforms for PWCs to lifts that will accommodate 130,000-pound watercraft.
Current:
In 2019, ShoreMaster and HydroHoist merged to integrate their shared expertise and product offerings into the most diverse suite of waterfront equipment. With the acquisition of Neptune Boat Lifts in 2020, and its addition of salt-water applicable boat lifts, three flagship brands were vertically integrated to form Waterfront Brands. Waterfront Brands is the premier manufacturer of waterfront equipment in North America, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Fergus Falls, Minn., Claremore & Verdigris, Okla., and Fort Lauderdale, Flor. Collectively, Waterfront Brands offers the most comprehensive suite of waterfront products, for both fresh- and salt-water, in North America. Together, under the Waterfront Brands umbrella, we will draw on decades of experience from our teams to continue to provide the industry’s highest quality products and unparalleled service and support.
