Things to Consider Before You Buy a New Boat Lift Motor

All your gear is packed and you’re ready to get on your boat for a fun day out on the water. You go to use your lift, and the motor doesn’t seem to be working. As frustrating as it is, just because your motor doesn’t lift your boat doesn’t mean the best course of action is just to buy a new boat lift motor. At Boat Lift Warehouse we can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard someone say, “this new motor is doing the same thing the old one was.” It turns out that the boat lift motor wasn’t the problem –  and finding that out after buying it, waiting for delivery, and installing it costs you time, money, and frustration!

There are many possible reasons for your issue other than a motor, and taking the time to diagnose the real problem is time well spent. Some common problems are:

• The motor runs in one direction but not the other.
  • Likely a wiring issue or a bad switch
• The motor hums but will not turn
  • Check the start capacitor first
• The motor gets hot when running
  • Usually, it means low voltage or it’s overloaded. Continuing to try to run your motor this way will burn it up
• Nearly seized / hard-to-turn bearings on your lift have the same effect as overloading on your motor
  • Greasing regularly is important
• The motor stops about halfway up
  • Almost always means low voltage or overloaded
• It makes a loud noise when running.
  • Usually a gearbox, or bearing
• The motor keeps throwing the GFCI breaker
  • Check your wiring for a short circuit
• The motor is pulsating on and off
  • Usually a voltage issue

If you are unsure, it’s a good practice to just hire a professional. If you can’t find someone to service your boat lift in a timely manner and you are ready to do the shotgun approach and eliminate as many things as you can at once, you can always purchase one of our pre-wired motors. As long as you don’t have a voltage issue, all you have to do with one of our pre-wired motors is just bolt it on and plug it up to get you going.