Bow and Motor stops on your boat lift are a great way to prevent severe damage from occurring on your new lift from an accident when parking your watercraft. From simple galvanized steel designs to adjustable aluminum stops with vinyl padding you can find the right one to fit your lift.
Its good to do a little research on you lift beforehand when looking to buy one of these apparatuses, you will want to determine the brand of your lift then match that brands particular bow/motor stop to make sure you get the proper product and it fits correctly. Many lifts come in “flat rack, or V-Rack” styles and you will want the proper model to attach to your lift. It should be noted that neither of these items are designed for repeated collisions with the boat. They are not a “guide-on” in the truest sense of the word. Guide-ons generally have spring loaded foam uprights or carpet covered wood beams that are built for the boat to gently rest against and be guided into the lift during parking. The bow and motor stops are a last line of defense before real damage occurs. If you need help getting your boat into your lift every time due to high wind and waves or you just aren’t comfortable parking the boat yet then you need to look into a guide-on system for you lift in addition to the bow and motor stop.
Bow stops prevent inexperienced drivers from pulling the boat too far through the lift and doing real damage to their boats hull or motor. They are perfect for inboards, I/O’s and outboard motor setups. Any V-hull boat that wants to make sure they never overshoot their lift will love a motor stop as it give you the peace of mind and extra safety. They mount to the front beam of the cradle and reach out towards shore on an angle up to gently catch the bow of your boat. These do not work for pontoon boats.
Motor stops are the option for pontoon boats that don’t have a bow to catch on a bow stop. These mount on the rear of the boat lift cradle and stop the driver from pulling the boats motor over the lift and destroying the prop, bunks or cradle of the lift. Some are adjustable to be compatible with more lifts or pontoon boats.
Take care of you lift and your boat this summer and get that extra line of protection to put between you and damage to your boat or lift.
