Travel Lift
The Mana Cruising Club provides a 30-tonne (70,000 lbs) travel lift to assist in lifting your boat to and from the water. We also provide a variety of cradles and hardstand areas available to club members and non-members alike. Club members receive a discount to use this facility. An anti-foul area with water blaster and sump are also provided to ensure the ecologically sound disposal of residue.
There are a variety of services available that utilise the travel lift, from Haul out's for a quick scrub prior to that race, to lift and hold to allow anodes to be checked or transducers to be cleaned, through to the lift out to a cradle. Both the travel lift and cradles are well utilised throughout the year especially in the months leading up to the Christmas cruising season.
There are some safety and operational issues to keep in mind when you use the travel lift.
Where should you stand?
Where should you park your car?
How do you organise the Travel Lift?
How long can I book a cradle?
What happens if I have booked and gale force winds turn up?
What information do I need to give?
Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Where should you stand?
When the Travel lift is in operation with your boat safely in the strops, keep the operator in your line of sight. It is impossible for the operator to hear or see you when you position yourself on the opposite side of your boat to the Travel Lift operator. Extra Sensory Perception or X-Ray vision is not, as yet, a core competency for this job.
The operator's view.
Where should you park your car?
Do not park your vehicle any where near the Travel Lift area. Park your car in the car park provided and leave room for the Travel Lift to operate in safety. Imagine the damage a shopping trolley can do to your car, then see your car under the travel lift!
How do you organise the Travel Lift?
Ring the Club office on 233 1578 and arrange a time to lift your vessel with Wayne, Club Manager, or Amanda, Assistant Club Manager.
How long can I book a cradle?
From January to October you can book a cradle for as long as you can afford to pay for it. At times you will only need a lift and hold while you scrub or change anodes. Other times if you need to replace an engine you may need a couple of weeks. Let us know what the job is and we can give you and idea of how long you may need to be on the hard stand.
During November and December you will pay a higher rate for the cradle and you are limited to a five day stay.
What happens if I have booked and gale force winds turn up?
We don’t tend to put ourselves or your vessels in danger, so if high winds are forecast the lift will be delayed. We all usually have at least two or three days warning so we can manage the weather without too many problems. The lift will be put on hold as long as the weather dictates. Keep in mind that if your booking has been delayed due to the weather, everybody else will be delayed as well so you will still keep your place in the line.
What information do I need to give?
You need to provide your name, the name of your vessel, your membership status (so we can give you the discounted price). We also need the length of your vessel so that we can match your boat to the appropriate cradle. We also require a contact phone number. We expect you to pay before the boat goes back into the water. Our motto is “No cash, no splash”.
Pictures are worth a thousand words.
We are building up a database of pictures of vessels in the Travel Lift to show where the strops are best for your boat. If or when you sell your boat, leave the picture with the new owner so we can continue to avoid important bits and pieces like propeller shafts and so can better distribute the weight of the boat evenly when it is being lifted.