A boat lift can be an excellent investment to help you dock your boat more securely. However, a brand-new boat lift might be out of your price range, encouraging you to seek out used ones. Naturally, this leads many people to start searching Craigslist for some affordable used boat lifts. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a good idea, and you can end up wasting a lot of money. So, when looking for used boat lifts for sale Craigslist isn’t necessarily your best option.
To be fair, it’s not really just a Craigslist problem as the issues relate to other websites that offer similar classified ad type of services. Primarily, the key concern is that you’re not buying from a professional. You’re purchasing a used boat lift from an unknown seller that may have little to no knowledge of the product at all. Here are a few reasons this can become a serious issue:
No knowledge of missing parts
It’s common to see used boat lifts for sale with a few missing parts. This is sometimes done intentionally, or it could very well be that the seller simply doesn’t know the parts are missing. Thus, you could buy a boat lift and discover it has some needed parts missing or damaged. In turn, you have to spend even more money buying and installing the parts. So, the ‘cheap’ price on Craigslist is suddenly far more expensive than you realized.
No understanding of the condition
Speaking of boat lift parts, a seller on Craigslist might have no clue how old the parts are. Similarly, they may not understand how worn out they are. As such, you could buy a used boat lift with aging parts that might only last a few months before breaking. Again, you’ve wasted money as you then have to buy new parts or find a new boat lift altogether!
This can also put your boat at risk as the lift might break while your boat is on it. Therefore, it could crash into the dock or a nearby boat, damaging your property and perhaps other people’s, too. Which, by the way, is why it’s important that you make sure that your boat docks and lifts are properly insured.
No knowledge of what lift will fit your boat
Boats come in all shapes and sizes – and so do boat lifts. You rarely get any additional customer service when you buy used boat lifts for sale on Craigslist. What tends to happen is the seller advertises their product, and you buy it. The only information you receive is through the description, and the seller may or may not be able to answer a few questions.


Finding good used boat lifts near me
Realistically, do you think a random seller will know which boat lifts are suitable for which boats? Not likely, as generally only a professional can give the best advice and help you figure out what type of lift you need. Buying from an unknown seller may land you with a boat lift that’s unsuitable for your boat and can’t be returned.
Overall, you’re much better off buying used boat lifts from a professional source. As it happens, we sell a variety of used boat lifts at Lake of the Ozarks, throughout Missouri, and beyond. On our website, you can see a selection of options and receive help from our expert team to make the right purchase. Feel free to have a browse if you’re interested.
Like this? Please share it!

Boat Docking: What Are Boat Lifts For?
There are two common ways to approach boat docking. Firstly, you can leave your boat in the water, tied securely up at the dock. This

Boat Lifts at Lake of the Ozarks: Protect Your Investment!
Do we really need boat lifts at Lake of the Ozarks? If you own a boat, you might think that leaving it in the water

Important Things to Know Before Buying a Pontoon Boat Lift
Buying a pontoon boat is exciting! You probably envision yourself out on the water with your family or best buds, catching some fish, and enjoying great conversation.