Boat lift motors and cables in Fort Lauderdale

Signs it is time

• Broken strands or rust on the cable
• Cable flattened where it wraps the drum
• Uneven lift between the two sides
• Motor overheating or tripping the breaker
• Grinding or slipping gearbox

River tide and inlet tide

NOAA's South Port Everglades gauge shows a 2.79 ft great diurnal range, while the Andrews Avenue bridge gauge up the New River shows 2.28 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.45 to 0.57 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 epoch). Lifts and floating docks near the inlet need more travel than those up the river.

Cables and motors are sized to lift the boat clear of that tide range, and they wear fastest where salt water reaches them.[1][2]

Fort Lauderdale's flood insurance class

Fort Lauderdale is a Class 7 community in FEMA's Community Rating System: a 15% flood premium reduction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones AE, AO, AH and VE) and 10% in Zone X. The City's list includes coastal VE zones, where FEMA does not allow floodproofing below the base flood elevation at all.

Motors and switches are mounted above likely flood levels where the lift allows it.[3][4]

King tides and street flooding

The City tells owners to inspect and maintain their seawalls, says walls overtopped by king tides should be raised to the 5 ft standard, and can cite owners whose walls let tidal water reach the street. A low spot or a leaking joint is a code issue here, not only a maintenance one.[5][6]

What makes Fort Lauderdale different

The City treats seawalls as tidal barriers. It presumes a wall is in disrepair if it lets upland soil erode, lets material pass through it, or lets tidal water flow unimpeded onto neighbours or the street, and gives owners 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish. The City also spends $1.5 million a year on its own seawalls.[6][5]

The county layer

Broward County requires a license before any work in, on, over or under its waters, including repairing or replacing a dock or seawall. Broward's regional policy is a consistent top elevation of 5 ft NAVD for seawalls, banks and berms.[7][6]

Permits in Fort Lauderdale

• Broward County environmental licensing: A county license before any work in, on, over or under Broward County waters, including dock and seawall repair.
• City of Fort Lauderdale: Building permits; waivers of the dock and lift projection limit go to the City Commission with a Marine Advisory Board recommendation.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption for docks and walls on the New River and the Intracoastal, on top of the Broward County license.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Intracoastal Waterway and other navigable waters.

Cable care that makes cables last

Inspect cables at least once a season, use penetrating oil rather than grease, lubricate pulleys and gearboxes, and replace worn cables immediately. In salt water, keep the sacrificial anodes fresh.[9]

Frequently asked questions