Boat lift motors and cables in Islamorada

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

Bay side and ocean side tides differ fourfold

NOAA's Florida Bay gauge at Upper Matecumbe Key shows a great diurnal range of only 0.61 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.41 ft below NAVD 88, while the Hawk Channel gauge a short way across the key shows 2.28 ft (1983 to 2001 epoch). A lift or floating dock sized for one side of Islamorada is wrong for the other.

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]

Covered lifts only over cut-in slips

Ordinance 24-15 allows open-sided covered boat lifts in Islamorada only over a cut-in slip on a man-made canal. The roof may not reach past the mouth of the slip or over mangroves, seagrass or hard bottom, may be no more than 12 ft above grade, and may not carry a deck.

Swapping a motor or cables keeps the lift as permitted, which is why repair beats replacement here.[3]

Watch the datum: about 1.5 ft

The Village notes that converting from NGVD29 to NAVD88 shifts elevations by about -1.5 ft on average in Monroe County, and the shift varies from place to place. Old plans and new maps use different datums, so a cap or floor height has to be converted before anyone compares numbers.

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

What makes Islamorada different

Principal buildings sit 20 ft from the mean high water line on altered shorelines such as canals, 30 ft on open water with conditions, and 50 ft on unaltered shorelines. Docks, lifts, davits, seawalls and riprap are water-dependent structures that may sit inside that setback under the Village's standards.[3]

Sanctuary and manatee layers

The federal small-project permit, SPGP VI, required Sanctuary sign-off before any Islamorada project in Keys waters, and crews follow the state manatee conditions on every in-water job.[5][6]

Permits in Islamorada

• Islamorada, Village of Islands, Planning and Development Services: Docks, lifts and shoreline structures under Village Code Chapter 30.
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Sanctuary waters surround every Islamorada key from the mean high water mark; we confirm what Sanctuary approval each project needs.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption; part of the Village's water is the Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Sanctuary waters around the Village.

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.[7]

Frequently asked questions