Posted by Jim Ampulski on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 @ 07:58 AM
My season:
Not only does Summit Marine make awesome lifts and docks they also take a very active role in our sport. The Summit Crew is also making custom adjustable rails for cable parks. Summit takes such a 
proactive role in our sport I figured their blog would be a good place to keep you posted on my season travels, contests and just riding in general. I will be posting updates from the road here on summitmarine.com so keep checking back throughout the season. This introduction blog is just to let you know my overall season schedule. Much more to come, so stay posted. -Andrew
Andrew's Competition Schedule of Events for 2010:
March 4-6---------------World Series-Stop One----- Aubu Dhabi
*April 30-May 1--------------Wake Games-King Of Wake-Stop One----Orlando
April 26 CWB Poster Shoot------ WinterHaven, FL
*May 8-9--------- CIE Spring Ride Pro Double Up event-----Northern California.
*May 14-16---------------World Series-Stop Two-----Belo Horizonte, Brazil
*May 21-22---------------Pro Tour-Stop One, King of Wake- Stop Two-------Acworth, Georgia
*May 29-31---------------"The Masters"------Callaway Gardens, Georgia
*June 5-6-----------------Stop 1 of Cable Triple Crown and Pro Boat event at TSR----New Brunfuls, TX
*June 11-12--------------Pro Tour-Stop Two, King of Wake-Stop Three ---Fortworth, Texas
*June 18-19--------------Pro Tour-Stop Three, King of Wake-Stop Four-----Elizabethtown, Kentucky
July 2-4-------------------World Series-Stop Three-----Abersoch, United Kingdom
*July 16-17---------------"Nationals"-King of Wake-Stop Five----Sparks, Nevada
*July 19-20-----Pro Clinics with Mile High Wakeboarding--- Denver, CO
July 23-24---------------Pro Tour- Stop Four, King of Wake-Stop Six----------Colorado Springs, Colorado
*August 6-7--------------World Series-Stop Four (Wake Stock)---------------------Collingwood, Canada
*August 13-14----------Pro Tour-Stop Five, KIng of Wake-Stop Seven--------Knoxville, Tennessee
*August 19-22----------World Series-Stop Five, King of Wake-Stop Eight----Orlando, Florida
October 27-31---------World Series-Stop Six-Finals------------------------------------Manila, Philippines
September 11-12 Surf Expo------ Orlando, FL
Posted by Jim Ampulski on Tue, Apr 13, 2010 @ 09:43 AM
Increase your stamina, Have more energy, Feel more powerful... It's not exactly what you think... Actually, it's better. We're talking about boating here. More specifically, Boating with Hydraulic Boat Lifts. So, often I'm asked how many cycles can I expect from my Summit Marine Retract Hydraulic Boat Lift. Viable question. The answer may be a bit involved. Straight forward, but involved. Let's take a look at the factors.
- Location, location, location - How shallow is the water where the lift is installed? Or better put, is the lift raising your boat 40" or 20"? Get where I'm going here?? I'm kind'a a nut about efficiency, so my boat is in 4' of water and the lift is as low to the bottom as possible.... So, when my Lift Bunks are all the way up, they are 14" out of the water, my Boat Hull (with out the running gear) draws about 8" of water, that means I lift about 22"... And Snap! I almost doubled my battery life.
- Battery Type
- Look for the extra X chromosome. Seriously, a Deep Cycle Battery is best for our application. Although a Cranking Battery is better suited for the short, intense amperage we draw, it falls short when it's fully discharged and we tend to forget about insignificant things as Hydraulic Boat Hoist batteries (until they puke on us), so the more we can abuse our power and fully discharge it and have it spring back to life, the better.
- Battery Size
- Yes bigger is better! The smallest I would recommend is a 600MCA and best would be a 800MCA... What would determine which to chose? Well, if you have 110 power (make absolutely sure it's Ground Faulted) down at the shore, I would ride with the 600 and use an automatic 2/10 amp charger. Connect the charger as needed and it will shut off when done. With these chargers you'll need to unplug and replug for the next charging cycle. And it should fit into the poly box nicely. If you use a manual charger, you'll need our HD Charge Controller to keep from form overcharging. You'll also need to drill a couple of 1.5" holes for ventilation on the sides of the box near the top of the battery to expel hydrogen gases. Or better yet, a sealed battery such as a Optima Gel Cell, (with screw posts) although a bit more expensive, we've had great luck with them and expect double the life of a standard wet cell. For a wet cell we like the Everyready E24DC.
- Multiple Batteries
- Here's my take... If you use your boat a ton on the weekends and little during the week and 1 battery isn't cutting it, add the second battery... Remember it will take twice as long to charge (and discharge) as 1 battery. If you live on the lake during the week and use you boat more regularly then 1 battery with a good charging system should work fine.
- Charging Rate
- Solar or 110 volt charger... I have both... (of course, remember I'm the nut from item #1 above), and I'm the owner of a hydraulic boat lift company and it would be extremely embarrassing if my Retact Boat Lift developed battery related lifting issues... But also, I try to abuse every part of our designs a head of the curve, to make sure you have a trouble free experience with our products. So I fill the sacks to the brim and ride several times a day in the summer with the "Phatties"... Pretty abusive. Back to the topic. A 10 watt Solar Panel (SMSP10W)
does very well for most boaters. Casual use during the week and hit it a couple extra times on the weekends... Good to go... All our
panels have a blocking diode (discharge block) and a charge controller (expensive part) which assures a full level battery as needed without overcharging and subsequent acid boil... (yes - that is bad...). If you have 110 volt at the dock, refer to the previous item (#3). If you still need more charging power, like our Pro Riders and don't have 110v available then our mammoth 60 watt panel is the choice... 6 times the power, 3 times the price... And worth every penny... It maintains the best charging curve as it heats up in the sun... (Cheaper panels loose their charging rate and what we think we paid for is now half what we're getting). One final note on Solar Panels - don't be alarmed if you still need to put the battery on a standard 110v charger every now and again... - Boat Weight
- Big factor, of course. Heavier boats - more energy... Remember to include fuel, gear and ballast into the equation, and the design of the lift will also play a part. You see, we use larger cylinders to allow for lower operating pressure per lift capacity. That keeps us in the power band of the pump motor better for maximum efficiency.
My set up you ask??? I run (2) 12 volt Optima Batteries, a 10 Watt Solar Panel and I have a 110v automatic 2/10amp battery charger... but also I tend to leave a bit of weight in my wake boat when it's on the lift...
Give us a call if you have any questions or comments. Let us know what works for you.
Now you take charge!
Posted by Jim Ampulski on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 @ 09:27 PM
Let's talk about value. Over the years we've talked to thousands of people with a host of different reasons why they bought (or didn't buy) a Summit Marine Retract Hydraulic Lift... And forgive me for proposing this (because I'm not in favor of pigeon holing any one for any reason), but we've noticed a hand full of personalities that determine ones motivation to move forward toward one goal. Here's the most frustrating....
The Cheapskate: (Sorry, lets call it like it is...) This personality displays an overwhelming need to buy the lowest (initial) cost product out there... You might spot them at a discount bakery haggling over dead dates to get a better price. They'll spend a dollar to save a dime. I'm not judging here and if you fit this category, God bless you, you can stop reading now, because anything I'm going to say here won't change your mind. What I am proposing here is buying a well designed, well built boat lift shouldn't come down to the lowest purchase price...
- It should be strong (right? RIGHT?) Buy your next boat lift based on "Will Work" vs "This should be strong enough". When you press that button to raise your lift - You want to know
it's going to work - every time, weekends, and holidays. And don't be fooled by companies that throw metal at a problem to make it look
strong. Ask them the reasoning behind what they did... and if you still buy Brand X, remember to tell yourself when it breaks it was worth the $300 cheaper price, (and avoid eye contact with your spouse and kids - especially if they're teenagers with friends over).
- Trust your instincts - if it looks like a fish and smells like a fish, well, you get the idea... When you see a company cut corners, do you think they put more effort into the areas you don't see??? Are you serious? Look at the stress areas, the gussets, the bearing surfaces.
- Quality Components - good companies tend to purchase durable components, employ good people, practice good service traits. Look at all the components - do they have a look and feel that says they'll last a long time. Look at the welding – is it consistent and flowing well? Look at the fasteners – are they top drawer Stainless or cheap zinc plated.
Talk to existing customers
- They'll help you get the low down.
These folks are our best advertising.
Ask them why they bought a Summit Marine Hydraulic Hoist. Was it the Good Design, or the Loyal Service, maybe the Meticulous Fabrication
or the Quality Components, maybe it was the Great Dealer Network? Whatever it is, make sure you leave enough time for their response… Our customers tend to brag a bit about this kind of thing… Thanks.
Stay Tuned for more personality traits…
Posted by Jim Ampulski on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 @ 10:14 AM
Hey Folks, In response to changing to the new plastic bunks from the wood ones on our Hydraulic Boat Hoist... After several requests over the past few years from customers and dealers for a plastic bunk, we took a long look at all the different styles of bunks that lift builders use, including swivel and fixed. Some folks use small V bunks in the front and 2 separate pads 2 foot long in the rear. Other manufactures use a 2 x 10 laid on edge (1.5" of surface area x 10'). Good quality fiberglass and today's bulkhead design allows builders to even use wood blocks to support the front V of the bow (point loading) and 2 blocks for the rear to store or show their boats without adverse effect...
Factors that came into effect were customer acceptance of course and material and tooling cost as well as labor...
We settled on a style that could rotate without any fasteners (that could wear out and fail, leaving a big hull damage problem).
We widened the tube from the previous 2" wide to 2.25" for a stronger beam and we heightened them to 2.5. The new bunks are now 50% stronger than the previous. And they still fit into the existing hinge cavity (HL Lifts)
And when you viewed from the end you'll notice the bearing surface has doubled from the previous tube.
The durometer of the plastic selected is soft enough to conform to the nuance of different boat hulls, yet hard enough to support as wide a foot print as possible. It rotates to help chine placement and the cable lift version also angles to form a V (wider in the back, narrower in the front) for better conformity...
and lastly, the plastic was made wide enough to protect the hull from the fasteners needed to hold everything together..
See this feature up close and personal at a dealer near you.