The location of my repair facilities are so far from the water I was constantly at the mercy of two local yards who owned/leased haulout facilities because I had no leasehold on waterfront property to employ my own Travelift. In addition, these yards were able to monopolize haulout and delivery rates in our area. Having an industrial launch ramp nearby enabled me to use crude trailer/forklift combinations for some boats but I needed a permanent, reliable solution. Necessity is the mother of invention and that statement has proven itself with the KMI Sea-Lift. When Herb Krause and I put our heads together on this project almost seven years ago, I knew it would be the beginning of a revolution for boat yard operations. Our first Sea-Lift arrived in the fall of 2000, immediately we tightened up our yard, creating eleven more spaces (from twenty two) and gaining five spots in our 14000 sq. ft. shop, including a 60'x20' point booth we were unable to utilize before! Due to the success of the Sea-Lift, I have been able to play a role in establishing three new boat yards in our area. Our customers rave about our efficient operation, and our 'dry marinas' are full year round. I have also been privileged to contribute to the continuing evolution of the machine have just purchased a 3rd generation 45-Ton remote controlled model which is my fourth Sea-Lift! We now have two in operation maintaining over five acres of boat yards year round. We can launch fifteen 30-60' yachts in an eight hour day and that record will double the summer with the delivery of our remote controlled lift. Truly, this machine has made the impossible possible in this industry.
Howard Bean, 2007
Our company is new in operation, just putting up a new Marina and Storage facility outside of St. Petersburg, Russia. This means we had no equipment at all, no old equipment or shore facility to take into consideration - all Greenfield!!! So our question was, minimizing investment cost, to find the optimal equipment that solves as many functions as possible, if possible, optimal, with one single machine. We started with a market survey, learning out what kind and size of vessels most of the potential clients in the region use. The result was between 30' and 65'. Then we made the market survey of haul out equipment, comparing all existing haul out equipment that we could find, Travelift, Hostar, Roodberg, Sublift; you name it. Our choice - KMI Sea-Lift Model 45 - WHY ???? Key data: Up to 65' and 45 ton capacity. We found KMI Sea-Lift 45 to be our optimal choice because of the following key reasons: Fast - time effective operation. Effective use of storage space. Personnel effective, self propelled - single operator possible. User ease, minimal of education. Minimal risk, no strings that can brake. Easy and minimal maintenance, due to high grade standard components. After a short test period now in autumn 2009, we can say that we are very happy with our choice and our KMI Sea-Lift 45 fulfills all our expectations. We'd like to add that we are extremely satisfied with all the extra support we got from the factory.
Alexander Zamiralov, 2009
We recently purchased one of your model 45 lifts back in february of this year which, we had Kenny & Mike assemble from your facility. I thought I'd drop you a line to say how well its been going. First of all Kenny & Mike were fantastic guys, very helpful and answered every question that we asked and were very efficient in the assembly of the machine. The lift is working a treat in the yard and has taken the difficulty out of the job and made it unbelievably easy, compared to what we used to do, especially with the cat sailer boats. Its just so easy to use after a while of being on it, you don't want to get off. The remote is simple to use although you still have to have some gentle touch with the forward & reverse toggle switch as to not jerk the machine, especially when there's a boat on it. So many of our repeat customers are very impressed with the machine and how gentle it lifts their vessel, especially cat sailer boats.
I am so impressed with being able to experience the use of your wonderful machine.
Grant McMahon, Yard Manager, 2010
This letter is to confirm our success with the Sea-Lift machine that you developed five years ago for us. It has enabled us to create another arm of our business, along with increasing 33% usage of our property. We have successfully started two dry-land marinas, with a third opening up in another month across from our facility. With the Sea-Lift, we definitely would not be nearly as efficient or successful an entity; the machine is irreplaceable. Our customers are dumbfounded when we take them for a launch on the Sea-Lift, and once they experienced the launching maneuver, that continues to be the subject of the day. We are separated from our competition by leaps and bounds. We also thank you for your continued support in helping us with any questions regarding the Sea-Lift. We hope we will be ready for a larger one when we expand in the future.
John Ripley, 2006
I just wanted to take a minute to let you all know how completely satisfied we all are with our KMI Sea-Lift. We have been using the lift for three years now and are continually amazed at how fast and versatile the machine functions. We were all accustomed to the Marine Travelift in our previous business. It functioned well and was a nice machine but it was very slow and we were constantly trying to protect the vessels from strap damage. When we first started using the KMI Sea-Lift we immediately saw the advantage over any other machine when it came to speed, versatility, and the lack of trauma to the vessel that we had to constantly monitor with the Travelift. We also increased the amount of vessels that we can fit into our boat yard and dry marina. We have worked with your engineering staff to develop a custom cradle to haul large catamarans. This has opened up our market to include vessels that no one in the area can haul. We appreciate your hands on approach to all of your sales and technical staff. We look forward to our continued relationship and the development of your new product line.
Jeff Granville, 2006
