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I have a 2013 276 with a dry weight of 5500 pounds, but the LOA is nearly 28 feet. We have several dealers in our area. One is saying a 6600 pound lift will do it, but another is saying it will fit better on the 8800 pound lift because the frame is longer. The difference in cost between the two is substantial. Anyone out there with a 28 ish foot cobalt on a 6600 pound Hydro Hoist and does it work ok? It seems that weight is the primary factor but length comes into play also? Thanks in advance for the input.

I don't have that lift, but I've used similar. My suspicion is that the 6600 lb lift will work just fine to lift and lower, but it will be a bit harder to get the boat positioned exactly where you want it to be to lift it. I've rarely regretted buying something with a little extra capacity, and would likely go with the bigger lift if feasible. Hopefully others will chime in with their experience.

I have an older Hydrohoist which is rated at 6k (came with the dock). I have the R3 and that's about 4300, fully wet, maybe 4800. I don't really have an issue with the "lift" part of it, but i will tell you it takes about 4-5mins to get the tanks "full" of air. What makes me crazy is the amount of overhang. I'm going from memory but I think the bunks are about 14ft long--you can do the math. (and they are nearly impossible to replace). Now, on a trailer, that's not a big deal because you have the bow stop that can take up some of the weight if necessary, A lift does not. so your bow is hanging in the air basically from just past the windshield forward. On my R3, I have about 18" of overhang in the stern and about 5ft in the bow. It doesn't feel unstable or anything, even when your in it, but it does look odd.

Now, granted, my lift was used and is older, but I have to be honest, I'm not sure I like the pontoon style air lifts. They basically submerge by filling with water and they drop down about 4-6ft. When you go to fill them, you literally displace the air and once it hits positive buoyancy, it's like an emergency ascent on a submarine---it comes up and you aren't stopping it...."WHAM">. everytime. It is not a gentle process. It doesn't seem to have hurt the bottom, but it will make you cringe. As far as build quality, I would seriously look around. Hydrohoist seems to be the biggest national brand with a lot of regional players competing. From what I've seen, there isn't a lot of difference. If I was to buy again, there is a local company around here (GA) that uses 3 shallower pontoons instead of 2 larger ones. They seem to operate better in shallow water, but there is the trade off of more areas for air to leak. Overall, these type of lifts are pretty simplistic. You will learn to fix lines for the stern to help you position the boat and a bow line. I can do it single handed, but it is easier with 2 people once you factor environmentals. They do keep the boat safe--I had my dock break loose in a storm and beach itself in 50 knots of wind. The boat was unharmed and untouched.

Keep in mind, if you are at 5500 dry, with 50 gallons of fuel, you are at about 5800. put some toys in there, a couple of batteries, and you could be pushing 6k depending. Cargo adds up quickly. How rough is the water where you are....these things move up an down with wave action. and wieght will exaggerate that to some extent...if you are approaching your limits, you are going to put more pressure on every potential weak spot--as my installer pointed out...a lift float with a 5k boat on it is basically compressing the air which will find the weakest point. going bigger gives you capacity. If you have a bunch of wake boats, I'd think about stepping up.

Good luck sir

I have almost this exact same situation. I originally purchased my 6600 HH for a 24' cobalt 240. When I purchased the R7 I was ready to buy the 8800 HH but my dealer talked me out of it. I understand its pushing its upward limits but the 6600 has been just fine for me. No issues at all. My take is you'll be fine. On busy summer days our dock gets plenty of wake action and again no issues.