Whole Floats

Roughly 5'3" Wide x 6'5" Long x 4.5" Thick

Roughly 30-35 Lbs. Each

Price: $210 each, plus tax.

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

MUST HAVE FULL-SIZE TRUCK OR TRAILER FOR PICKUP!

These will NOT fold or fit inside any SUV or cargo van (trust us), and we will NOT allow you to strap to the roof of your vehicle!

Pros:

• Best option for dual use to install dock/ pier & use for a swim raft the rest of summer
• Best safety factor option when in doubt on how many to buy, for those traveling far for pickup. Simply cut as you like with a chainsaw or hand saw after you test the others if you still need more buoyancy, or sell to a neighbor as a swim raft if unneeded.
• CAN (though we don't ever recommend) be used on 1 end of the boat lift if you have a Boat Lift Crane or farm jack to get it up on top of the float
• Larger true hydrualic (cantilever) lifts may be able to wedge whole floats in the cradle, power lift cradle down using the rams to pop the lift up without lifting

Cons:

• Incredibly unstable to use for lift installation/ removal- people have flipped their lifts each year trying as it shoots sideways across the lift frame if it starts to tip due to wind, waves and lift balance, especially on some particular lopsided weight designs
• Requires a way to lift the boat lift onto the float and back off of it
• High probablility that you'll have issues getting the lift off of it safely, or where you want it to end up- which is why we do NOT recommend

Price: $210 each, plus tax.

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

*BEST METHOD FOR LIFTS & DOCKS*

Float Strips-Pre-Cut

Sold in Sets of 7 (7= 1 Whole Float)

Roughly 9" Wide x 6'5" Long x 4.5" Thick Per Strip.

Roughly 30-35 Lbs. Per Set of 7- COLORS VARY

Price: $230 each (set of 7) plus tax.

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

MINIMUM OF 2 SETS (14 STRIPS) REQUIRED FOR ANY 108"-120" LIFT!

Shore Station®/ Atlas® 5k+ Capacity, Any brand of Vertical Hydraulic/ Cable Hybrid Lifts (i.e. Shore Station®, Shore Mate®), FLOE® VSD, etc. REQUIRE 3 Sets due to their incredibly lopsided weight- Many other brands with large canopies, motors, triple bunks and/or side guides may require 3 as well, more is ALWAYS better.

Pros:

• By far the best option for installing & removing boat lifts, still great for dock removal too when bundled with a ratchet strap!
• Most stable & versatile- put them exactly where you need the extra buoyancy to help balance lifts or level lift legs
• Can bundle 9-12 strips with a rope or ratchet strap for dock/pier work too
• No crane/ farm jack/ phsyical lifting required in most cases, individual strips to sink below the lift frame and keep adding until your desired buoyancy
• Can gently and controllably set your lift into place (especially if putting your lift on plastic pallets/ plywood in extremely mucky areas). Remove enough to get your lift barely buoyant and jump onto the lift to sink to check if you're level- if not, get off and add a strip or two back to make your leg adjustments and re-level easily
• 2 sets (14 strips) fits in most midsize SUVs with EMPTY BACK AREA, middle seats folded flat and front seats moved forward (they are 6'5" long and the slope of your rear door will impact space), 3 sets fit in large SUVs like Expeditions/ Yukons with seats down
• Great supplement for boat lift wheel kits or rolling docks to reduce weight in deeper areas- wheels don't roll as easy as people think due to water resistance & sinking in soil
• Easiest to store- fits well overhead in garage rafters or beneath boat trailer

Cons:

• Can't use as a swim raft
• Lose some buoyancy versus halves- foam sticking in the air does not provide lift- the increased stability is well worth this trade off!
• Most likely to hit you in the face when removing from lift

Price: $230 each (set of 7) plus tax.

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

*Best Suited For DOCKS/ PIERS ONLY*

Float Halves- Pre-Cut into 2 Halves

(1 Whole Float)

Two Roughly 3'x5'3" x 4.5" Thick Pieces.

Roughly 30-35 lbs. Per Set of 2 Halves

Price: $220 each (Set of 2 Halves) plus tax

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

MINIMUM OF 2 WHOLE FLOAT SETS REQUIRED FOR ANY 108"-120" LIFT!

Pros:

• Best option for stacking for installing/ removing ONLY docks/piers (not boat lifts/ boat hoists- strips all the way around are best for lifts!)
• 1 set of halves can be nice for dual dock/ lift work, somewhat stable to use on 1 end of lift (if not a vertical hydraulic/ cable lift), using Boat Lift Crane to lift hoist on top, with a set or two of strips on the other end and/ or spread around for better balance
• Best buoyancy for the shallow end of the lift to get you closer to shore before needing wheels/ steel pipes
• Can be used as small swim rafts
• Easy to carry and stack 3-4 halves to near dock height (~18" above water typically)
• Best for walking on docks while augering at desired height in extreme muck (at your own risk)
• Useful for true hydraulic (cantilever-style) lifts to stack 4+ halves underneath bunks/ cradle and use hydraulics to lower cradle and submerge the floats- though they generally still benefit from float strips across the end spreader bars too!

Cons:

• You absolutely will NOT be able to sink this under the lift- you MUST have a way to lift one end of the the boat lift up and onto the floats and you will NOT be able to get them under both ends
• Can only be used on 1 end of boat lifts, it is essentially impossible to get both ends of lift on top of them and floating, since the crane/ farm jack will tip over once one end is floating and you try to lift the second end, hence the strips
• Much less stability for lifts versus all strips
• Difficult to set the lift in place accurately and is much more dangerous and prone to issues in general

Price: $220 each (Set of 2 Halves) plus tax

Add 4% fee for credit/ debit cards

Option 1: For shipping smaller quantities of foam floats, the most economical and simplest option is:

https://www.uship.com/

For UShip pickups, THE FLOATS WILL BE LOOSE -UNWRAPPED & UNLABLED & HAND LOADED INDIVIDUALLY, JUST AS THEY WOULD BE IF YOU PERSONALLY PICKED THEM UP! It is too diffcult to wrap and labels don't stick, plus makes it more flexible for shared-load loading options. UShip.com © is like an eBay®/ Uber® of shipping. You create a profile and can have either private individuals who are trying to cover fuel costs of a trip and/or professional shippers bid on your shipment- drivers and customers rate eachother when finished and we've had tons of customers use this service with great results. Because it works like a ride-sharing app, the shipping costs are often reduced (or at least possible, regardless of price) versus traditional freight companies, especially for small orders and many of the pros still have the option to haul an entire trailer-load if you wish. Some might even offer the option for you to meet somewhere along a different route to split the difference and you both win.

Once you receive a satisfactory shipping bid and tentative pickup dates from your shipper (we generally need 2 business days of lead time, for pickup during regular posted store hours), contact Brent via phone at 269-888-1419 and we'll write up the order and get your credit card info over the phone, and payment must clear in advance.  The floats weigh up to 35 lbs. each (on average, per whole 5'x6' sheet) and is best if you send them the picture from the top of our page showing all 3 forms of floats and/or the link which lists all the specific sizing on individual pieces so you get the most accurate quote. Since accurate traditional dimensions are almost impossible to provide since they are loose/ unpackaged, especially for combinations of strips/ halves, that makes it simpler for everyone and your shipper will have much clearer expectations based on your specific order.

Option 2: LTL (Less Than (Semi) Truckload) Commercial Freight Companies:

You will need to ship to a business with a loading dock, otherwise expect a huge upcharge fee if a lift-gate truck service is required to a residential location. We have a loading dock and forklift at our shop to load onto the truck, which shippers will usually ask up front.

With a strict minimum order of 10 floats, we can band and plastic wrap 10-18 floats per pallet for a $100 handling fee (whole, strips, halves in the combination of your choice equalling 10+ whole floats), YOU can line up your own LTL shipping for pickup during our posted regular business hours with at least 3 business days notice. Then, once you accept the shipping bid, contact Brent via phone at 269-888-1419 and we'll write up the order and get your credit card info over the phone. Payment must clear prior to your carrier's arrival. We can generally band up to 2 boat lift cranes diagonally across the top of the stack as well!

Yes, we know unless you are a pro installer, you probably don't need 10+ floats for yourself, however if you get a combined order with 2 or 3 neighbors (they're going to be shocked at individual shipping expense and borrow yours constantly if you don't- trust us!) or simply re-sell your extras locally, your shipping expense is generally very reasonable when split, or sometimes essentially free if you pass it on entirely to cover for your time arranging the order for them. Several customers have posted online ads showing our link/ videos and posted ballpark-expected shipping fees for them prior to ordering to gauge interest. Most have had a bunch of interest immediately, with numerous customers making repeat purchases/ shipments this way and selling the floats at $250-$400 each for example, to cover their own shipping.

LTL Carrier Quote Info- Use this info when you contact your shipping carrier/ LTL freight company of your choice:

Specify if you have a semi-loading dock (cheapest) or need a lift-gate service for residential delivery (generally much more expensive versus a loading dock) and that it is 'Non-Stackable' (both are extremely important for quote accuracy), 6 ft. x 7 ft. as the outer dimensions, height 5" per float based on your quantity plus 6" factored for the pallet, weight at 35 lbs. per float plus 80 lbs. for the pallet (there is some safety factor built into these numbers), NMFC Freight Class: 300.

You can probably expect $500-1,000+ per pallet, it takes up 4-8 spots in the truck since it is non-stacking and oversized. For reference, one customer shipped one single float to Florida on their corporate account (great rates compared to private) and was $380 for ONE float (in 2020, surely would be higher now).

Why Struggle Like This?!

When You Can SOLO Adjust Legs & Add Wheels Like This?