Floating lift for watercraft with inflatable pontoons

Abstract

A floating low profile watercraft lifting apparatus comprises a buoyant support apparatus and a watercraft lift attached to the buoyant support apparatus. Embodiments of the lift have first and second cantilever arms pivotally mounted to a base at offset pivot points for use in shallow water. The lift includes an actuator connected to the first and second cantilever arms and operable to move the first and second cantilever arms between a collapsed configuration and an extended configuration with uniform application of force and a minimum amount of travel of actuator components. The support apparatus comprises inflatable pontoons within a frame attached to the lift and providing buoyant support for the lifting apparatus.

1 . A floating watercraft lift, comprising: 
 a buoyant support apparatus having a support frame configured to be anchored with respect to a body of water and a floatable frame mounted on the support frame, the floatable frame comprising inflatable pontoons, and    a watercraft lift apparatus supported by the buoyant support apparatus.    
   
   
       2 . A floating watercraft lift according to  claim 1 , wherein said lift apparatus comprises: 
 a base;    a first pair of booms having a first pair of ends pivotally joined to said base to rotate about a first axis and a boom extension projecting from said first pair of ends thereof;    a second pair of booms having a first pair of ends pivotally joined to said base to rotate about a second axis;    watercraft supports pivotally connected to said pairs of booms;    an actuator pivotally connected to at least one of said first and second pair of booms, said actuator operable for forcing said pivoting booms from a lowered position to a raised position relative to said base to raise said watercraft supports, and said actuator operable for retracting said pivoting booms from the raised position to the lowered position to lower said watercraft supports.    
   
   
       3 . A floating watercraft lift according to  claim 1 , wherein said buoyant support apparatus further comprises a catwalk  
   
   
       4 . A floating watercraft lift according to  claim 1 , wherein said floatable frame is slideably mounted on the support frame.  
   
   
       5 . A floating watercraft lift according to  claim 2 , wherein said actuator is double-acting and said lift apparatus expands over-center to provide gravity-locking functionality in the raised position.