Most boat lift options work best with at least three feet of water, but shallow shorelines still have options. Go with a sling-style option to compensate for the lack of depth. Shallow water or kicked cradles are also beneficial for water that's more shallow on one side of your slip than the other.

Leaving your boat lift in the water could result in damage from freezing conditions, especially if you live in an area where ice movement is common. A wheel kit from ShoreMaster can make boat lift removal as easy as rolling it out of the water, and your boat lift can easily sit on those wheels or its pads.

The front and rear of your lift should be level with each other. Assuming you don't have a floating boat lift that automatically adjusts to the water level, this likely means that your back legs will be longer than your front legs, especially if you have a downward slope from your shoreline.

A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock.