Largest travel lift on Fort Lauderdale’s New River hauls first yacht

Lauderdale Marine Center (LMC) has announced that its new travel lift, named The Beast, has begun hauling boats from the New River onto the yard for service. 

Built by Italian manufacturer Cimolai, the lift is one of two new lifts at the yard, and stands at over five stories tall and 47ft wide. 

With a total capacity of 485 tons, she is the largest lift on the New River, capable of hoisting yachts up to 180ft (58.86m) long and 34.5ft (10.51m) wide. Her first haul was 143ft Van Hill motoryacht, Star Ship.

Doug West, president of LMC said, “Increasing LMC's haul-out capabilities enables us to maintain our position at the top of the list of yacht repair facilities in South Florida and to accommodate the ever-growing worldwide fleet of large yachts that come annually to this area for service. 

“For jobs of all sizes and budgets, our unique business model gives owners and captains total control and peace of mind from the time they arrive at the yard."

Other recent enhancements at the shipyard include improvements to the west portion of the facility, which expanded its capacity to accommodation yachts up to 120ft, with multi-phase, multi-voltage power capabilities up to 480V.

Renovations at the adjacent Riverbend Marine Center, acquired by LMC, are also nearing completion and include new tenant workspace, offices, and space for an additional 75 boats. 

LMC also recently announced the opening of the world's first marine Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) at its facility. The new FTZ offers numerous benefits to the South Florida yachting industry, as current cruising license regulations forbid selling or showing foreign-flagged vessels to U.S. residents while in U.S. waters outside an FTZ. The marine FTZ at Lauderdale Marine Center is expected to support business development in South Florida's yachting industry as more owners, brokers and builders keep their inventory in the area to be shown, chartered and serviced.   

For more information, visit Lauderdale Marine Center.