18 | WATERLINE July 2026 FEATURE BOATYARDS & YARD EQUIPMENT VARIABLE WIDTH MOBILE BOAT HOISTS AND THE CHANGING NEEDS OF MODERN BOATYARDS EMERGING TRENDS IN BOATYARD LIFTING AND HANDLING EQUIPMENT As Australia's boating market continues to evolve, boatyards are increasingly required to accommodate a broader range of vessel types and beam widths, while making the most of limited working space. From cruising catamarans and sailboats to monohull yachts, operators need equipment that can adapt quickly and efficiently to changing demands. Variable width mobile boat hoists are playing a key role in helping boatyards maximise capacity, improve service throughput, and get more vessels onto the hardstand without expanding their footprint. A Catamaran’s wider beam often presents storage and handling challenges for facilities relying on fixed-width lifting equipment, a variable width machine allows operators to seamlessly adjust width to match the vessel being lifted, enabling a single piece of equipment to efficiently handle both wide-beam and narrower monohulls. This flexibility delivers significant operational advantages. Instead of losing valuable yard space to always accommodate the widest vessels, operators can retract the hoist to suit the width of each vessel’s beam, allowing facilities to reduce aisle spacing, create denser storage layouts, and optimise every square meter of available land. The benefits of variable width machines extend beyond storage density. Faster, more efficient vessel movement enables operators to increase the number of lifts during peak maintenance periods, reduce bottlenecks, and improve customer turnaround times. Variable-width technology, with multiple steering modes: Coordinate, Carousel, Crab, 90° Front, and 90° Rear, also improves manoeuvrability throughout the yard. In narrower configurations, operators can move efficiently through buildings, maintenance areas, and restrictive access lanes, allowing one machine to perform a wide range of lifting and transport tasks throughout the facility. Boatyards are facing increasing pressure to improve safety, reduce emissions, minimise noise and control operating costs. As a result, the most noticeable shift is that “yard innovation” is no longer limited to incremental upgrades of standard machines, with facilities exploring purpose-built handling systems designed around each site’s layout, vessel mix and workflow—supported by technology that improves precision, reduces risk and keeps equipment productive. As technology advances, machines are engineered and custom-built to the customer’s requirements, with highly configurable layouts and features. Modern boat handling systems are now available in a wide range of capacities and layouts, enabling facilities to accommodate everything from small pleasure craft through to large superyachts and commercial vessels. Configurations can include telescopic solutions and fully electric set-ups, enabling yards to tailor manoeuvrability, footprint and energy profile to their operational constraints. Industry is also seeing increased interest in electrification. Advances in battery technology and electric drive systems, combined with stricter environmental regulations and growing sustainability awareness, is seeing private owners and commercial operators increasingly viewing electric solutions as a strong alternative to traditional diesel-hydraulic machines. Shipyards, boatyards, charter companies and maritime transport providers are also showing interest in electrification to improve efficiency and sustainability—particularly in locations where noise and local emissions are sensitive issues. In response, Cimolai Technology has, over the past 12 months, expanded and refined its fully electric offering. Electric drive can provide more consistent and predictable movement as the machines are no longer influenced by variables typical of hydraulic systems and diesel engines. The result is more linear, accurate and predictable movement — an advantage when handling high-value loads in tight yards. Energy efficiency is also a key benefit, with some equipment incorporating a regenerative battery system that can convert braking energy during load lowering into electrical energy to recharge the As vessel fleets continue to diversify, flexibility in lifting and transport equipment is becoming an increasingly important consideration for marina and boatyard operators. Variable-width lifting technology represents one approach to addressing the challenges associated with servicing a mix of monohull and multihull vessels while maximising operational efficiency and hardstand utilisation. For more information, visit: marinetravelift.com battery, supporting smarter energy use during normal operating cycles. Alongside advances in equipment design, digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role in maintenance and asset management. Remote diagnostics, tele-assistance and real-time monitoring systems are becoming more common, enabling operators and service technicians to identify faults, assess machine performance, and in some cases, resolve issues, remotely. Training for maintenance teams and operators should cover preventive checks, fault diagnosis, safe lifting practices, load monitoring, and verification and calibration of overload devices, helping embed safer, more consistent handling across every lift. For more information, visit: cimolaitechnology.com
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