Travel lift · Manatee River · Bradenton, FL
Boat Haul-Out Services in Bradenton, Florida
Blenker hauls boats out of the water with its own travel lift at its yard on the Manatee River in Bradenton, sets them on blocks, and re-launches them when the work is done. Bottom jobs, the pressure wash and the re-launch are handled in the same yard.
It is for boat owners with work that cannot be done afloat: fresh bottom paint, fiberglass or gel coat damage at or below the waterline, through-hull service, or a close look at the hull. Wet slips and dry storage are on the same property, and trailer storage is available.
Why Blenker
Why haul out at Blenker
A family-owned yard with its own lift
Blenker Boatworks & Marina is a family-owned boat yard and marina, and the travel lift that hauls your boat is the yard's own.
One haul, more than one job
Blenker does bottom paint, fiberglass and gel coat repair, through-hull service and engine work. Ask about lining up two jobs on one haul, so the boat comes out of the water once.
Slips and storage on the same property
Wet slips on the West and East docks and dry storage are on the same Manatee River property as the travel lift, and trailer storage is available. A boat kept at the docks is already at the yard when it needs a haul.
Every haul line is posted
Haul, block and re-launch, the short haul, the pressure wash, forklift time and labor each carry a posted rate, and the estimator on this page multiplies the haul line by the boat's length. The total for your boat comes from a written quote.
Published rates
What it costs
Each line has its own rate. The total for your boat is the one in your written quote.
- Haul / Block / Re-Launch
- $25/ft
- Short Haul
- $15/ft
- Pressure Wash
- $150
- Forklift
- $250/hr
- Labor
- $150/hr
Rates as published by the yard. The quote is where the price for your boat is set.
Length estimator
Estimate your boat
Type your boat's length. The estimator multiplies it by the published haul, block and re-launch rate, and shows the short haul and the other published lines. It is an estimate for planning, not a quote.
Haul / Block / Re-Launch
30 ft × $25/ft$750one time
Also published, each on its own line: Pressure Wash $150 · Forklift $250/hr · Labor $150/hr.
Ask for a written quote on 30 ftAn estimate for planning only. It uses your boat's length, rounded up to a whole foot, and the line's minimum length where one applies. It leaves out tax, fees, repairs found along the way and anything a quote lists on a separate line. The written quote is the price. Rates as published by the yard. The quote is where the price for your boat is set.
Before you agree to a price
What to get in writing before the haul
Before the boat goes into the slings, ask for each of these on paper:
- The boat's length overall, beam, draft and weight, since the lift has to handle all four.
- The length the per-foot rate is charged on, and what haul, block and re-launch covers.
- Full haul or short haul, and what the short haul includes.
- Whether the pressure wash is its own line.
- Forklift time and labor, if the job uses them, with the hourly rates and an estimate of hours.
- How long the boat can stay on the blocks, and the charge after that.
- Tax, any fees, and how payment works.
How a haul-out works
From the water to the blocks and back
Ask which steps your job needs before booking.
Haul
Slings pass under the hull and the travel lift raises the boat clear of the water.
Block
The lift rolls the boat into the yard and lowers it onto blocks, with the whole bottom open to work. Haul, block and re-launch is priced as one line, by the foot.
Pressure wash
Growth and slime come off under the pressure washer, leaving the bottom clean enough to inspect and work on. The wash is priced on its own line.
The work
Bottom paint, a fiberglass repair, through-hull work or an inspection: whatever the haul was for. Yard labor and forklift time are each billed by the hour.
Re-launch
The travel lift picks the boat up off the blocks and lowers it back into the river. The re-launch is part of the per-foot haul line.
“Friendly, hard working staff.”
Google review · January 2020 · 4.3 on Google, 95 reviews
Questions about haul-out & storage
What does it mean to haul out a boat?
Hauling out means lifting a boat out of the water and setting it on land, so the bottom, the running gear and anything else below the waterline can be cleaned, painted, inspected or repaired. At Blenker the haul is done with a travel lift, and the boat rests on blocks in the yard until it is re-launched.
How much does it cost to haul out a boat in Bradenton?
At Blenker, haul, block and re-launch is $25/ft, so the haul itself follows the boat's length. A short haul is $15/ft, and the pressure wash, forklift time and labor are separate lines at $150, $250/hr and $150/hr. Type the boat's length into the estimator on this page to see the haul figure.
What is a travel lift?
A travel lift is a tall wheeled frame that straddles a boat in the water, lifts it out on slings and carries it across the yard. It lets a yard haul a boat without a crane or a trailer and set it down where the work will be done. Blenker hauls with its own travel lift.
How big a boat can Blenker's travel lift haul?
Every travel lift has limits on weight, beam and length, so the boat's own numbers decide it. Call with the length overall, beam, draft and weight, and ask whether the boat fits Blenker's lift; the builder's spec sheet or the owner's manual usually gives the weight.
What is a short haul?
At many boatyards, a short haul lifts the boat and holds it in the slings for a limited time, long enough for a survey or a look at the bottom, instead of blocking it in the yard. Blenker lists the short haul as its own line at $15/ft; ask what it covers at this yard before booking one.
How often should a boat be hauled out?
There is no fixed interval. Boats kept in the water are usually hauled when the bottom paint wears thin, when something below the waterline needs work, or when a surveyor or insurer asks to see the hull. While the boat is out, ask what else below the waterline is due, so one haul covers it.
Can the yard haul a pontoon boat?
Call with the pontoon's length, beam and weight, and ask whether the travel lift can take it and how that haul is priced.
Where can I get a boat hauled out in Bradenton?
Blenker's travel lift is at the yard at 2504 88th St Ct NW, on the Manatee River in Bradenton. A boat can come up the river straight to the lift, and the service area page covers the routes in by road and by water.
How do I schedule a haul-out?
Send the quote form, or call (941) 794-5500, with the boat's size, what the haul is for and the week you have in mind. Wind and tide can push any haul date, so leave some room in your plans.
Related at the yard
- Bottom jobsHaul, pressure wash, paint and re-launch as one job.
- Slips on the Manatee RiverWet slips on the West and East docks.
- Dry storage and trailer storageStorage out of the water, billed monthly by the foot.
- Fiberglass and gel coat repairDamage at or below the waterline is repaired with the boat out of the water.
- Boat detailingWhat to tell the office when you ask for a detail.
- Published ratesEvery line, with a length estimator.
- Service area and drive timesHow far the yard is by road, and the bridges by water.
Get a quote
Tell us about the boat
Length, beam, draft, what the haul is for, and when you want it.
Tell us what your boat needs.
Call the office during Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:00pm, or send the quote form with your boat's length, type and what it needs.