New 75 Tonne Wise Hoist at Suffolk Yacht Harbour is the biggest between Bridlington and the Solent

Based on the River Orwell at Levington (near Ipswich), Suffolk Yacht Harbour (SYH) recently invested in a brand new 75 Tonne Wise hoist –it’s the biggest between the Solent and Bridlington. And it’s already being welcomed and used by owners of large craft.

Suffolk Yacht Harbour’s Managing Director Jonathan Dyke says; “The new hoist operates in conjunction with our existing 60 tonne hoist; so SYH now offers its clients increased, more flexible and even faster service. It represents a major investment in the future of the harbour that will benefit berth holders, business partners and other local maritime enterprises.”

Designed and built to Suffolk Yacht Harbour’s specification, the new hoist will take craft up to 25m long. What’s more, it’s wide enough to accommodate up to 6.7m of beam; so support catamarans that service the many East Coast offshore wind farms (and other large leisure or commercial craft) can be lifted. It can also handle boats drawing up to 12 ft. The new hoist incorporates remote controls (for maximum all-round operator vision), foam filled ‘non-pop’ tyres (for extra safety) and slings with load cells (to ensure perfectly balanced lifts).

It’s already proving its worth. Andy Goss of Herne Bay-based Excel Marine Services (operators of a fleet of large windfarm support catamarans including the 15m long and 6.2m wide Catfish 47 photographed in the new hoist) said “up until now, I couldn’t find anyone around here with a hoist able to lift her.” He had steamed from the Gunfleet Sands to SYH for rudder repair work (done quickly and efficiently by an on-site metal fabricator). Thanks to SYH’s new 75 ton hoist, the big Cat’s turn-around time (and thus valuable time lost at sea) was kept to an absolute minimum.