Just after retiring in 2018, I started working non-stop on various projects I thought Tulum needed (with about one year left) before we cut the docklines in late 2019. So in Sept of 2018 I ordered and installed a Forespar Nova Lift to assist us with bringing up our new 20-horse Honda Outboard. I was thrilled when it arrived and we installed it, but we didn’t use it in earnest again until November of 2019,,,,cruising down Baja on Baja Ha-Ha 2019. After using it for just a month or so with regular use, we noticed that the winch was starting to slip. In the middle of a lift, it stopped lifting and never worked again. We had warped or melted the plastic prawls inside the winch and it would no longer lift a 20-horse engine…about 110 pounds. The winch and system is rated for 220 pounds, so why this happened was a mystery to us; most likely explained by cheap manufacturing and inferior materials. On that particular day, we were forced to use a spare mizzen halyard to lift the engine…and we’ve used it ever since.
My words of caution for you are simple….if you need a Nova Lift for a heavy lift that you cannot do yourself; be very careful relying on the product. I recommend you only get a Nova Lift if you use it WITHOUT the winch.
Here’s my previous post from two years ago about installing the Forespar Nova Lift, not too hard to install but the damn thing broke too quickly-
