Guide
Quick answer: specifying equipment for a UK boatyard
A working UK boatyard needs a coordinated set of equipment: boat stands and keel supports to hold boats on the hard, cradles for boats best stored or moved as a unit, and dollies for moving boats and gear around the yard. The key principle for a professional yard is that every load-bearing item has a documented, traceable capacity — so the yard knows what each piece can hold and can show it.
Rather than buy piecemeal, it pays to spec the equipment as a package matched to the boats the yard handles. KIPAC is an EU manufacturer of CE-documented stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies, supplied to UK yards, and can help spec and quote a coordinated set from your fleet profile. Capacities run up to 40 tonnes depending on the model.
Guide
The core kit: stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies
Most UK yards build around four families of equipment. Boat stands support hulls on the hard — motorboat stands and sailboat (keel-boat) stands. Keel supports take the main weight under the keel, working with side stands on keel boats. Cradles support a boat as one integrated frame, useful for boats stored or moved as a unit and for tight, restackable storage. Dollies and trolleys move boats and equipment around the yard.
Together these cover holding and moving boats safely ashore. A yard handling a varied fleet typically holds a mix: a stock of adjustable stands and keel supports for general use, cradles for specific boats, and dollies for handling. The right balance depends on the yard's boats and workflow, which is why a package is specced rather than bought off a fixed list.
Guide
Boatyard equipment at a glance
The table summarises the core equipment and its role. Capacities and exact specifications are confirmed per yard, so treat it as orientation.
| Equipment | Function | Suits | Capacity (typical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorboat stands | Support powerboat hulls | Motorboats | per model, up to 40 t range |
| Sailboat stands + keel supports | Side support + keel weight | Keel boats | per model |
| Boat cradles | Integrated frame support | Stored/moved as a unit | per model |
| Dollies / trolleys | Move boats and gear | Yard handling | per model |
Every load-bearing item carries a documented capacity. A coordinated package means the yard's equipment is consistent, traceable and matched to the boats handled, rather than an accumulation of mismatched gear.
Guide
CE documentation and EU-made supply to UK yards
For a professional UK yard, documentation is part of the equipment. CE-documented stands, supports, cradles and dollies come with stated, traceable load capacities, which support the yard's own safety records and answer insurer and surveyor questions about how boats are held. A yard built on documented gear can demonstrate that boats are supported on equipment of known capacity.
KIPAC manufactures in Croatia (EU) and supplies CE-documented equipment to UK yards. Since the UK now uses its own conformity arrangements alongside CE, marking acceptance can vary by product — a point for each yard to confirm with its own compliance, surveyor or insurer rather than treat as settled here. What KIPAC provides is the CE documentation and traceable capacity; how the yard records and applies it is its decision. EU-made supply with documentation on request is readily available to UK yards.
Guide
Moving and lifting: dollies and where a hydraulic boat lift fits
Holding boats on stands is one half of yard equipment; moving and lifting them is the other. Dollies and trolleys let a yard move boats and gear around the hard without improvising. For lifting, it is worth being clear about the difference between two things often confused. A travel lift is a large third-party yard machine — a mobile hoist that lifts a boat in slings; it is not a KIPAC product.
KIPAC's hydraulic boat lift is a different thing: a KIPAC-manufactured hydraulic lifting product that has its place in a yard's handling setup. So a yard's equipment can include KIPAC stands, keel supports, cradles, dollies and a KIPAC hydraulic boat lift, while any travel lift it operates is a separate, third-party machine. KIPAC can advise where its hydraulic lift fits alongside the support and handling gear, and confirm the specification at quotation.
Guide
How to spec a package and request a quote
Specifying a boatyard package starts with the yard's fleet and workflow. Note the range of boats handled (longest, heaviest, deepest keel), the mix of motor and keel boats, the storage surface and layout, how boats are moved, and the volume — how many boats on the hard at once. That lets the equipment be specced as a balanced set rather than a guess.
With that profile, KIPAC can spec and quote a coordinated package of CE-documented stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies — and advise on a hydraulic boat lift where relevant — with capacities and quantities confirmed at quotation. For UK yards, EU-made supply with documentation keeps the kit consistent and traceable. Send the fleet profile and KIPAC will confirm a suitable package and capacities.
Checklist
Checklist: specifying boatyard equipment for a UK yard
Longest, heaviest and deepest-keel boats, and the mix of motor and keel boats handled.
Storage surface and layout, how boats are moved, and how many are on the hard at once.
Stands and keel supports to hold boats; cradles where useful; dollies to move them.
Every load-bearing item with a stated, traceable CE capacity.
Check CE/UKCA marking acceptance with your compliance, surveyor or insurer.
Have the supplier confirm capacities and quantities from your fleet profile.
Equipment
Related KIPAC equipment
Adjustable support systems for motorboats in dry storage.
View equipment →Support systems for sailboats in combination with keel support.
View equipment →Technical keel support solutions for load transfer during storage.
View equipment →Structured storage frames for stable boat support on land.
View equipment →Dollies for moving and positioning boats in workshops and marinas.
View equipment →Equipment for lifting and controlled boatyard handling.
View equipment →FAQ
FAQ
A coordinated set: boat stands and keel supports to hold boats on the hard, cradles for boats stored or moved as a unit, and dollies to move boats and gear. Every load-bearing item should have a documented capacity. KIPAC supplies CE-documented stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies to UK yards, specced as a package from the yard's fleet profile.
It gives each load-bearing item a stated, traceable load capacity, which supports a yard's safety records and answers insurer and surveyor questions about how boats are held. A yard built on documented gear can show that boats are supported on equipment of known capacity. KIPAC supplies CE documentation with its equipment; confirm CE/UKCA acceptance with your own compliance contact.
No — a travel lift is a large third-party mobile hoist and is not a KIPAC product. KIPAC manufactures boat stands, keel supports, cradles, dollies and a hydraulic boat lift. The hydraulic boat lift is a KIPAC lifting product, distinct from a third-party travel lift. KIPAC can advise where its hydraulic lift fits alongside the support and handling equipment.
Yes. KIPAC manufactures in Croatia (EU) and supplies CE-documented equipment to UK yards, with documentation on request. The UK uses its own conformity arrangements alongside CE, so confirm marking acceptance for your situation, but EU-made supply with traceable capacity is readily available to UK yards and keeps a yard's kit consistent.
It depends on the yard's fleet, the mix of stands, supports, cradles and dollies, and the quantities. There is no public price list: the package is specced and quoted from the yard's fleet profile and workflow, with capacities and quantities confirmed at quotation. Send the fleet details and KIPAC will confirm a suitable package and capacities.
