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ABOUT US
Product Timeline
The Flat Plate is made and sold to start the business. Larger models including the 8500 were introduced later
The E-Gear is developed to be the first fully-enclosed gear drive specifically designed for the boat lift industry.
The AMS Series drives are created with the first model, the 370:1, a compact, quiet right angle gearbox with impressive torque for its size
The AMS line is expanded to include a revolutionary, ultra high-speed version, the 198:1, which utilizes a helical gear design
1980's
1990's
Early 2000's
2010's
2020's
The PWC Hoist is developed, patented and sold.
The EBD is created as a hybrid model combining value from the Flat Plate with the low-maintenance enclosed gearing of the E-Gear
Soon after the 370:1, the next AMS model is created, a 450:1 version with even higher torque maintaining the same low-profile design
We continue to sell and support every one of these products to this day
History & Mission
Aqua Marine Supply/ Hefty Hoist, Inc was founded in the late 1980's by our President, Chester Hauck. The company started by manufacturing one product, the Flat Plate; a simple and cost-effective hoist for the purpose of lifting boats on boat lifts. As the company began to establish itself in the industry, larger models were eventually added to the lineup and then soon after, totally new products as well. In the early 1990's, we developed the PWC Hoist for smaller boats and personal watercraft. In 2002, we created the first totally enclosed gearbox specifically designed for boat lifts, the E-Gear. This product totally revolutionized the boat lift industry and has been a long-standing part of our business ever since.
Over the years, our products have been imitated and even blantantly copied, mostly by companies that make a point to have "US" or "USA" in their name - which is a bit misleading to consumers when the items are usually made entirely outside the United States! These copies are usually just a short term, minor blip in the market as they prioritize quantity over quality. When customers realize they are not made to last and cannot get support or warranty from the distributor, they are quickly abandoned. "Off-the-shelf" gears simply do not last in the harsh environments boat lifts get subjected to. Our mission continues to be to create the best possible gear drives in the industry and to support our customers in every way we can.
Our dedication to innovating new products is matched by our commitment to continue to support existing ones. We devote a considerable amount of time and resources to troubleshooting issues as well as educating new lift manufacturers to make sure that our products are used in the correct manner and to their fullest ability for the application. We welcome and encourage our customers to involve us in the design of their lifts to hopefully avoid any issues that might be overlooked. We consider our customers to be partners of AMS because we know we will only be successful when they are.