What kind of winch should I use for my set up?

I want to be able to lift the boat straight up with out crushing the hull.
What type, brand of hoist or winch should I use?
Thanks in advance

 

Welcome to the Forum Frimi.

I presume that you want to lift the boat off the trailer?

Assuming that the two gantries shown are strong enough for the purpose, would it be feasible to use chainblock hoists?
If you have two on each gantry, with each pair attached to a sling under the boat?
If each chainblock is hoisting vertically, then there will be very little compressive forces on the hull trying to squeeze it.
You would then ideally need to have four crew, one person per chain block, all hoisting in unison.

 

The type and brand of hoist or winch is irrelevant, it just has to have a greater stated capacity then the lifted object. In order to not crush the hull you use webbing straps around the hull, and place them where the bulkheads or frames are. The gantry beams will act as spreader bars, insuring you don't crush it. This is how every boat lift operates.

 

If you are considering an electric 120 volt or 12 volt dc winch there are a few things to consider

A winch and a hoist are two different items.

Generally a winch will have a rating at its maximum pulling capacity at stall, based on the first layer of cable wrap. Most planetary style winches, say over 4000 pound capacity depending on the make, will have a one way bearing on the power input shaft that self activates when it comes under load. Unfortunately, when lowering a load, the brake must slip and over time the brake will fail.

A hoist will have a higher Factor of Safety, usually about 4:1 and its brake mechanism will have brake that will hold the rated load with the FS but permit the load to be lowered without causing slippage and hence wear on the brake. Normally, a hoist will not have a free wheeling clutch.

In the smaller capacity winches , 1000 to 3000 pound range , cheaper planetary winches, there often is not a brake mechanism but the planetary gear by virtue of gear friction will offer a braking component if the gear ratio is high. But these types can slip at higher loading and lower the load slowly. A term sometimes used by manufacturers to describe the braking mechanism is called an "inertial brake"

 

I'd probably just get a pair of old fashioned "Differential" chain hoists.
No ratchets/no brakes, none needed, they hold the load at any point you want.