Marina's recently acquired Wiggins forklift

Apparent failure of forklift bolts and/or a hydraulic cylinder resulted in damage to six boats at an Englewood marina with new owners. No-one was injured.

"All we know at this point is that the carriage bolts sheared off the mast," says Douglas Reichard, general manager and co-owner of the Stump Pass Marina. "We found them cut in half, lying on the concrete."

In addition, a main hydraulic cylinder failed and blew out the bottom of the equipment. "We don't know which happened first," he notes. "The carriage and forks came crashing down onto five boats while a boat was still on the forks that we were in the process of lifting."

The forklift was a 2005 Taylor Admiral with 22,000 lb. (9,900 kg) lifting capacity. The forklift "was in service for eight or nine years and was operated by a certified operator with 25 years of marine forklift experience including 14 years' experience at this marina", Reichard says. The operator "has driven this lift since it was delivered here new".

An insurance company is investigating the exact cause of last week's accident.

The ownership change was completed on 7 March, and Reichard ordered another forklift on 10 March "as part of our plans to fix up the marina". The marina obtained a used Wiggins Marina Bull 230 from Worldwide Wholesale Forklifts of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Stump Pass Marina has 13 employees and 307 slots for boat storage.