Cover Lifters - Are They Necessary?

[Quickbeam]

I have another post up that my wife and I hope to purchase our first hot tub sometime in the first two or three months of 2014. When we get our tub, it will be going in the corner of a roof deck. Space is definitely at a premium. Every inch we take for the hot tub is an inch we don't have for outside seating area. It is a balancing act for sure. With this in mind, I would like to solicit opinions on how important it is to have a cover lifter? If at all possible I would prefer not to have one, but because of the location of the tub, from what I have seen so far, it would be very difficult if not impossible to install one after the tub is up and running. So I really need to make a decision before the tub is in place as to whether or not to get a cover lifter.

So to summarize, because of space restrictions I would prefer not to have a cover lifter, but as this will be my first hot tub I'm not sure how important the cover lifter is, and I pretty well need to make up my mind before the tub is installed. Any opinions would be much appreciated.

[rosewoodsteel]

Perhaps if it is a small tub, a cover lifter wouldn't be a necessity.  My experience is with larger tubs and in my opinion, a lifter is a must.   If you have a lifter, anyone can use a tub.  With my old tub, there is no way my wife could take off the cover without the help of a lifter. And, after a few years, when a cover gets heavier, they become difficult for anyone to move easily. Also, if space is at a premium, a lifter helps you store the cover in relatively close quarters.   

[Quickbeam]

Sorry, I should have included the size of tub we will be looking at. We are hoping to get a tub somewhere close to 7' x 7'.

Also, for storing the cover, space won't really be an issue as I can move the cover out of the seating area. Where the space becomes an issue is the extra space I need to leave at each side where the cover lifter attaches, and the extra space I need to leave at the end of the tub when the cover lifter is in use and the cover is off the tub. I know it may not seem like a lot of space, but I am not kidding when I say every inch counts. As an example, if I need to leave 6 inches on each side of the tub to attach the lifter (I'm not sure if this is accurate??), then that obviously takes one foot out of our seating area.

Any more thoughts on this?

[rosewoodsteel]

Believe me, if you can make it happen, your wife will thank you for the cover lifter.

[Darzmr]

I had a rear space issue re the cover lifter - solved: my lifter only needs 7" rear clearance.  Unsure of the side measurements, but it's not much, 3" each side is my guesstimate.  If you're going to use the spa a lot, I think you'll appreciate having a lifter more than another outside seat.

[rosewoodsteel]

Hey,
You could always modify the railing on the cover side of the spa, so the cover hangs to the side of your deck, when in use.  And I agree with Darzmr, my lifter doesn't take up much room from side to side.

[Quickbeam]

Thanks guys for the replies. If it was only 3" on each side and 7" on the rear I might be able to make that work. Unfortunately there is no way I'm going to modify the rail around the deck. It would change the look of the house, and the house is brand new (just built) so I'm not about to try that. Will take a look and see what the minimum clearance I can come up with is though. Thanks again for the input.

[rosewoodsteel]

Quickbeam,
You may want to visit a dealer or two and see if they have any "low profile" lifters.   While you are there, you will also be able to see how much space the lifters take up by checking out their floor models.