Has anybody Made a Funicular?

[collinsln]

I need to design and build a chair lift to to transport people up and down from my boat dock to my house.

[mklotz]

I need to design and build a chair lift to to transport people up and down from my boat dock to my house.

Check with your local authorities first. Since you would be building something that could potentially endanger people, they may require you to have a design approved by a professional engineer. There may also be requirements you haven't yet thought about such as lockouts to prevent untrained people from using the device.

[Sleykin]

I need to design and build a chair lift to transport people up and down from my boat dock to my house.

I have a stair chair in my home that runs on batteries and has a rack to drive on. If I were to make a lift like a funicular, I would look at garage door parts. The tracks and wheels would be perfect for the base. You would need a winch with a cable spool appropriate for the length of the run. I had a friend that built a lift like that to bring projects and wood up and down from his wood shop over his garage. Worked great with a Harbor Freight winch. Might want to consider a ruaway brake for it in the event the cable breaks.
How long is the run?

[BuffaloJohn]

I need to design and build a chair lift to to transport people up and down from my boat dock to my house.

Not yet, but it is a phase of my ride on railroad plans. In my case, I have a 35ft rise over about 350ft (10% grade).

No doubt, you have researched the many existing examples. Important to your design are the physical obstacles (distance, elevation change, grade variation, anchoring, safety concerns, etc.), mechanical obstacles (track, power on board or power at high end (like cable car), power required, weight, grade changes, straight and curves, material strength, attachment to rails, attachment to rack/cable/chain, weather protection, power failure, safety concerns, etc.), operational obstacles (number of passengers per trip, age range of passengers, cycle time, control of train, power failure, mechanical failure, weather, maintenance, safety concerns, etc.), cost obstacles (design, materials, construction, equipment required, help required, access, site preparation, site maintenance, etc.), and fun.

Can you share more details on your physical obstacles?