If you have wooden bunks on your boat chances are you will need new boat lift cables well before their normal lifespan is up. If your cables are frayed or have any breaks in the strands you will need to replace them soon to avoid a catastrophe. Wooden bunks are buoyant so when your cradle goes into the water the cables will unspool incorrectly when this happens the cables will run over top of one another causing them to crease and kink and if they run over each other too much it can greatly weaken the integrity of the cable. Cables should be inspected regularly.