I rented a 30K capacity crane yesterday. For 6 hours including delivery and 2 operators it was $1000. This wasn't a fly-by-night operation either. They're running 20 crews and fully insured.

I'll probably never own something needing to be "craned" in, But do you need something setup on the boat to crane it? I wouldn't imagine you'd just lift it by the cleats??
Maybe a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway.

$2.50/ft. @ Anacortes WA

Race boats usually have specialized lifting eyes on the transom and bow or upper deck tied to the stringers and a set of custom straps to lift it straight. Also at many racesites they have a spreader (standard rigging equipment) with 2 large straps to lift boats without lift points-this is a pain in the a$$ on many boats due to steps, trailer design, and weight/balance issues. Some of the race organizations have forced you to have custom straps if you are going to use the crane in order to avoid the strap/spreader gig. Race sites pay for the crane and the crane crew works for t-shirts :D

They are special setups made to lift the boat. There are eyes on the transom and on the top deck that are tied into the stringers to hold the weight of the boat. Here are a few pictures to show you what I am talking about.

This is our old Top Gun. You can see that it does not have the standard rings or eyes on the transom. In place of them it has a different seyup made for lifting. On the bow there are two lifting eyes as well. These eyes are attached to the stringers and a bulkhead inside the boat.

Our Apache uses lifting eyes on the bow that are flush with the deck when not in use. The Gladiator had this same setup on the top deck. The eyes are different than the ones on the Top Gun, but they are attached to the boat's structure the same way. In the picture of the Gladiator top deck, the eyes are next to the Mother's stickers. On the Apache they are in closer to the bow rail. The rear setup on both of these boats is the same as the Top Gun pictured above.