Boat lifts help protect your boat by keeping it out of the water in times of non-use. The lifts also make it easier to maintain the underside of the boat. However, the lifts themselves also have to be crafted carefully so as to reduce the risk of corrosion on the metal parts of the lift.
Many boat lifts have steel components, and unless that steel is well-coated stainless steel, rust is a real possibility. Even if the steel is stainless, any iron filings left on the outer rust-resistant coating after production can open up the steel to corrosion. For this reason, you might want to look for a boat lift kit that is designed to keep its metal portions out of the water.
Green Rust
You know what red rust looks like and why it forms: water and oxygen mix with iron. You also know why rust seems to form on metals that shouldn't rust, like stainless steel: iron filings stuck to the outside of the steel can rust (the iron filings are from the part's creation process), or the metal may contain iron but be coated with an anti-rust layer that then chips or sustains a scratch.
But metal underwater can also rust even though there's not a lot of oxygen there; this rust is called green rust. If your boat lift has metal parts that sit in the water, that metal could become rusty before you know it.
It Doesn't Take Much Damage to Expose the Metal
It really doesn't take much to start the rusting process for both red and green rust, and once the rust appears, the metal underneath is in trouble. Rust grows rather quickly, so unless you're constantly monitoring the metal parts of the lift for rust spots, you could find a major issue occurring before you know it.
Corrosion Shortens the Life of the Lift
That rust, obviously, eats into the metal and shortens the life span of the lift. The metal can become weak, and smaller parts under stress can bend or snap. Instead of risking this, you can get a boat lift that uses non-metal parts for anything that has to be submerged. While plastic and other non-metal materials can still have their own issues, of course, you won't have to worry about rust.
There are many styles of boat lift kits available. Finding something that is corrosion resistant and that you don't have to constantly inspect for rust should be very easy.
For more information, contact a boat lift kit supplier.
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