How to Winterize Your Boat Lift for Winter Season?
When the wool socks and sweaters come in, your boat and boat lift will be winterized. If you’d like to go boating and for watersports when the right season comes, then having your boat and boat lift in the right condition is essential. This makes it important that you have everything ready for operation immediately upon the end of the season. Here are some important preparations for a residential dock and an elevator that will help you prepare for snowfall and temperatures. You can follow these tips on how to winterize your boat lift for the winter season.
Winter descends from lakes across all regions. When temperatures start to chill, people around the area are wondering if they should pull up the boat lifts from the ocean before the temperatures get colder. If your goal is to get your boat lifted, be careful about the following factors that will lead you to a successful decision.
Ice on the Water
As the seasons change, those of you living in areas with winter weather may be wondering whether or not you should pull your boat lift and dock out of the water before freezing temperatures arrive. A high amount of ice will cause damage and crush even the strongest aluminum boat lifts. The ice formed in the surrounding area of the boat lift could cause the dock to be out of position and deteriorate all fixings that support the lifting device.
During the winter, ice can cause damage but is exacerbated by flowing sub currents which can cause further injury. The Ice will be moved in the winter causing significant strain on the boat hull and docking station. Spring is very hazardous as well. The most extreme situation is on lakes that were pumped out to prepare for Spring runoff.
Clean and Seal the Decking
You should clean the dock deck every year, however, it is recommended to have more frequent cleanings. In some cases, algae can cause damage during the off-season. When properly cleaned up, the condition will be preserved and the same will remain through the Spring season. During your cleaning, make sure to check dock deficiencies that require repairs. Permitting can take up a maximum time of 140 days so the repairs should be made immediately.
When you clean and seal the decking it clears out all the unnecessary debris. When there is no build-up of dirt in the minute areas of the docking system, then water does not affect those parts. However, if it’s not cleaned then the water can get trapped in those small areas which can eventually freeze and damage the boat as a whole. Hence, cleaning the decking is an important thing to do if you want to prevent anything bad from happening to the boat lift.
Water Bubblers
Many dock owners with piles use dock bubblers to prevent ice formation around the boat lifts and docks. They provide good protection for boat lifts in fixed docking areas with little snow or wind. Unlike ice, they do not offer protection against moving ice. The owner of the dock also faces issues at some stage of the season when the bubbler will stop working as the water level drops.
Water bubblers are good to have in the meantime when you are coming up with a much viable and permanent solution for things. Water bubblers can get expensive to maintain as well as they require continuous use of electricity. So, if you’re solely relying on water bubblers to help you last throughout the winter season then you should know that it’s not a permanent solution. You want to save up money while you’re not using your boat rather than keep spending money.
Cable Boat Lifts
Cableboat lifts mounted above or on docks are prone to develop issues during winter. If they are left unattended, they will void their warranty and could be exposed in a way that could potentially cause damage. As with all equipment, the user is responsible for checking their manual for proper winterization and security.
Boat lifts that are supported by cables require a different form of maintenance for the winter months. Although, people who are fond of cold weather boating frequently use their boat docks and that keeps their lift cables lubricated and functional. But if you are looking to winterize your boat, then you shouldn’t leave your boat lift cables uncovered throughout the winter months.
Tie The Floating Dock System
You’ll need to ensure that your floating docks’ coastline connections are safe. Winter storms can often cause the loosening of tied pieces and damage to them. If the dock is small you can put it out in the winter. If the water is freezing, your boat might be damaged.If there is ice build-up and your boat lift is not winterized then the ice will affect your system. But you still need to tie your floating dock system so that it doesn’t float away with the water currents.
Store All Accessories
When you put your kayaks and paddleboats in tee-up containers at your dock all the time during summer you should get rid of them. When you put the kayak on shelves or storage racks you must make sure the watercraft doesn’t get damaged by snow.
If you can’t remove your boat lift from the water, do what you can to keep the winter weather from damaging it. Invest in a de-icer, which protects your boat lift from ice damage by creating an ice-free warm zone around it to prevent ice formation. If you get a lot of storms, secure your lift: remove the boat completely, secure the beams, so they don’t sway in the wind
Benefits
If you’re an avid boater and water-sport fanatic, putting away the water toys and lifting your boat above water for the last time can make you long for the return of the boating season. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your equipment is ready to go as soon as the snow is off the ground. When that time arrives, you can kick off the summer season with ease and excitement, knowing everything is working as it should.
Avoid Damage To The Lift
Remove the lift from the water lifting your boat lift out of the water is the best way to keep it from getting damaged by the elements over the winter. Just one step means that your boat lift avoids freezing conditions, ice movement, and related damage.
If you have a pile-driven dock you may be able to use a bubbler to prevent the formation of ice which can protect lifts on fixed docks and areas where there’s no ice movement. Unless you’re planning on cold weather boating and have a system designed specifically for ice, it is recommended to simply remove your dock and lift at the end of the season to store safely out of the water.
Protection For The Motor
If you’re not able to store your lift indoors, you’ll want to cover it to protect it from the elements. While the lift itself may be a little more forgiving, be sure that the motor is stored in a dry place that is free from temperature fluctuations and moisture. Unless you have a permanent dock or one that can be winched up, you’ll also want to consider removing and storing it as well.
Withstanding Winter Elements
In addition to causing surfaces to become slippery and hazardous, ice formations in the water can scratch and cause structural damage to docks and lifts left in water. Cable boat lifts that are hung overhead or situated dockside don’t need to be removed during the winter months and if you plan on cold-weather boating, you might consider a specialty cold-weather dock design to withstand winter elements.
Conclusion
To conclude, we can say that if you are not using your boat in the winter season, then you should definitely without a single doubt winterize your boat. That only enhances the life of the boat lift and can help you save up a lot of costs. The main purpose of winterizing your boat is so you don’t have to spend a ton of money on your docking system when the time to use it comes. You should consider hiring a professional boat lift maintenance company that can help you in this regard.
FootHills Dock & Lift Repair offers a variety of boat and boat lift maintenance services. With the winter season approaching, you can rely on our services as we can effectively help you winterize your boat. We guarantee that your boat will retain its original condition after the season ends. We also provide lift removal, dock resurfacing, boat and dock maintenance, dock cleaning, and others. Contact us today and book an appointment!