Boat Maintenance: Understanding Corrosion

Over time and with regular use, your boat encounters plenty of wear and tear. Exposure to sun, salt water, wind, and sand can also affect its overall condition. While you can conveniently tackle minor issues, you will need specialized tools and techniques to address corrosion. Thankfully, your local marine experts are here to help.

Keep reading this guide to learn more about protecting your boat from corrosion. If you need more information, contact Dewitt Marine.

What is Corrosion?

Although there are various distinct types of corrosion, the one you want to understand is galvanic corrosion. Here, two materials with different atomic makeup encounter an electrolyte pool, which activates a positive and negative charge in the materials. This creates a battery, where one end becomes the cathode—the negatively charged material, and the other the anode—the positively charged material.

When the cathode attracts electrons from the anode, it causes the anode to lose particles and break down. This is when galvanic corrosion occurs and affects certain parts of your boat the most, such as your propeller or the mast and any other spots exposed to saltwater.

Tips to Prevent Boat Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion is faster than natural oxidation, and you want to protect your boat by following the strategies discussed below.

Clean Your Boat Regularly

First, you want to wash off dirt and salt deposits accumulated on your boat, especially after a long-duration outing. If left unchecked, they can cause corrosion and lead you to seek expensive repairs. You also want to rinse off the engine with fresh water after every use and take off any sediments that can create issues down the line.

Protect Your Boat with Wax

Next, you should wax your boat regularly to give it an extra layer of protection against exposure to sun and saltwater. Make sure you use quality marine wax—they last longer, offer better protection than automotive waxes and give your vessel the perfect shine.

We hope you find this guide handy. If you need more maintenance advice or help tuning up your vessel before your next outing, visit Dewitt Marine. We proudly serve Bellaire, Northern Michigan, and Traverse City, MI—so reach out today.