How to Prevent Corrosion on Your Pontoon Boat
As a proud pontoon boat owner, you’ll always want your vessel to remain in pristine condition, both aesthetically and functionally. As a good practice, you should regularly clean and maintain your boat. However, these steps might not be enough to keep corrosion away. That’s why the experts at L&M Marine LLC have created this guide. Keep reading to learn more.
The Basics
Corrosion is an irreversible process and spreads more quickly than you think. If it occurs in one area of your boat, it won’t take much time to spread to other parts. It can lead to expensive repairs and parts replacements and sometimes even lead to you buying a new boat. The best way to manage this condition is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Understanding the basics of corrosion can help you take some preventive steps. There are several types of corrosion, and when it comes to pontoon boats, your main concern will be galvanic corrosion.
This type of corrosion occurs when two metals of different electrical potentials encounter an electrolyte pool, which will lead to the activation of a positive and negative charge in the material. This creates a sort of battery where one metal will turn into a cathode (negative charge) and the other into the anode (positive charge). The cathode will attract electrons from the anode causing it to lose particles and break down. This is when corrosion begins to occur. It is worth noting here that galvanic corrosion happens much faster than natural oxidation, which can take several years.
Places Where Galvanic Corrosion Occurs
The parts of your pontoon boat that have come into contact with saltwater are more vulnerable to corrosion. These can be areas that have metals like steel and bronze or steel and aluminum. Another common area where corrosion occurs is around the propeller. Sometimes, it can occur even in freshwater environments.
Tools to Prevent Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion can’t be stopped altogether. But what you can do is control where it happens and draw the damage away from the essential boat parts, such as the propeller and hull. You can use a metal called the sacrificial anode, which helps draw the corrosion to itself and keeps the essential components of your vessel safe. However, you should replace the sacrificial anode from time to time before it breaks down.
We hope this guide helps you reduce corrosion on your pontoon boat so you can enjoy many more years with it. If you want to upgrade your vessel to a new one, visit L&M Marine LLC in Stapleton, AL, to check out our selection of pontoon boats for sale. We proudly serve all those in Mobile, AL, and Pensacola, FL.