Welcome to the ShoreMaster Blog – Your Dockside Source for Lake Life Inspiration

Your boat lift makes storing, accessing, cleaning, and maintaining your boat easier. However, while it keeps your boat safe from water-based hazards when it’s not in use, a boat lift isn’t the only way to keep your boat safe. Putting a canopy over your boat lift can help protect your boat by protecting it from hazards above the water.

A boat is one of the best ways to enjoy everything the outdoors offer. Not every part of nature is idyllic and peaceful; however—there are a surprising number of things that can cause damage to your boat. Despite being designed to be outside and in the water for lengths of time, the elements can damage your boat in expensive and potentially catastrophic ways. Wind, water, sun, pests, debris, and other naturally-occurring hazards can wreck a beautiful boat and harm your enjoyment as well as your wallet. The water, wind, and sun are the worst offenders for boat damage, and here’s why.

A clean, well-maintained boat dock is important for a beautiful waterfront. It’s also safer for you, your family, and the environment. Algae buildup is unattractive and too slippery to walk on and needs to be cleaned once you see it to avoid accidents.

But another part of what makes your waterfront beautiful is the water itself. To keep your shoreline beautiful, you don’t want to use chemicals that will hurt or kill wildlife. Luckily, cleaning your dock the eco-friendly way is simple and less expensive than buying cleaning solutions or hiring professional cleaners. Here are some tips for how to clean your dock without harming the natural beauty of your water.

Your dock is only as strong as the quality of its construction and the material it’s built from. It’s also the centerpiece of just about everything you do on the shore. After all, you will be walking on this dock and any accessories you have on it to access the water and your watercraft. It’s important to ensure that when purchasing or upgrading a dock system, you review the dock decking options and materials.

Your boat dock needs to be strong to stand up to the rigors of outdoor and waterfront life. This dock could potentially be in the water year-round, meaning it needs to stand up to the water, sun, weather patterns, mold and mildew, and other natural phenomena. Outside of that choice, there are many personal choices and priorities that need to be weighed, including how much maintenance work you’re willing to do, your budget, and the aesthetics and feel of your dock.

ShoreMaster has not only pioneered the aluminum boat dock, but we’ve seen many different boat docks in our decades in the waterfront industry. Here are our thoughts on different dock materials, including our favorite, welded aluminum.