Letter 25010

The life of galvanized beams in salt atmosphere [North Carolina] 

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I live on a salt water sound and have a boat lift. The cradle is made of galvanized H-beams. The beams have become quite rusty after ten years of service. I have recently scrapped them and spray painted them with more galvanized paint. My question - how long should such beams last in this type of atmosphere? The boat I lift on it is a 1977 25 foot Chris Craft with a fiber glass hull.

Thanks for any information you can give me.

Hardy Wessell
consumer - Surf City, North Carolina, USA

10 years in such a corrosive environment sounds like you got your money's worth. But your new "galvanized spray paint" is not a match for factory applied hot-dip galvanizing. I'd give you maybe 2 or 3 years this time; just a guess.

But I see no reason you couldn't also attach zinc anodes to extend the life easily and inexpensively; then if you replaced the anodes when required, your repair might last a good deal longer.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

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