Common Questions about our Boat Lift Covers
LightHouse Marine Services is a family owned and operated business in Tampa Bay Florida specializing in marine products and services. Products include boat lift canopy covers, boat lifts, dock ladders, dock piling repairs (not to include piling replacements), dock decking repairs or replacements, dock side fenders, boat lift repairs, boat lift motor replacements... and more. Generally anything that you may need around your docks to improve your quality of life on and around the waterfront.
Our primary products and services is selling and maintaining boat lift canopy covers and boat lifts. We are a distributor for Waterway Boat Lift Covers - which is the largest and most established boat lift canopy cover manufacturer in the State of Florida - and since 1995 have been dedicated to creating custom boat lift covers that will protect your boat over it's lifetime. In addition to providing exceptional protection for your investment, each cover is carefully crafted to meet your custom design and unique needs.
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about our services.
What is the Warranty on the Waterway Boat Lift Covers?
• FRAMES: The frames are made up of Marine Grade Aluminum and are rated to withstand winds of up to 180 miles per hour - which is well into a category Five Hurricane.
Frames carry a LIFETIME WARRENTY from Waterway!
• HARDWERE: All mounting hardware is all high quality stainless steel that is required to be used on and around dock building and assembly environment because of its ability to withstand even the harshest marine environment and will not rust or corrode.
ALL HARDWERE comes a LIFETIME WARRENTY from Waterway!
• VINIL CANOPY: The vinyl canopy covers are heat welded and made up of the heaviest vinyl available and rated to withstand winds up 70 miles per hour.
The Vinyl Canopy Tops carries a FIVE YEAR LIMITE WARRENTY from both Waterway as well as the vinyl material manufactures!
What are the action steps required to getting a boat lift cover onto your property?
• First thing first - you take the time to contact us to get the ball rolling. If you live in the Tampa Bay area or north then feel free to contact us direct at 727-320-7895 and we will get the process started. If you are south of Tampa Bay then you can contact Waterway Boat Lift COvers directly at 941-505-0237 - or go to their web site at www.WaterwayBoatLiftCovers.com.
• We will schedule a time to come out to meet you and go over some of the features and benefits of the product as well as color options. At that time we will also take a measurement of your boat lift so to completely customize your boat lift and guarantee a perfect fit every time - remember that no tow boat lifts are exactly the same so all the tops are custom.
• We will not give you a price or a hard sales pitch on the spot - we will e-mail you a comprehensive quote the next day - which the e-mail will also include additional information needed for you to make an educated decision that you will be happy with.
• Once your receive your quote and decide to move forwards we come out again for a Final Measurement - which at that time we recheck our numbers for complete accuracy. Also at that same meeting we will also take a 50% deposit to get the order placed with Waterway.
• Once order is placed it takes between four to six weeks to get your very own custom boat lift cover - and once we get the word that your top is ready, we pick it up.
• When we get the top to our facility we schedule an install day that fits into your schedule.
• Its just that simple!
If you are an out of town customer or cannot meet for whatever reason we can streamline the process- and do all the work over the phone. Then we can just stop by your property and with your permission go into the backyard - to do all the measurements required.
What are some of the primary benefits of a boat lift canopy cover?
There are several major benefits from having a boat lift cover installed which include protection your investment, increasing the value of your property, increasing the entire boating experience and completing your waterfront.
• Protecting your investment: by fat the most destructive element on the water is the sun - it bakes your boat day after day - then throw in the afternoon thunderstorms and you have a perfect recipe for destruction. The boat lift canopy covers will greatly increase your protection from all of the seasonal elements.
• Increasing the value of your property: it goes without saying that one of the most expensive investment you will ever make is your home - and adding premium elements to it will always help increase and maintain your property value.
• Increasing the boating experience:
• Adding great design element to your home: Whatever architectural designs your home falls within the boat lift covers add timeless elegance and style to your waterfront - and with over 30m colors to choose from you are sure to find one that wits in greatly within your design elements.
• Completing your waterfront: We have heard time and time again that once our customers have added the boat lift canopy cover to their boat lift and dock they constantly mention how this really finishes off their waterfront property and tell us that they wish they would have added that feature to their waterfront years ago... we feel that once you add yours as well that you will agree!
What is the maintenance required for the boat lift canopy covers?
In general the boat lift canopy covers require very little maintenance but as everything else on or around the waterfront it is always a good idea to maintain a regular maintenance program. There are a couple of things you can do however to maintain the top in prime condition.
• Even though the tops are warranted against mold and mildew it is a good idea to keep it cleared of all brush and debris - on occasion that the winds blow some debris up on the top be sure to either blow it off or hose it off with a pressure washer or a hose.
• The vinyl top itself is attached using between 60 and 90 bungee straps with balls on the end - those bungee balls are recommended to be changed out at least every two years - or if you see them beginning to get a bit slack, broken or generally looking ragged.
These bungee balls can be purchased online or if you do not want to change them then we also offer that service. Be sure to call us at least a couple of weeks in advanced of you wanting to get them changed out so we can get you on the schedule.
What should we do with our boat lift canopy cover when a storm or a hurricane is heading our way?
The boat lift canopy covers are designed to be removed in the event that we are expecting winds of 70 miles per hour or above - that is basically a named storm which becomes a category one hurricane at 72 miles per hour sustained.
These tops are attached with bungee straps that generally can easily be reached from the boat when it sits on the boat lift cradle and is lifted up, then the straps that cannot be reached by hand can be reached using a broom stick like tool with a hook screwed to the end - which will get you greater reach - especially at the corners.
But if you do not want to remove the top then we at LightHouse do offer that service. We do charge $150 to remove the tops and then if you do not want to reinstall the top yourself we can do that as well and that charge is $250.
In the case of a named storm approaching and you know that you would like our assistance please call the office and get your self on the list of tops to be removed. We will begin to remove tops as soon as customers call and request that service, so please do not wait till the last minute to see what the storm is going to do because we may simple not be able to get to your top in time.
Can we install the boat lift canopy top our-selves if needed?
The answer is yes, you and a couple of your friends or family members who have some handyman skills can definitely install these covers - in fact they make a great weekend project at the lake property or your home - also they are sold all over the state and country and delivered to the location for self install. We at LightHouse Products do sell them as stand-alone-sales - and once they are delivered to your install location they are officially your - but we also do offer install assistance in all of Tampa Bay - sometimes at no additional cost to the customer - please be sure to ask your sales representative for install details.
Are permits required for the boat lift canopy covers?
The permitting process will very greatly from county to county but in some cases from city to city and even specific neighborhoods within a city. Some areas will require a permit before installing while others will not - and all areas will offer the after-the-fact-permit to be filed if needed. So please be sure to look into the county and city permitting codes before installing a boat lift canopy cover.
The Waterway boat lift canopy covers are fully engineered and approved in the State for Florida to withstand even the harshest weather condition and assistance with the permitting process is available through both LightHouse Marine Products as well as Waterway Boat Lift Covers.
