A boatyard is a place where boats come out of the water and into cradles. You may think that all boats go up in a ramp, but a lot of machinery is involved. For smaller boats, it can be as small as a forklift. But our boat took a travel lift. A travel lift is a machine that is used for hauling out very big boats.
I will now explain to you how the system of hauling out works. The boat that is to be hauled out is driven or towed into a slip. Then the travel lift lifts the boat out of the water. The boat is pressure-washed. The travel lift moves the boat to a cradle and the boat is put there. Other supports are put in. Finally, a ladder is put up to the side of the boat.
Once a boat is hauled out, a lot of work is done. For example, bottom paint is put on. You have to be careful with the stuff, as it is poisonous. That is because it is rich with copper. It also is more that twice as heavy as normal paint because of this. The tools that are used are brushes and rollers.
Another task that is done is putting on zincs. These are for attracting corrosion to them, instead of other things. They are also throughout the bottom of the boat.
You may have thought that boats have to be in the water. In some cases, they must not be!
--by Rigel
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