The sun's ultraviolet rays can wreak havoc on a boat's upholstery furniture and fiberglass hull. Over time, the UV rays will dry out the materials and cause them to fade and crack. Soon, the new shiny-looking boat you just bought will become dull and old looking. The best way to protect your boat against the UV rays is to keep it covered when you are not using it. One way to do this is to build a canopy over your boat lift. Here is how you can build a canopy over your boat lift to protect your boat.

You Will Need:

• Boat Lift Canopy Kit
• Ratchet Set
• Gloves

Step One: Lay out Parts

The frame parts will come partially assembled in the kit. Pick a spot on your lawn and lay out the frame parts in the order of which you will put them together. Make sure all the parts have arrived together. If you are missing any parts, contact your boat lift canopy dealer to get the missing parts.

A kit will typically consist of six main parts: Two sides for the top of the frame, two frame ends, legs, and a vinyl cover. The kit will also include connecting hardware.

Step Two: Put the Frame Together

Have one person lift up the two parts of the top of the frame together to form the roof of the canopy. You should then slide the top frame parts into the ends and connect the parts together with the bolts that came with the kit.

The bolts will go into pre-drilled holes throughout the frame.

Step Three: Install Canopy Legs

Take the legs and place them into the top of the four posts on the boat lift. In some cases, you may have to remove caps on the posts.

There should be a pre-drilled hole at the top of each post that you can slide a carriage bolt through. A carriage bolt has a large head that will fit into a channel on one side of each leg. Slide the channel side of the leg down over the head of the carriage bolt in the post. Tighten the nut on the carriage bolt to hold the leg in place once you are satisfied with the height you want to have the canopy.

Make sure all the legs are set at the same height to keep the canopy cover even.

If you don't have pre-drilled holes on your boat lift posts, drill a hole on each post large enough to slide a carriage bolt through it. The hole should be drilled about 6 to 8 inches down from the top of the post.

Step Four: Install Canopy Frame

Place the canopy frame into the U-shaped channels on top of the legs. Place bolts into the U-shaped channel to hold the canopy in place. These bolts go over the top of the bottom rail of the frame in the U-shaped channel.

Step Five: Install Cover

Stretch the canopy cover over the top of the frame. The cover will have D-rings on the inside of it. D-rings are connected to a strap and the piece of metal at the end of the strap is shaped into the form of a D. Take the bungee cords in the kit and slide them through the D-rings. Connect the bungee cord to a bar near the top of the frame.

Step Six: Check Coverage

Put your boat onto the lift to make sure the boat lift canopy completely covers it. You can slide the canopy back and forth if you need to adjust it.

Share