Home » The A B C's of Boat Maintenance and Yacht Detailing

The A B C's of Boat Maintenance and Yacht Detailing

Posted: Monday, October 03, 2005

by BoatCat
Ask-BoatCat

We started gathering these 'home remedies' and common sense tips, over a year ago, as a lark. The other night I found them, did a little editing, and here they are. There is a lot of useful information here, and a little lighthearted boat cleaning humor, so for what it's worth, we're passing it on. We hope that you enjoy reading, and using, them as much as we enjoyed putting them together.
Aluminum Cleaner-2 Tbsp. cream of tartar + 1 qt. of hot water.
Bait freezers should be kept neat and cleaned with baking soda to control odors.

Canvas - wash with warm soapy water, snaps that are rarely unsnapped gather salt from the air, dab with Vaseline Spring and Fall.

Deck hatches should be opened, cleaned and dried during all boat washings, pay attention to the drain channels too. While your at it, wipe down the seal with warm soapy water.

Electronics on exterior consoles should never be sprayed directly with a hose . Wipe down instead with a damp cloth or chamois. All electronics should be run for 30 minutes each week to "cook off" any air borne moisture.

Floor Cleaner-One cup vinegar in 2 gallons of water.

General Cleaner-Baking soda and vinegar, or lemon juice combined with borax paste.

Hand Cleaner-Use baby oil or margarine.

Isinglass should be cleaned with mild soap and fresh water and dried with a chamois only. Never use cleaners such as Windex. Care when rolling up Isinglass should be taken to not scratch surface. Use clean cotton gloves to avoid fingerprints. Do not leave isinglass rolled in the up position for extended periods of time. Up in the morning. Down at night.

Just because is a good enough reason to go boating.

Keep Street shoes off the decks.

Lockers should be kept clean, neat, and dry to prevent mildew on whether-stripping and gear stowed in locker. All locker doors should be opened and dried during boat cleaning. When possible all supplies in lockers looking neat, supplies dry and damage free. Lockers should be emptied and all inside contents wiped down every 120 days.

Man Overboard, first response. Throw a life ring, seat cushion, or anything else that will float and be visible from the boat. Throw it flat and without a rope attached. The float will help to locate the spot where the person fell in and will not be towed around by the boat.

Navigation lights should be checked regularly.

Overheads really suck, when you misjudge the distance between them and your head. (- Oh, and they need to be wiped down, regularly, with a vinegar/ water solution, and towel dried, to avoid salt water and mildew build-up.

Port holes should be kept dogged tight, but every 60 days opened, and if vessel was used durring that time, the 2 gasket surface washed with warm water.

Questions. Never be so proud that you refuse to ask questions when you don't know something. Everything that anyone knows had to be learned by someone first. The trial and error method works but can be very costly in terms of lives and property.

Rug/Upholstery Cleaner-Sprinkle with corn starch, work with a broom, vacuum off.

Stainless steel hardware should have a good coat of wax for protection. Stainless should be waxed bi-monthly or as needed. Stainless that has a good coat of wax will repel water, have a bright shine and will be much easier to maintain. Same thing for aluminum.

Teak decks that are oiled should be washed with a teak cleaner and dried when boat is washed. When teak decks start to fade a coat or two of fresh oil may be applied to restore. When teak decks are heavily soiled,, decks should be stripped with a two part cleaner and allowed to completely dry. After decks are completely dried fresh teak oil may be applied.

Ultra Violet radiation not only causes sun burn, it is the number 1 cause of degradation to vinyl, plastics, gelcoat, line, rubber, and many other materials used on your boat. Use sunscreen! 303 Products-Space Age Protectant is like an SPF-40 sunscreen for your boat stuff.

Vinyl Cushions should never be put up wet. Stand on end and allow to air dry completely before putting below. Once mildew has set in to a cushion there is nothing that will completely remove the stain.

Washing: A list of easy to find ingredients, and handy tips for keeping your yacht ship-shape.

The boat should be washed weekly, or after each use, to remove dirt and/or salt buildup.
These conditions can occur whether the boat is cruising or sitting dockside.
The boat should be examined to determine whether soap will be needed to clean the boat.
Wiping your hand, or a white cloth, on a couple of areas around the boat will tell if it's dirty.
If it is not, then a good rinsing with fresh water and dry with a chamois will do.
Only mild soaps, designed for boat cleaning, like Orpine should be used.
If areas have soot from the engines or stains around through hull fittings (A/C outlets, cooling water outlets, etc.) find a product at your local marine supplier that is made for that purpose.
Soft Scrub, and the like, should not be used on these areas as it is abrasive and will harm the finish.
Start at the highest accessible area of the boat and work your way down.
Wash bow to stern as most boats are designed to drain water in this direction.
It is important to wash and dry at a pace that will not allow the soap and/or water to dry in the hot sun. Soap that is allowed to dry on the finish of a boat will shorten the life of the finish. Water that is allowed to dry on most finishes will leave water spots that can be hard to remove and may require re-washing and even stronger chemicals to do so.

Windows can be maintained with Rain-X. Follow instructions on product label. This product sheets water off and will make everyday cleaning of windows much easier.

X marks the spot? ~0r~ Xylophones are hard to play in a seaway.

Y because we like you. :-)

Zippers that are rarely used gather a lot of salt and other contaminates, wash with warm soapy water and work zippers, the full length, quarterly.

Put

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all

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spell

BoatCat is the acclaimed boating expert, answering questions, daily, at his
Ask-BoatCat website. See for yourself, his latest antics at www.ask-boatcat.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)

» left by Hector Nimitz
from Florida 6 years 108 days ago.

What a delightful article. So many useful ideas and home remedies. Well worth reading.

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