Cleaning rule number one: Thoroughly rinse the boat with plenty of water
to remove any loose grime and grit that may be clinging to the surface. Begin
rinsing at the highest point on the flying bridge or cabin top and work down,
moving from the bow to the stern so the water drains out naturally.
Add some boat soap to your bucket and using a sponge, wash mitt or brush
wash surfaces, working again from the top down. Rinse the sponge or cleaning
mitt in the bucket often. Don't let any soap dry on the surface. Keep a hose
nearby to rinse frequently with plenty of water. For the final rinse, remove
the nozzle from the hose and allow the water to sheet off the surface. Less
water hastens the drying time.
Cleaning is simple. If, when using a wash mitt or brush you're sweating
and applying a lot of elbow grease, you're working too hard. Harsh scrubbing
forces contaminants into the surface, which can scratch the finish. Let the
cleaning products do the work for you.
Soap Sense - Boat Cleaning Tips
Always use a boat soap. Leave the Cascade, Fantastic, Palmolive, Simple
Green et al at home. Household products may work great but they can damage
gelcoat if allowed to dry on the surface. Most of these products are highly
alkaline with a pH of around 12 to 14.
They can completely strip wax
layers and even etch the gelcoat (known as alkaline streaking), if allowed to
dry. Neither acidic nor alkaline, most soaps formulated for marine use have a
neutral pH of 7 and are safe to use on gelcoat surfaces.
Soaps come in liquid and granular form and some liquids are concentrated.
Concentrates are nice because you use as much as you need to get the job done.
The first spring cleaning demands full strength soap; for routine cleaning
dilute the soap. Some soaps remove wax so take care to select the right one if
you want to remove wax.
If it's not stated on the label don't assume it's safe; household soaps
definitely remove wax. As for cleaning power, boat soaps work equally well. A
high-sudsy soap doesn't clean better and, with suds, less is best. We associate
suds with cleaning power but covering the surfaces to be cleaned with suds
obscures the dirt that needs your attention.
One-step wash and wax products apply an additional barrier that,
depending on the amount of rainfall and sunlight your boat withstands, gives up
to two weeks of protection. These waxed soaps make surfaces easier to clean and
slightly enhance surface gloss.
For the final rinse, remove the nozzle and turn the hose pressure down to
about 50% so water gently wets the surface. Spraying surfaces with a blast of
water won't remove the wax affect but you're adding more water to the surface
than necessary and this extends the drying time.
To remove wax you'll need a heavy duty acidic cleaner. Use full strength
or dilute following the manufacturer's instructions. Some products will damage
painted surfaces so, again, check the label and look for "paint safe."
Always follow with a thorough
scrubbing with soap and water and rinse well to remove all residue, which
contaminates surfaces and leaves a hazy finish after waxing. If the gelcoat is
in good condition, follow with a wax or polish or apply a rubbing compound on
faded surfaces.
Why Wax?
Protect smooth
gelcoat surfaces (everything but non-skid) with an application of wax or
polish. The porous, colored resin finish on your boat is only 20 mils thick,
that's about 5 sheets of office copy paper. UV rays, salt, atmospheric
pollution, acid rain, insect fluids and bird droppings wage a never-ending war
on your boat's finish.
Waxing puts a protective layer between the gelcoat
and the environment. It also makes your new or old boat look better. In
choosing a protective product, here are some points to consider.
Synthetic polishes and waxes have been available for
many years now and offer ease of application and maximum durability. Paste
waxes put a slightly heavier film thickness on the surface than polishes but
they take more energy to apply and remove. Also, because they go on thicker,
they deliver slightly longer protection. Liquid polishes apply and come off
with much less effort. Paste products are traditionally applied and removed by
machine, liquid by machine or hand.
When manually working with either of these products,
use an application pad, preferably a micro fiber one.
