Cleanie Dini Says:

            Being a boat owner we all know how difficult it is to go into your local boating super store and try to find the best products for cleaning your beloved baby. You walk down the endless aisles and see boating products spanning from floor to ceiling. So many systems to choose from. So many different products to try. Over the years, I have used my boat as a proving ground for many of these products. I was set on finding the best product for the job at hand. My hobby grew into a small business—I did boat detailing at the highest standards.  Through that business, I have unclouded many misconceptions about keeping your boat in tip top shape. Why pay someone like me to take care of your boat when it is easier than you think to do it yourself? With a little expert knowledge your boat cleaning can take less time than you can imagine. You must do a few simple things, set your goals, understand how to obtain them, and stick with a plan. With these three simple steps you will be happy with how your boat is looking and satisfied with a job well done.

            As with anything, there is a scope involved with keeping a boat detailed. Are you going to wax your boat once a year and wash it every trip, or are you going to make your boat an example for all other boats in the marina to aspire after? I worked with boats on the latter end, making them look absolutely as perfect as they could at all times. You also must ask yourself how you look at your boat, is it a toy for fun, an investment, or a means to entertain associates and family? After considering these questions, you can then decide how you want your boat to look. Most people I know want their boat looking good. A clean deck, glossy gel-coat, clear isinglass and bright metal all help to make any boat look sharp. To get a boat looking this way and keep it looking this way you must understand the factors working against you. Some factors that deserve separate discussions are: usage, condition, local wild life (bird issues), UV exposure, acid rain, airborne contaminants and “the kid factor.”  Right now just know that these are some of the factors working against you, latter articles will go over the details of each of these enemies.

            To set your goals high is easy. When I was a small kid, I wanted to be a millionaire, have 45 children, and a sparkling 118-foot yacht. However, as time goes by those high goals become more dreams than achievable reality. To help make your boat cleaning goals reality you must understand how to achieve them. To do this a basic understanding of what is going on with the finish on your boat is needed. The easiest way to keep your boat in tip-top shape is to wash it once a week to remove salt, sand, bird droppings and any other surface contaminants. This weekly washing will give you a good baseline to take your boat to the next step in cleaning. A gel-coat is the most durable, best-looking finish in the recreational boat industry. The mirror-like finish, when new, is the result of a mix of pigment  and epoxy resin. When the boat is new, you see the mixture of the two buffed to the highest gloss, but as time passes, the factors or “enemies” mentioned above tend to break down the epoxy finish, leaving just the pigment in the form of chalky white powder. This is why your boat loses its luster as it gets old. Knowing this about gel-coat, you can get a good idea what condition your fiberglass is like, and then  you can choose your products. A rubbing compound is a harsh abrasive used to remove oxidation and anything else in the way. In automotive painting it is used to remove small 1000-2000 grit sand paper scratches. Like anything there are different levels of compound ranging from liquid sandpaper to a fine liquid that feels like mayonnaise. Its main drawback is the small scratches it leaves in perfectly good fiberglass (swirl marks). A polish is a less abrasive alternative to a rubbing compound. When you polish your car all you are doing is taking off any foreign objects, plus a thin layer of oxidation from the paint . These two main categories of products—rubbing compound and polish—should take care of oxidation removal. I would side with a polish multiple times instead of creating scratches in your gel-coat that are difficult to remove. This is a basic overview of gel-coat oxidation. Remember while you are having fun your boat is oxidizing.

            All of this new information is good to know but the only way for you to keep your boat looking good is to stick with a plan. Your boat has a value. If you ever want to sell your boat it is inevitable that a perspective buyer will notice how the boat was taken care of. If your boat shows that it hasn’t been properly cared for, it will be a slightly harder sell. Boat cleaning is not something you can do once before you sell it to make it look up to par. You absolutely need a plan to keep your boat in a good state. This plan is different for every person. Every plan should include the following: regular washings, seasonal or monthly polish and wax, spot checking high traffic areas, and detail work. The more time you spend on your boat the better it will look and that will be reflected in its value.  I wax my boat once every two weeks to keep the finish from oxidizing. I do not believe in over polishing because eventually polish will wear down the gel-coat. I try to make my waxing fun. I have lost multiple girlfriends by telling them we were going tanning on my boat only to find my idea of tanning is taking a big bottle of lemonade, sandwich, sunglasses, my finest  swim shorts and some wax and working away at a little areas on the boat while I got a golden tan (some say I am sick). Don’t bash it until you try it. Make a system that works for you.

Keep your boat looking great without the confusion. You now have a general idea of how to approach your responsibility as a boat owner. Whether you have a sail or power boat, old or new, keeping it clean will help its resale value, keep guests happy, and make you proud. I am sure proud of you for taking the first step by reading this. Remember to make your plan by setting your goals, reading about how to accomplish your goals, and creating a feasible way to stick with your cleaning, whether it’s spending one day every month or an hour or so every weekend. You will be happy when your boat reflects you. Your dock mates will notice and you will be able to tell them how to keep their boat looking nice like yours, when you get thirsty you can say “Joe, you bring some beers over to my nice clean boat and I will tell you what Cleanie Dini taught me.”

CLEANIE DINI OUT