• Many uses (car, boat, dog, water sports, shower)

• Reusable and washable (if you can use a washing machine you can wash artificial chamois)

• So many choices (many brands available and different prices and different COLORS!)

• Low cost (not a major investment one tool to dry everything quickly and easily)

If there is one thing that I won't leave home without, it's an artificial-type chamois.  They are by far the most useful things on a boat because they dry about anything and on a boat, everything is almost always wet.  They can be used to dry fresh or salt water on just about any surface. I carry a few, on in the shower to dry it off after you finish, one in easy reach when driving to dry off your gauges in the event of a "honey I have no idea where that big wave came from, if I saw it I would have defiantly slowed down." If you have a dog, have one to dry off your pup after he goes in the water. If you do a lot of wakeboarding, water skiing or other wet activities these are a must. They dry you off quicker than a cotton towel and can be used all day, plus you don't have wet towels laying all over the deck.  Oh yeah, they can also be used to dry off your boat after you wash it! These little beauties come with their own reusable tube that is great for storing them after use. So label the tubes and let the good times roll.

These chamois can be reused for a very long time, I still have some that are 3 years old. They do get dirty because their rubbery texture has a tendency to pick up anything along with the water, so when you are drying your dog off a lot of that doggie smell will stay with the chamois and it is not suggested to leave a chamois like that in their tubes for too long because they will begin to smell, really smell. But there is an answer! Most artificial chamois are washable so just throw them in the laundry when you are doing a load. Don't put them in with bleach because the bleach will break down the chamois and it will begin to flake apart until you are left with the string grid that comprises its core. They also seem to find new life after a ride in the washing machine feeling much more absorbent and malleable. Don't put them in the drier, since there is always that guy that will do that. They work best when they stay damp in their holder. They can be left to air dry but try to avoid sun because that will also break the fabric down.

A few good brands are Aqua Dry and Absorber. Absorbers where around first and tend to cost a little more and have a more towel like feel instead of rubber. They glide across fiberglass easily and pick up more water than you can imagine. The cost is usually around $12 but prices vary all over. But they where the original and they come in different sizes, normal is 2 feet square and is a good size for about anything. A little big for around the sink but not too small to dry a big sport fish in record time. The other commonly found artificial Chamois is Aqua Dry and I have seen them around for as little as $6. At that price you can get one for everywhere. I use one when I shower because it is just so much easier in the humid summer than to keep musty towels around that never really dry. The Aqua dry tend to be more rubbery but I think absorb more than the Absorbers. They tend to stick to thing and sort or skip along a surface, like when your stomach is very clean and you run your finger and it is "squeaky clean" sort of like that. But again, you can't beat the price and the quality is not indicative of the lesser price. These things last as long as you take care of them. They do pick up stains more than the absorber and both Aqua-Dries and Absorbers don't work well in the cold, as it gets colder their absorbent characteristics decline... So now there is no reason to dry your boat after you wash it down. Go out and get some!