BOAT CARE - Some Handy Tips To Remember

Taking care of your boat does require a bit of time and effort. There are some things you can do to keep your boat looking good throughout the year.

Polishing and waxing your Boat

Every year your Gelcoat or Paint will generally need to be Machine polished depending on the age and the condition of the surface, whether the surface has badly deteriorated or whether it still retains a bit of its shine depends on what polish and steps to take to bring it back to new condition.

Once your boat has been polished you should always apply a wax over the top, this is usually applied by hand, and the wax will protect the polished surface for a greater period of time. The more times you apply hand wax to your boat the less chance the sun, salt and grime have to deteriorate and oxidize your boats surface, if you can, try and hand wax your boat about 3-4 times a year. This will not only keep its shine, but in the long term will help retain your boats value, whilst also prolonging the time your boat may eventually need re- painting.

Washing your Boat

Washing down your boat is a great way to extend the life of the wax you apply, Salt and grime wear away the wax that is applied, so removing this by washing is a good idea, depending on which detergent or boat soap you use try not to use to much, as this will also deteriorate your waxed surface. These days with the water restrictions on it can be a little difficult to always wash your boat, even wiping over your boats surface with a bucket of water and a chamois, at least this will help, otherwise give us a call to have your boat washed as we hold a current water permit from Sydney water.

Stainless Steel

Polishing your Stainless Steel is reasonably easy but can take some time, depending on how much is on your boat and the style and shape of your fittings, as some can be quite tricky. There are special polishes formulated for stainless steel, these are usually the best to use, but if you find yourself without any, using a boat polish can do the trick.

Clears around your Flybridge

Never use a brush to wash down your clears, this will scratch the surface of the clears and make it hard to keep clean and see through, use a rag with some mild detergent / boatsoap or even a wool applicator ( like they use to apply varnish to floors in houses ), you can then chamois them, or even apply some specially formulated waxes and sprays designed for clears.

Teak Decks

Do not use a scrubbing brush to wash down your teak deck, although teak is a hardwood it is made up of hard and soft grains, by scrubbing it with a brush it will tear out all the soft grain of the timber more rapidly and leave you with a lot of high and low grain in your teak. Scrubbing will also increase the chance of the black sealant releasing from the edges of your teak. If you want to keep the new natural golden look teak is renowned for, one of the best ways is to use a specifically designed teak cleaner ( usually 2 part system ) and use a white coloured scotch brite pad with a long handle to rub over your teak deck, try to rub across the grain rather than with the grain as this reduces the impact on the softer grain in the teak. Even doing this throughout the year you will still find that the teak will naturally end up with high and low grains, kind of a ribbed effect, due to natural wear and tear, and a light sand will remove this ribbed affect. Otherwise you can also leave your teak to naturally go grey. P.S Never use a gerni or high pressure cleaner on your teak deck! Shop online for toilets and holding tanks >>

« Back to Midko Marine website