How to care for and maintain the paint for your boat
Let’s not mince words. If you own a boat, you don’t need anyone to tell you how much money you have invested in it. It’s no secret that properly maintaining your marine vessel is of vital importance. Throughout its everyday life, your boat is exposed to harsh elements and conditions that dull, fade, and generally wreak havoc on paint for boats. But even worse than the conditions boats must weather during operational months are the months of neglect they often receive during winter storage.
Keep it clean
- You don’t have to be obsessive about it but you do want to scrub your boat from time to time to rid it of grime, sand, or other gunk that can begin to wear away at your boat’s finish over time. Remember to always rinse the boat thoroughly before you begin to scrub it or add any soap.
- Use recommended cleaning agents. Some soaps are too aggressive and can actually damage paint for boats. Be sure that you have a cleaning agent that is made for boats and not for dishes, household floors, or some other task. Remember: if the label doesn’t specify that it’s safe for boats, it probably isn’t.
- Don’t scrub too hard. Sometimes, we hurt the ones we love. If you’re working hard while cleaning your boat, you may be doing more harm than good. Go easy. Let the cleaning agents do the heavy lifting.
- After you’ve washed (and rinsed, of course) your boat, be sure to towel dry it. Many people will opt to air dry their boats after washing. (Let’s face it, there’s less work that way.) However, towel drying will remove any chlorine, lime, or possibly even iron that may be in your tap water. Towel drying also gets you up close and personal with your boat so you can get a close inspection. Take this opportunity to look for scratches, loose fittings, or other defects.
- Use a finish. There are a number of quality spot-free finishes that will help to protect your paint form the sun and rain while also making it much easier to clean the next time.
Do you have questions about paint for boats? Find out more here.