Wipe down after every use?

[Rooster585]

What is the best method for keeping a new boat in tip top shape?
We trailer. So pull it out of the water and wipe it down with hot sauce with at the boat launch? Or any other tips?
We get so many water spots that are so hard to remove. Maybe we will polish it this summer and then ceramic coat it to get a fresh start/good base in the spring.

Chevy-
I just removed bad water spots from a couple of Waverunners I purchased last year. They came outta Canyon Lake near San Antonio TX (Limestone rock) and had bad spots when purchased. Did a regular wash then followed up with vinegar soaked sponge, wiped immediately with a dry towel. Got about 98% of the spots off and the skis look great! Followed up with Rejex and the finish is better than showroom. Never used vinegar before but was really impressed with the results.

 

[Cleveland Steamer]

I wax the my boat at the end of each season.

I typically wash my boat after each use and then use water spot remover. I don’t like wiping it down until I wash it because I like to make sure there’s no hard particles that I’d be wiping around with the rag. With a black boat I don’t want any swirl marks or scratches of any kind.

It’s alot of work always washing it but it’s worth the effort IMO.

 

[Noko]

Haven't wiped or waxed in 3 yrs. I guess its about time. I have cleaned the interior and seats every season.

 

[Whisky]

We usually wipe her down with hot sauce when we get her home, the exception being if we are in and out again a few times that week/weekend, if she’s going right back out we usually don’t bother.

main reason for us though it that she lives right by our main door in and out so if I leave it all week I have to see the water spots all week lol

aside from that we do a full wash/wax or rejex (still undecided for this year) every spring and maybe once mid year if we feel like it (more for fun than anything else haha)

interior gets a wipe down when it gets dirty, but the deep clean is usually only a spring and once or twice mid season thing

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

What is the best method for keeping a new boat in tip top shape?
We trailer. So pull it out of the water and wipe it down with hot sauce with at the boat launch? Or any other tips?
We get so many water spots that are so hard to remove. Maybe we will polish it this summer and then ceramic coat it to get a fresh start/good base in the spring.

Each time I get home I give the boat a thorough rinse and a gentle brushing to remove any junk.

I had Vantage ceramic coating applied by the dealer when I bought the boat. I did have some water spots that I removed and applied a ceramic spray wax on it to act as a sacrificial layer.

This past weekend I used a Mr Clean eraser pad to get the more stubborn dirt off of the non skid gel coat on the decking, which worked really well.

Yamaha vinyl dressing on the seats after cleaning them.

Used some Dawn dishwashing liquid and a soft brush to clean the removable floor mat as it had some stubborn spots.

I also wash down the interior storage spaces occasionally so that nothing gets built up in there.

I’m going to get a CR spotless water de ionizer to do the final rinse with when I wash it, and probably to do the wash down when coming home from the lake.

 

[Elliott]

Each time I get home I give the boat a thorough rinse and a gentle brushing to remove any junk.



This past weekend I used a Mr Clean eraser pad to get the more stubborn dirt off of the non skid gel coat on the decking, which worked really well.

I am sure you were, but be very careful. Mr. Clean Eraser Pads are a very fine sanding pad; you are removing material along with the dirt/stain. It is easy to dull an area with them.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I am sure you were, but be very careful. Mr. Clean Eraser Pads are a very fine sanding pad; you are removing material along with the dirt/stain. It is easy to dull an area with them.

Thanks for the advice! I was very careful with them.

 

[2kwik4u]

Chevy-
I just removed bad water spots from a couple of Waverunners I purchased last year. They came outta Canyon Lake near San Antonio TX (Limestone rock) and had bad spots when purchased. Did a regular wash then followed up with vinegar soaked sponge, wiped immediately with a dry towel. Got about 98% of the spots off and the skis look great! Followed up with Rejex and the finish is better than showroom. Never used vinegar before but was really impressed with the results.

We have a lot of Limestone around us as well. The black areas on my boat will get spotted before we can get off the water. Kids splash, waves/wakes, adn other such shenanigans get the boat sides wet, then the sun will back off the water before I have a chance to wipe it down.

I've heard of using vinegar before, but hadn't tried it yet. Did you dilute it at all? What is distilled white vinegar, or something else? Just a regular household sponge, or something with some "scrubby-ness" to it?

TIA

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

We have a lot of Limestone around us as well. The black areas on my boat will get spotted before we can get off the water. Kids splash, waves/wakes, adn other such shenanigans get the boat sides wet, then the sun will back off the water before I have a chance to wipe it down.

I've heard of using vinegar before, but hadn't tried it yet. Did you dilute it at all? What is distilled white vinegar, or something else? Just a regular household sponge, or something with some "scrubby-ness" to it?

TIA

When I removed the water spots I used a household cleaning vinegar at 1:1 vinegar to water. Sprayed it on, let it sit 30 seconds then wiped it off with a micro fiber towel removing the spots. Followed that up with a rinse with water then wiped dry. That was what I was instructed to do by Vantage the company that makes the ceramic coating I had applied to the boat when new, the final rinse removes the vinegar which is an acid.

 

[kgower]

When you.re wiping down or washing the boat what kind of towel do you use, terry cloth bath towel, micro fiber?

 

[2kwik4u]

When you.re wiping down or washing the boat what kind of towel do you use, terry cloth bath towel, micro fiber?

We wipe down at the ramp when prepping to trailer home. We have micro-fiber towels that we use as "beach towels" on the boat, and we use the driest one of those we can find

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

When you.re wiping down or washing the boat what kind of towel do you use, terry cloth bath towel, micro fiber?

I use micro fiber towels that I get from Costco. I’ve found that I can wring them out well enough to remove most of the water. They’re no shamy, but they work very well.

 

[2kwik4u]

I have one of these as well. It works exceptionally well for absorbing water. Had it for the better part of 20 years now. Smells funny from time to time, but a quick run through the washing machine freshens it right up.

https://www.amazon.com/CleanTools-149-Natural-Single-Absorber/dp/B0000AY69V

FYI, it "feels" like rubber. Really odd feeling in the hand, but works really well.

 

[Rooster585]

We have a lot of Limestone around us as well. The black areas on my boat will get spotted before we can get off the water. Kids splash, waves/wakes, adn other such shenanigans get the boat sides wet, then the sun will back off the water before I have a chance to wipe it down.

I've heard of using vinegar before, but hadn't tried it yet. Did you dilute it at all? What is distilled white vinegar, or something else? Just a regular household sponge, or something with some "scrubby-ness" to it?

TIA

"Regular" white vinegar we had a gallon bottle in the pantry. I can look this evening. Did not dilute, poured on a soft sponge and started wiping.
Did not strip or mar the factory coating. Did a section at a time, then wiped with a dry towel. Rotated 3 towels to keep dry. Worked great.

 

[2kwik4u]

"Regular" white vinegar we had a gallon bottle in the pantry. I can look this evening. Did not dilute, poured on a soft sponge and started wiping.
Did not strip or mar the factory coating. Did a section at a time, then wiped with a dry towel. Rotated 3 towels to keep dry. Worked great.

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

 

[Matt Phillips]

Mine gets a wax annually...either in the fall before layup (it's in a covered storage unit all winter) or before going into the lake in the spring. Since it sits int he lake all summer, the hull only gets some hot sauce on it, but the topside gets regular cleanings. We have about a 15 minute idle from the lake to our slip, so it's not uncommon to see my regular crew with the hot & vinyl sauce as well as windex on the windows fairly often during that idle. They also have been known to do that while at the gas dock (provided there's no 'extra scenery' to be seen at the dock...then there seems to be mandatory stop-work order).

 

[PEARCE]

I wipe ours down every time it gets pulled out. I use one of those Absorber things that @2kwik4u posted about. I've had the same one since we originally bought the boat. Depending on which lake we've been on depends if I have bad water spots or not. I use Ducky's water spot remover to make those disappear. I use Topcoat F11 to keep the whole boat slick and shiny. I use it on all of our vehicles too!