I am a professional boat detailer and everything that I wrote in this blog is from years of experience and knowledge that I have obtained from other professional detailers.
Please excuse my writing, I can honestly say this is not one of my talents!
First things first... whatever you do... DO NOT wash your boat with household products, such as Dawn dish soap, bleach, comet, or any other household cleaners. Dawn dish soap and similar cleaners may seem delicate to you, but they are seen as very harsh by your boat's gel coat waxes or sealants. There is a reason why the market is flooded with marine-specific cleaners and protectants. No, it's not entirely because these companies are trying to make huge profits just for it having the word marine on the label. I can assure you your boat wants and needs good quality marine-grade products. These marine products are usually more expensive than any other product you'll find, and I know that's the very reason why most choose to say no to marine products. Trust me, I was doing the same thing when I first started boating. There is a lot of boat owners out there that see marine products as just a gimmick to get people to fork over three to four times as much money for a cleaning product as they would for household products. But I've learned from professional boat detailers, suppliers, experienced boaters and through trial and error on my own boats the best way to wash a boat is to start using marine grade products.
For one, unless you use at least "wash and wax" soap or PH balanced boat soap or a SiO2 boat soap you are guaranteeing that you will strip off most of your recently applied wax or sealant. Another thing you should pay attention to is the tools you use. Using a scratch pad or stiff scrub brush will aid in the removal of protectants applied to your gel coat. It will also damage your boats surfaces, scratching everything it contacts. You should pick up a good soft deck brush to use for your routine cleanings. There are a few different grades of scrub brushes that you should know about and how to use them. Stiff deck brush, should be used very minimally, mainly for below the water line of your boat. Medium deck brush, can be used for below the water line as well and for the non skid areas on a boats deck or swim platform. Soft deck brush, can be used on a boats gel coat, vinyl seats and non skid areas on a boats deck or swim platform. Extra soft deck brush, can be used on just about all of the surfaces on your boat. Like, gel coat, decks , hull, windows, stainless steel hardware, vinyl seats, canvas and even the isinglass.
Take extreme caution if using on isinglass that it could potentially damage it. For isinglass, I recommend starting with a good isinglass cleaner and a microfiber rag. So if you're on a budget and can only purchase one brush, I would highly recommend a combo deck brush. This offers both soft and medium in one brush, details here. Most boat owners equip there boat with the medium, soft and extra soft deck brush to ensure they are able to properly clean every surface they come across without damaging it.
As a professional I truly believe if you do not follow these recommendations you'll be in jeopardy of removing most if not all the protectants previously applied to the gel coat. Which in turn will expose your gel coat directly to those nasty UV rays, pollutants, salt water, mildew and dirt then causing it to oxidize way faster than you expected. When you clean your boat with bleach, at first, it looks as clean as ever. But the next day, you'll likely notice blotchy dull spots all over your boat. You can try to use your basic spray wax to try and fix this, of which you might see it working at first. But, then, again the next day, it most likely will look blotchy and dull again or even worse. If a protectant isn't applied you'll most likely get to the end of the season with your gel coat looking two or three times as bad as it did at the very beginning of the season. It's all because of one simple mistake in using a cleaner that stripped off all your sealants.
We all make mistakes; I did this for years when I first started caring for my own boat. Start this season off by removing all those bottles of household cleaners from your boat. Then replace them with a few good marine cleaners and I promise you'll notice a difference. You should also consider hiring a professional to handle the initial season start detailing of your boat. They will have the knowledge, experience and resources to get your boat cleaned and protected for the up coming season. That way all you need to do is routinely maintain it to keep it in good condition. Usually any detail company will also offer package deals if you hire them to handle the initial detailing as well as the routine cleanings throughout the boating season. This will ensure your boat is well protected and will also allow you to enjoy your boat much more rather than always working on it.
If you made it this far, I would hope you have learned something new or at least reassured yourself that you're doing the right thing. Feel free to shoot me an email or comment on anything I may have missed or can correct or if you have something new I could learn. I will be sure to update or correct asap!
Thanks For Reading!
Brian Oinos
Out Of This World Boatworks LLC
Pittsburgh PA 15237
website outofthisworldboatworks.com
email at brian@outofthisworldboatworks.com
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