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Posts: 32956
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | With spring upon us, it's time to get the rig out and clean her up, wax her, and make her as good looking as one can. What is your preferred wax and finish for your rig? |
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Posts: 105
| This is for general maitenance thruout the season. Unless I let the boat get really dirty, I don't wash it. I just get my polishing rag damp and wax every time I clean it. It'll even take off a scum line if it's not too bad.
When you wash a boat, you usually wipe it down dry so it dosn't water spot anyway, right? Save the washing step and just wax it. I like either Turtle wax Emerald or MeQuires Gold Class. The more wax you have the better the protection you have on the surface to gaurd against minor scratchung and scuffing. same thing applies for your vehicle, although you usually have to wash the vehicle because of gritty road grime.
Even my old 91 Suburban gets a coat of wax at least once a month and the boat gets it at least every other week. Wax your windscreens, too, the plastic ones. It helps remove fine scratches. DON'T wax your electronics screens, though! Don't wax your prop either.
A good layer of wax helps keep a scum line from building up even on your motors lower unit.
You're electric trolling motors should be wiped down with Armorall. Even get it on the surfaces that move. It contains silicone and helps keep things working smoothly.
Now that you have several coats of wax on your rig, carry a couple of small hand towels with you and when you pull your boat out of the water, wipe it down right at the landing. No water spots and it'll look like new all the time. It usually takes less than 10 min.
This applies to painted aluminum boats as well as glass. |
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Posts: 105
| When you first uncover your boat in the spring, you always look it over and you'll notice all the dings, scratches and scuffs from the year before and the carpet is a disaster.
For the finish, either glass or paint, you can get some 1500 or even 2000 grit wet sand paper, and take out some of the minor marks. This works especially well on glass and painted aluminum with clear coat. You have to be more carefull on the boats without clearcoat.
Get a bucket of water and put a small amount of dish soap in it. Lightly sand the scratch or scuff. Have a medium grit rubbing compound to take out the sand scratches followed by a polishing compound and finally wax. You have to do this a little at a time so as not to sand too deep. Rub the sand scratches untill you can't see them and polish till the shine matches the rest of the finish. Even on the deeper scratches if they don't come all the way out, you can at least make them look a little better.
Severe scratches on a plastic wind screen can be taken out the same way except it's advisable to use a power polisher.
Be very carefull doing any of this on painted hulls or your motors. They only have half the amount of paint that a vehicle does and if you sand and buff too deep, you can go thru the finish.
The carpet is an amount of work,too, but get a rugg doctor steam cleaner with the apolstery attatchment and steam clean the carpet. After its dry, fluff it with a soft bristled brush and spray a stain fighter on it. It'll look better a lot longer into the season after getting smashed bait and/or fish slime on it. Do not shampoo your carpet. You'll have suds every time it rains for most of the season and it makes the carpet stiff.
Ok, now I have to go chase some steelhead in the south shore streams of Lake Superior. Everything else is still iced up for 60 miles to the south of here. |
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Posts: 32956
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Thanks for the great response, Terry. I use the spray finish wax to clean up the rig every other day or so, just takes about 15 minutes to touch it up and keep it looking great. Most of the new boats out there cost more than $12000 thses days, and it makes no sense to me to let something that expensive deteriorate from lack of alittle elbow grease. When I wash the rig, I use the Turtle Wax wash and wax stuff one adds to the wash water and wipe it down after she dries, usually resulting in a great looking rig. |
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Posts: 105
| The spray wax is a good tip for when your on a fishing trip. Save time caring for the boat, catch more fish. What brand do you use?
Caught 4 nice steelhead today. One 29 1/4". All released.
Edited by Terry/JNR 4/13/2003 7:30 PM
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Wax = McGuiers two coats in spring, two coats beginning of August.
It gets washed once a week....
I use this stuff called "Resolve" for the carpets, it will take out fish slime, worm/minnow slime, and general dirt.
Recently got a tip from a buddy who used to fish Bass tournys... In a spray bottle mix 1 cup vinager with water. Spray the hull down as soon as you pull it out of the water. Go around and "button down the hatches" ...Just before you leave wipe it with a towel...
It is suppose to keep the scum and water spots from forming. |
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Location: Woodstock, IL | I'll wax my aluminum boat and trailer a few times per season with McGuires wax and cleaner. When I take it out of the water, I always wipe it down with a wet chamois to keep the water spots off. This usually does the trick since I have to trailer it everywhere I go for day trips. If I'm renting a cabin and the boat is in the water for an entire trip, I'll use my pressure washer to blast off accumulated scum when I get home and re-wax.
I also clean both windshields with McGuires plastic windshield cleaner. This keeps them looking new and shiney.
The carpet gets a good vacuuming every now and then and I treat it with Scotchguard about twice per year.
I agree with sworral - when you spend big money on the rig of your dreams, a little extra work will help keep it looking like the day you trailered it out of the marina. |
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