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Clean Your Ride

Tips for Washing Your Boat After a Day in the Salt

It sounds like advice from your father, but it’s so very true. If you spend a half hour washing down your boat after a day of fishing, you’ll save yourself some heartache and expense down the road. Aside from general maintenance, another important reason for cleaning your boat is to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

If you leave your boat in the water or at the dock, be sure to at least rinse hard surfaces with fresh water, then wipe them dry. The best way to wash a trailered boat, however, is to go to a do-it-yourself car wash. Once there, here’s what you should do to rid your boat of grit and grime:

  1. Coat your boat in a gentle layer of fresh water – don’t go right to the jet spray. This allows the salty (or gritty) residue on the hull and other surfaces to absorb that fresh water and expand, making it easier to rinse off after a few minutes.
  2. Next, power spray your boat—not too hard, but strong enough to give it a good rinse.
  3. Wipe down the hull with a soft brush and mild cleanser (like dish soap). Gritty, abrasive cleansers are too harsh, and no good for your boat’s finish. Rigid bristle brushes are also damaging. Use a soft brush or sponge, like your dentist recommends a soft-bristle toothbrush for your teeth.
  4. Give the boat another power rinse (including drain holes, etc.), and make sure all the detergents and cleansers drip away.
  5. If your boat has a carpet interior, you might want to use a vacuum to get rid of any lingering dirt. Once that stuff gets ground in, it’s hard to remove. Finish up by using glass cleaner and a paper towel to clean glass and metal surfaces.

The more you regularly clean your boat after fishing trips in season, the less of a chore your out of season cleaning will be. Also remember that at the end of the season, there are some important steps you need to take – especially with your motor – to make sure your boat is ready to go the next time you put it in the water. Click here for a full checklist of things you should do to properly winterize your boat.