UV rays, salt water, and extreme weather can all take their toll on your boat’s exterior, which is why it’s important to pay your vessel regular attention with the right products. Look after your boat and it will look after you.
Cleaning and detailing not only ensure your boat looks good out on the open water and in the marina but also helps to protect your investment for many years to come. The good news is that you don’t have to pay to have your boat detailed professionally. With a little know-how and the help of premium boat care products, you can protect your exterior and give it the treatment it deserves.
Boat Protection in an Unforgiving Climate
There are effectively two seasons in the Middle East: hot and hotter. A boat situated here will be at the mercy of a fairly unforgiving climate. June 2019, for example, was the hottest June in 140 years, and maximum temperatures were felt in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Baghdad. With almost non-existent rainfall and humid conditions, it’s more important than ever to keep your boat well-maintained.
In my experience, a regular maintenance schedule using proven products is the best defense against the elements. Keeping on top of maintenance may seem like a challenge at first but when you use boat care products with premium ingredients and which have been tested rigorously, you will find the job takes less time than you thought. What’s more, you can rest assured that no matter what the weather has in store your boat will be protected.
What to Consider When Choosing Boat Care Products
When choosing boat care products, there are typically three factors that you should consider:
- Quality
- Environmental impact
- And ease of application.
Fortunately, there are many products on the market that tick all three boxes and which tick the additional box of affordability. After all, any boat care product you choose will need to be more cost-effective than hiring professional cleaning and detailing services.
Cleaning and Reconditioning Products
Perfect for maintaining your boat all year round, cleaning and reconditioning products will help to ensure a pristine and hygienic boat you can be proud to own. From general-purpose spray cleaners to cutting and buffing compounds that smooth out the edges of scratches and restore your boat’s exterior, having a range of cleaning products onboard will ensure you can carry out maintenance wherever your travels take you.
In addition to the bodywork of your boat, you should also include specialist cleaning products in your kit. Stainless steel metal cleaner and polish, glass cleaner, and a scrub cleaner for those stubborn stains and marks are just some of the products that will restore the finer details of your boat to a lasting shine. You should also consider investing in a good quality gelcoat cleaner that protects fiberglass from the sun, salt and everything else that Mother Nature has to throw at it.
Wood Cleaning and Restoration
Wood deserves a product category all of its own due to its unique care requirements and the specialist products that are required to maintain different wood finishes. While wood finishes are becoming less and less common in modern boat design, many models still have some woodwork that needs to be taken care of. From handrails and cap rails to steps and decking, these areas need extra attention to prevent them from succumbing to harsh conditions.
Due to its durability, teak is often the wood of choice when used in boat construction and will last for years. However, it does need occasional cleaning and treatment to keep it looking and performing its very best. Whether you love the faded, weathered look or you prefer your teak to give off the golden glow that can only be achieved with varnish, there are many wood boat care products available. To keep your teak in excellent condition, ensure you have teak cleaner, teak deck wash and teak sealer in your kit at all times.
Adhesives and Sealants
Having access to good quality adhesives and sealants on your vessel will ensure you can quickly remedy any developing or pressing structural issues on board. Marine glues and adhesives are perfect for fitting a wide range of different sailing equipment, such as winches, brackets, aerials, mast fittings and more.
Another quick fix solution you can’t do without is marine sealant. When you need to ensure your vessel is airtight and watertight, a good quality marine sealant will do the job, at least until you can get to shore to arrange a more permanent remedy. Marine sealants also offer dependable adhesive qualities and can be used to apply a remedy for structural problems as well as helping to reduce noise and vibrations. When you experience issues at sea, these products can prove invaluable.
Paint & Protection
When you need to protect your boat against the harshest marine environments, you need paint and protective products that can stand up to anything. From antifouling paint that uses the latest biocide technology to tough primers that help to prevent blisters on fiberglass, there is a wealth of products in this category that will offer outstanding protection for your boat.
Regularly applying specialist boat paints and protective primers can protect your boat against the damage that marine fouling and corrosion can do to your fiberglass and metalwork. When applied regularly, these products give you peace of mind that your vessel will be protected whether you choose to sail in fresh or saltwater.
Abrasives
When you need to remove rust, grime, varnish, paint, underseal or metal boat hull coatings, abrasive products offer a fast and thorough result. They are also perfect for cleaning welds and will leave a brushed finish on stainless steel. Whether you need to remove scale and rust from metal propellers or remove several layers of paint, good-quality abrasives will make light work of these jobs.
Abrasives come in a variety of different grades giving you the option to choose products suitable for the toughest deposits or buffing up your bodywork to a perfect finish. They are a great tool to use at the end of the season and allow you to strip surfaces back for repainting or protecting and to remove any debris that has accumulated over time.
The Products That Will Protect Your Investment
Whether you are a seasoned boat owner or you are considering buying a boat for the first time, the importance of proper boat maintenance cannot be ignored. When you choose premium quality boat care products, you can be sure of outstanding results and a boat that not only looks great but which also goes on performing its best for many years to come.
Remember, look after your boat and your boat will look after you. Here’s to many years of happy skippering.
Deepak is a graduate of Center of Marine Engineering Technology from The Indian Navy and has been in the Middle East for over 6 years.
He began his career with The Indian Navy and had an opportunity to work onboard various war ships and technical establishments of The Indian Navy performing various technical duties and military tasks. His technical capabilities and dedication towards the service have been commended on various occasions by The Chief of Naval Staff & The Chiefs of Eastern and Western Naval Commands respectively.
