Are you getting tired of cleaning your boat?

[Presentation]

The time I spend not working I want to spend with the family having fun.

Please don’t take me wrong. I boat safely, took the course, do maintenance, etc.

However I am getting tired of cleaning. With each passing year I wash the boat less often. In spring, pre-launch, I do a full detail deep wash, de-ox and wax once a year. This is about a 30 hour job.

I wash the boat, a 8 hour job, about 1 or 1 ½ times a month. This is less then half as often as I did 3 years ago. I also discontinued my mid season detailing / waxing.

My wife cleans the cabin and head. I don’t count this in my 8 hours. This takes her a good 3 to 4 hours. Washing the boat does not include a pump-out or filling with gas, water or any maintenance.

How does it take me 8 hours to wash the boat?
- Washing the deck, sides, top, swim platform is about 2 hours.
- Vacuuming the cockpit carpet, removing then washing the cockpit and getting all the junk out form small nooks and crannies like around the hatch, meaning you need to open the hatch and wipe out the lip – 2 hours.
- By the time the cockpit is clean the boat is dry so I now go back to the isinglass and windows and clean them with Plexus. 1 hour. I find I need to go over each surface twice.
- Small detail miscellaneous stuff. Removing scuffs with a variety of products. Wiping and cleaning the dash and instruments, etc. 1 hour
* Break – the next part will be done at another time, later that day after we head out *
- When we anchor in a shallow area I use a variety of brushes and wash the hull close to the water line and get any spots off the hull and swim platform. Also, I can get the hull area much better when I am in the water. – 2 hours.

I spot clean in between each washing. I’m spending the maximum amount of time cleaning that I want to spend.

I enjoy boating. I don’t enjoy cleaning. I like having the boat clean but not at the expense of loosing time boating.

My time spent cleaning is less then half of what is was just a few years ago.

How about you? How much time do you spend cleaning?

 

[Asureyez]

Hard to face

Presentation.

The slacking off on maintenance starts with the going down the slippery slope of backing off on cleaning. The path leads to dirty bilges, clogged pumps, unruly engines and another "Dock Queen" will be born.

A Clean Boat is a Safe Boat" Clean boats are reliable and a joy to be on because they tend to work reliably. Why? Because the effort of cleaning gets the skipper or captain close to where problems begin. Problems brewing are fixed before on the water failure.

I urge you to rekindle that love affair you had with your boat when she first became yours. You deserve her best and for that you must give your boat her due.

 

[Dave S]

I never get tired of cleaning mine. I wash and polish quite frequently and do a lot of "in-between" cleaning as well. But I have to admit that old age makes it more challenging each time. :smt043

 

[Turtlesboat]

the woman and I have a good system for cleaning. 2 hours after a weekend of use. I can get the boat washed in 1 hour, in that same hour she knocks out the cabin. then we spend the 2nd hour in the cockpit. I sweat like a pig in those 2 hours but it's done. when we anchor and go for a swim, I take a sponge and clean the drives and bottom. my dog joins in the fun and plays get the sponge and swim away game. it's cleaning but doesn't really feel like work. from the looks of it, I clean about 10 times more than most in my marina. there only seems to be about 4 boats that wash regularly.

 

[Presentation]

TurtleTone, so you wash the boat 1x/week?

That would be 3 to 4 times as often as me.

I guess my question was "How often do you wash your boat?"

 

[Turtlesboat]

every weekend I wash the boat. sometimes twice a weekend if I go out in salt water.

 

[DAVECS1]

Unfortunately I have not made it to a spot in my life were I can afford the glorius floating RV's, but I do have a good story about cleaning the 185 in the driveway. We usually clean the boat before we go boating and the day after. Well we were pulling a double header on weekend boating Sat and Sun. We got to cleaning on Sunday and did not get done till late in the day. Me and my wife were just chillin out in the boat,, still on the driveway with the radio on and enjoying some beverages that were still cold in the cooler. We were beat from cleaning and getting down to the water seem like alot of work. The neighbor walked by smiled and said that your suppose to have the boat in the water. when you go boating. We told her the driveway was easier :smt001

 

[jg300da]

Once it's cleaned initially, an hour per week should be enough for a boat your size. The key is getting it right at the start of the season. From then on it's really just maintaining. I also do individual tasks while anchored out, like spending some time polishing the bowrail or wiping down the engine room, etc...

 

[Shining]

I don't mind cleaning my boat, I just hate the bugs and spiders every day all over it.
-Mike

 

[downeast320]

i feel your pain, cleaning gets to be frustrating after a while, but i still keep up. your 8 hour cleaning regimen makes me feel lazy :smt009

please dont confuse yachts and rvs :smt018

 

[Gettin' There II]

Since I am in saltwater, when the boat gets backed up the drive way it gets a thorough wash.
1. Water muffs/engine outdrive flush.
2. Trash emptied/towels and all other non boating items get put into a basket and brought inside.
3. Pressure wash entire boat top to bottom including the trailer.
4. Towel dry so there are no water spots.
Total time about 1 hour.
Worth every minute.
Every other week or so I hand wash and use quick wax.

 

[Asureyez]

Big Boat Schedule

Asureyez 50' inc. swim platform is washed down with boat soap once a week, every Friday. Its hosed down with fresh water after every interveneing use. Spot soap scrubbed as required.

 

[AndersonAcres]

Our boat is 10 years old, but new to us since last autumn.

We wash the boat's exterior at the start of every weekend. I then spend at least 2 hours of the weekend deep cleaning one or another part of the exterior. I'm getting caught up on years of minimal cleaning.

I enjoy it. The biggest 'win' was cleaning the underside of the bimini. It was solid mold/mildew, and we thought it'd never come out. We got a $10 bottle of cleaner, sprayed it on and the stuff is gone. It took the whole bottle, but the underside looks like new.

Our second biggest 'win' was when our neighbors in the next slip mentioned they thought our boat was brand new this year! YES!

That made all the polishing and TLC very much worth it.

 

[thomas]

Hi Doug,
It's real easy. spend about 100.00 per week , and have someone clean it for you.
:smt043 :smt043 :smt043 :smt043 :smt043
Wax on wax off is up to you.

 

[waterlogged]

I've got to wash mine a couple of times a week. Its in a covered slip but between spider and bird poop and debris, its a constant job.

One thing I did, was buy a garden style pump sprayer. I fill it with a mix of OrPine (boat cleaner) and water. I spray the boat down, let it set and rinse it off about 1/2 hour later. Works great and doesn't take a lot of effort.

 

[LauCo]

Once a week. The spiders are chapping my backsides :smt021
It takes about an hour for our 30DA... Just the decks and the cockpit and the cabin.

When we get out to an anchorage, I get the hullsides and scrub the drives and tabs off... I'd say I do this once a month.

Assuming the boat starts the year perfectly clean, about twice more I take everything out, and do a deep clean-removing cockpit carpet, seats, cleaning the bilge...etc...
That takes more time, but the boat still shows very clean!

 

[Morpheus]

Our 240SD get's washed before and after every outing. It sits outside covered by only the covers it came with.

So normally the day before we plan to use it I go get it bring it home completly wash it and clean the inside (I like to go out on a clean boat). I also check the fluid levels and top of any that might need it check the batteries check the fresh water, use the muffs and run the engine (make sure it's gonna not give us problems) then take it back to storage but I top off the tank on the way. That way the following morning normally before sunrise I go get the boat again load it up with all the gear and we are off.

When we get back boat gets unloaded and fully washed and flushed with the muffs again and put back away at storage.

During love bug season it took me 6+ hours just to wash the boat.

 

[Alex F]

I've got to wash mine a couple of times a week. Its in a covered slip but between spider and bird poop and debris, its a constant job.

One thing I did, was buy a garden style pump sprayer. I fill it with a mix of OrPine (boat cleaner) and water. I spray the boat down, let it set and rinse it off about 1/2 hour later. Works great and doesn't take a lot of effort.

waterlogged,
So if I understood correctly, your worflow is sprey and rinse? That sounds too easy. But, if it works I'll do it.

I can't get the sides from my slip, what you do in this case get in the water while anchored? Soap and brush, if so, what about people sweemeing around you, unless you anchor in a spot just for washing?

Thx,
Alex.

 

[DAVECS1]

I hope this is not to far off topic, but my washing regime takes place about every week or so, and I have a question.

The regime consists of a Mothers soap wash. Afterwards I hit it with Mequires wax and clean. Is it OK to use the wax and clean all the time. I assume it has some abrasive in it. Will I eventually wearout my gel coat.

P.S. no ill intentions were meant with the RV coment. I truly envy you guys. I wish i was at that spot in my life were I could afford one right now.

 

[waterlogged]

So if I understood correctly, your worflow is sprey and rinse? That sounds too easy. But, if it works I'll do it.

It seems to work fine. All the spider poop comes off with the rinse water pressure. As soon as I spray on the soap mixture, you can see it start to dissolve. In fact, I'll be doing it this morning :grin:

I'm lucky in that I have full length fingers on both sides, and can seem to get about 10 foot range from the sprayer. Anyway, key is to let the stuff set for 15 - 30 min before rinse. I use OrPine because the claim to have some wax in it (which it does look like when I'm done), probably any good wash would work.