General Boat Care

Hull Cleaning

For optimal hull care, rinse the hull thoroughly with fresh water after every use, especially in saltwater, to remove salt and grime. Complete this process with a final chamois to remove excess water.

Avoid using detergents daily such as dishwashing & car cleaners after each row as the solvent component will compromise the paint. Once this occurs boats often get stained by tannins, which are organic compounds found in leaves, tree bark, and decaying vegetation. When boats are used in rivers, lakes, or waters surrounded by vegetation, tannins can leach into the water. These tannins will adhere into compromised paint causing staining and difficult to remove.

Prevention is a better option.

Applying a polish/wax every 6 months will help maintain the integrity of the top coat colour.

Parts Maintenance

Maintaining the hardware throughout your fleet can be challenging and time consuming. We generally see boats used in high salt levels having more wear & tear due to corrosion. Rinsing correctly followed by use of a chamois is good practise though there are a number of areas that get overlooked.

Quick release plates should be removed every 6 months to remove grime & corrosion. The gunnel area under the QR plates will also require attention.

Riggers that are permanently attached should be removed monthly to clean under the rigger plates and around the bolt holes. Corrosion occurs with aluminium riggers between and the stainless steel fixings.

Aluminium foot stretcher top poles should be cleaned around the brackets that affix to the footplate regularly.

Gates, pins and slides also require regular attention to maintain boat performance.