Boat Cleaning Tips.

[p-ziller]

Hey Raiders,

Curious to see if anybody has and boat and motor cleaning tips or tricks that they would like to share?

I’ve seen a lot of stuff on the market, just wondering if it works or if it’s all gimmicks and any standard procedures that you guys may or may not use?

Cheers,

Paul.

[amkr]

Tap water to flush the motor.

I've got a bottle of salt-away here - but after doing some reading I'm not sure i'd bother flushing an engine with it. Some people go years without flushing a motor and don't have any problems, not recommending that approach but it gives you an indication of their robustness. I flush mine for 5-10 mins with fresh water after each outing, I put the earmuffs on and let it run while I unpack the boat and give the boat a wash over.

Others may have more valuable input here as I'm only a new boat owner.

As far as washing the boat, I've got a fiberglass boat so I use a wash and wax type soap for the boat.

I've been toying with the idea of spraying some of the more important trailer bits with a water dispersant spray, but I think that may be overkill.

[DrownNprawns]

the most important thing with boats is what ever you use is that it is NOT abrasive as it will take off any polish that protects the gel coat from the sun salt and road grime.

Any polish (wax) should be also not abrasive as it will take the finish off the gel coat. hope this helps as the more you scrub it the quicker the gel coat wears away

[pjbink]

It's not overkill protecting the the trailer. It will rust if exposed to saltwater whereas your boat will survive quite OK with just a hose down with fresh water with the occasion wash or polish (if fiberglass). You don't have to keep applying it each trip, especially something like Tectyl. Just apply it the the frame and insides as well. You only need to do the bit that get dunked. Lanolin is quite good but will tend to wash off over time.

[amkr]

I spray the trailer with a good amount of freshwater when I'm done, but its still water which can cause rust... Rainwater is purer than tapwater and my gutters have worn through in a few spots!.

Might add some kind of trailer preventative maintenance into my clean up routine.

[pjbink]

I spray the trailer with a good amount of freshwater when I'm done, but its still water which can cause rust... Rainwater is purer than tapwater and my gutters have worn through in a few spots!.

Might add some kind of trailer preventative maintenance into my clean up routine.

You only have to do it once in a while with Tectyl or Lanoline. Of course you can hose it with fresh water when you get home but this is of limited use. it will rust eventually where it has been dunked in saltwater.

[stevefish]

to flush properly you need to run the motor long enough to open all the thermostats, or you only be flushing part of the the motor. below the points on my mercury are shown

for oil injected 2 strokes, turn them off rather than unplugging the fuel. i understand running them out of fuel that was a premix 2 stroke thing.

get a can of CRC 2.26, others use inox, i have nothing negative about inox i have just been using CRC for years and have no reason to change. give everything inside the cowling a good spray every few trips or a couple of months.

This is how my engine looks after 13 years. disregard the hour meter its only been fitted for a couple of years.

im definitely no maintenance freak but these tasks are always done.

if you get into night fishing, scout your local industrial area for a tap you can make use of late at night

ive never empied the tank although it is usually stored full

never used saltaway or stabil

the boat is stored the right way up, my pictures invert for some reason??

Edited November 4, 2015 by nbdshroom

[amkr]

Here I was thinking you stored the boat upside down with an elaborate series of winches

[nbdshroom]

Here I was thinking you stored the boat upside down with an elaborate series of winches

[p-ziller]

Thanks guys!

Its good to hear of a few ways in which people maintain their boats and motors.

Im very cautious when it comes to these things. At least now i know i dont have to drain half a tank of fuel giving the motor a flush.

However i will miss smoking out the neighbours!

[stevefish]

And the drive through car wash is the best!

[shakey55]

stevefish

Do you spray the motor with CRC after cleaning it down.

Good Looking motor for 13 years.

Just got myself a new boat (to me that is) and this motor looks brand new, so I'm keen about ideas to keep it looking as good as yours

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited November 4, 2015 by shakey55

[stevefish]

Do I spray the motor after cleaning it down?

Cleaning the motor to me is (externally)spraying it with light pressure at the car wash for a few seconds. Internally, nothing, spray every few trips.

The crc spray,

"Displaces moisture, leaving a continuous molecular film" blah blah

If you read their blurb it's impressive, but it lives up to it.

If you look under my motor cover everything is a bit greasy to touch, so any water never makes contact.

Fishing line aside natch, I'd spray it on anything, motor, winch, switches it won't bugger anything up.

Edited November 4, 2015 by stevefish

[p-ziller]

Do I spray the motor after cleaning it down?

Cleaning the motor to me is (externally)spraying it with light pressure at the car wash for a few seconds. Internally, nothing, spray every few trips.

The crc spray,

"Displaces moisture, leaving a continuous molecular film" blah blah

If you read their blurb it's impressive, but it lives up to it.

If you look under my motor cover everything is a bit greasy to touch, so any water never makes contact.

Fishing line aside natch, I'd spray it on anything, motor, winch, switches it won't bugger anything up.

Looks like I will be purchasing some CRC spray.

[Guest 4myson]

I have to agree with stevefish ... Car wash on the way home is the way to go . I used to lay out my rods on the floor & give them a blast the same time ....I even used to spray the scent inside the boat once I was done..... Ah the good old days!!!! Now it's impossible to find a Car wash where you can squeeze in a 9 meter boat trailer in !!!! Might have to go to a TruckWash instead.......But I definetly recommend a flush out after every outing & a spray of WD 40 under the hood ....

Edited November 4, 2015 by 4myson

[Ric001]

High pressure wash and rinse of the trailer at the car wash (5mins) from home every time I take the boat out. I even flood the bilge with the high pressure rinse to help remove any salt that may have accumulated (saves my water bill).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pjbink]

I have to agree with stevefish ... Car wash on the way home is the way to go . I used to lay out my rods on the floor & give them a blast the same time ....I even used to spray the scent inside the boat once I was done..... Ah the good old days!!!! Now it's impossible to find a Car wash where you can squeeze in a 9 meter boat trailer in !!!! Might have to go to a TruckWash instead.......But I definetly recommend a flush out after every outing & a spray of WD 40 under the hood ....

WD40 can degrade/ break down the insulation of your motor's wiring as well as not being good for rubber and plastic components. I am not too sure about CRC or Inox. Lanolin might be safer.

Edited November 5, 2015 by billfisher

[amkr]

WD40 can degrade/ break down the insulation of your motor's wiring as well as not being good for rubber and plastic components. I am not too sure about CRC or Inox. Lanolin might be safer.

WD-40® Multi-Use Product can be used on just about everything. It is safe to use on metal, rubber, wood and plastic. It can also be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40® Multi-Use Product.

From the WD40 website.

I think you'll have worn through in the motor before the WD40 ever eats through the insulation on the wiring.

Petroleum products are not recommended from rubber or plastic, but I suspect the amount in WD40 is minimal. - Lanolin however is perfectly fine.

[Guest 4myson]

Really Billfisher ????? With over 25 years in the trade I'm yet to see the damage you claim caused by WD ......

[pjbink]

From the WD40 website.

I think you'll have worn through in the motor before the WD40 ever eats through the insulation on the wiring.

Petroleum products are not recommended from rubber or plastic, but I suspect the amount in WD40 is minimal. - Lanolin however is perfectly fine.

It is petroleum based according to the SDS, ie up to 60% naptha (a petroleum fraction), 10 - 20% petroleum distillate and most of the remainder trimethyl benzene and xylene. It's a very good solvent (makes it great for freeing frozen and rusted parts),so I wouln't go overboard and get it near greased linkages. It leaves a very thin sticky film to, so can act as a dust and salt magnet and can cause problems with electricals according to some reports. It's not a very good lubricant either so it's not the best for moving parts unless followed up by another product.

I think I would trust lanolin more for spraying under the cowl.

[amkr]

It is petroleum based according to the SDS, ie up to 60% naptha (a petroleum fraction), 10 - 20% petroleum distillate and most of the remainder trimethyl benzene and xylene. It's a very good solvent (makes it great for freeing frozen and rusted parts),so I wouln't go overboard and get it near greased linkages. It leaves a very thin sticky film to, so can act as a dust and salt magnet and can cause problems with electricals according to some reports. It's not a very good lubricant either so it's not the best for moving parts unless followed up by another product.

I think I would trust lanolin more for spraying under the cowl.

Its actually quite average at freeing frozen / rusted parts. Automatic Transmission Fluid does a better job - its just that WD40 is usually whats in the toolbox.

I wouldn't spray it on anything that requires greasing/lubrication to operate. It will dissolve and break up any grease leaving hydraulics/linkages/bearings etc lubricated.

I wouldn't spray it directly onto any seals either, for fear of rubber swelling and breaking a seal. But for over electronics, rubber hoses, plastics, bolts etc I wouldn't hesitate.

Again, it would depend on the rubber compound too - fuel hoses for example are rubber and we'd be in a real mess if they couldn't withstand petroleum products.

I think Viton rubber and other similar compounds are more prevalent now than they were when the "it'll melt the rubber" tales started.

[stevefish]

WD40 can degrade/ break down the insulation of your motor's wiring as well as not being good for rubber and plastic components. I am not too sure about CRC or Inox. Lanolin might be safer.

I've shown the result of long term use of a product, not what I have heard or read. If someone has used another product for years it will add some real value to the discussion.

We can all Google up how good a manufacturers product is then find bad reviews about it.

[amkr]

In 1954, the wife of French engineer Marc Grégoire urged him to try the material he had been using on fishing tackle on her cooking pans. He subsequently created the first Teflon-coated, non-stick pans under the brandname Tefal (combining "Tef" from "Teflon" and "al" from aluminum).^[7] In the United States,Marion A. Trozzolo, who had been using the substance on scientific utensils, marketed the first US-made Teflon-coated pan, "The Happy Pan", in 1961.^[8]

Here's a snippet of trivia for you... Guess where PTFE (teflon) originated?

[Guest 4myson]

Hey amkr , Didn't Teflon originate from the UK ???? LOL...... Sorry Ed had to get that in.....

[p-ziller]

And the drive through car wash is the best!

I have to agree with stevefish ... Car wash on the way home is the way to go . I used to lay out my rods on the floor & give them a blast the same time ....I even used to spray the scent inside the boat once I was done..... Ah the good old days!!!! Now it's impossible to find a Car wash where you can squeeze in a 9 meter boat trailer in !!!! Might have to go to a TruckWash instead.......But I definetly recommend a flush out after every outing & a spray of WD 40 under the hood ....

Im still confused! Do people really wash their boats in the DIY car/truck wash stops? I had a joke with the missus that we should do it, i hope i can haha!

And if this is possible do i avoid the wax? lol

Paul.