Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 6: Boating Maintenance
better visibility even without windshield washers. (Salt crusts on the shield when it dries,
though, so you still have to wash it down later.)
Rain-X is so slippery that some boaters apply it to their boat bottoms to keep algae from
forming a scum line. Just rub it on and wipe it off—a treatment once a month helps a lot.
Cabin Clean-Ups
If your boat has a cabin, it’s probably got mildew. The best way to keep mildew out of a
cabin is with a low-powered heater like the “Golden Rod,” which dehumidifies the compartment.
(These heaters only work when attached to 110-volt AC, however.)
Mildew preventives such as Damp-Rid and No-Damp are chemical dehumidifiers that
help a lot in compartments that are closed tightly. And mildew-killing sprays such as
Lysol will also help keep the black crud from getting started.
Boat Bytes
When possible, bring
upholstery and life jackets
topside to dry in the sun.
Eliminating moisture and
applying UV (ultraviolet)
rays will help prevent mildew.
The Bottom Line
If you have vinyl sleeping pads below, treat them with a
vinyl preservative once a year. This keeps them looking
new and retains their flexibility. Use the stuff monthly
on any upholstery such as cushions in the cockpit, too,
because vinyl exposed to the sun dries out and starts to
crack quickly without it. It’s a good idea to stow your
cockpit upholstery in the shade of the cabin or your
garage when the boat is not in use.
The most significant cleaning job on any boat is the bottom. If the running surfaces are
not kept clean and smooth, performance suffers.
So what’s to make them dirty down there in the water, you ask?
In fresh water, there’s algae, scum, and over the last 10 years, zebra mussels. Along the
coast, a variety of sea life attaches itself to boat bottoms, but barnacles are the fastestgrowing
and most tenacious.
In warm weather, barnacles large enough for you to see and feel will grow on a boat left
in the water just one week. The growth slows as the water cools, stopping completely in
areas where water drops into the 40s in the winter. But in warmer climates like Florida,
the little critters are down there digging in year-round—it takes them a couple weeks to
show in winter, but they’ll be there. Growth can be amazingly rapid, particularly on boats
left at the docks for long periods of time.