Finally spring is here and we can look forward to the boating season with an air of anticipation. How many adventures will you go on this spring and summer, will your boat be in constant use at weekends and during the summer holidays?
Now’s a great time to prepare your boat for the season ahead if you haven’t already done so. We’ve drawn up a list of suggestions at Ropes Direct to get your vessel in perfect working order, follow our spring cleaning guide and get ready to set sail.
1. Clean the hull and the deck of the boat – If you have dry stored the boat over the winter this should make this process much easier. Wash the topside, the deck and the hull of the boat with a soft detergent and layer on a coat of wax afterwards.
2. Polish metal areas – Put a shine on cleats and other metal fixings, gently apply a good quality metal cleaner, rub it off and the surface area should be sparkling afterwards.
3. Take care with teak – If you own a wooden boat check the condition of the teak, does it look worn in parts and could it do with a little attention? Spring is the perfect time to sand the teak down, you can stain and varnish it afterwards in readiness for all that fair weather boating.
4. Wash down windows and hatches – Remove winter grime from windows, spend time cleaning hatches too to shift any dirt that has ‘magically’ appeared when the boat has been in storage.
5. Clean the cabin – Go through the cabin cleaning all surface areas, go through the galley if applicable tidying, dusting and washing where appropriate. Open windows to remove any musty smells and give the refrigerator, sink, cooker and microwave oven special attention if you are cleaning a cruiser, these areas are prone to bugs and bacteria.