Category Archives: New Life For Your Old Boat

Does taking care of your boat seem like a never-ending process? Then we bet you’re on the right track. Boat maintenance and restoration are essential to ensuring that you enjoy every minute you spend on the water. When you know your boat is in great condition, you can spend your carefree days on the water listening to the waves instead of wondering, what is that noise? We will share some restoration stories and maintenance tips and tricks to help you along the way. Or share some of your own – everyone can use a helping hand!

On larger inboard engines, an impeller remover like the one made by Jabsco shown here, helps get the old unit out without damaging the pump housing.

Water-Pump Impeller: Priority One

Unless you have proof in the form of a receipt or confirmation from the shop that did the work, replacing the water-pump impeller should be one of the first things you do after bringing home your new-to-you boat. Why?  Nothing will leave you dead in the water faster than shredded water-pump impeller, and it’s important to replace it at your convenience, rather than at considerable inconvenience and expense.

A water pump with broken impeller blades, like the one on the right, can strand you and invites engine damage.

If an impeller disintegrates while you’re underway, the engine will overheat, which can lead to failed head gaskets or worse. And there is no truth to the rumor that if you keep moving, enough water will be forced through the system to keep the engine cool.

“There is not enough to be substantial,” according to Chris Leone, owner of Chris Leone Motorsports in Longwood, Fla. “At higher rpm, you may get a little bit of water, but your cooling needs are that much greater because you’re asking the engine to put out power, and power is heat — so your cooling requirements are going to be that much more.”

How hard is it to access and replace these impellers? It depends, of course, on the engine. The pump for a MerCruiser Alpha One drive, for example, is in the lower unit of the stern drive. On boats with MerCruiser Brave One and Bravo Three drives, the pump is engine-mounted and belt-driven.

The good news is that pump kits are not too pricey, and if you’re handy, you can do the job yourself without much trouble. The kit for an Alpha One is about $50. For a Bravo-drive-equipped boat, the kit runs right around $100, which includes new hardware, O-rings, the wear plate, housing, and impeller.

On larger inboard engines, an impeller remover like the one made by Jabsco shown here, helps get the old unit out without damaging the pump housing.

The Alpha One drive pump is easy to access, but the pump for a Bravo drive is mounted low on the engine, and all five bolts that hold the assembly together come in from the rear. Later-model Bravo-drive-equipped engines feature water pumps that have brass housings, which can be serviced by replacing the impeller only, unless the brass also is deeply scored. With either housing, the job isn’t much fun.

“The hard part is getting to it,” said Leone, who also has taught at Marine Mechanics Institute in Orlando. “In some applications, you can get them up out of the way and sit up on top and do it in your lap. Some of them you have to change from inside the bilge.”

Once you get it apart, inspect the condition of the impeller and housing. Ideally, the impeller should not be cracked anywhere, and it should certainly still have all its blades. If there are blades missing, you have to disassemble the cooling system and find them, so they don’t create a blockage.

The housing should be free of cracks or scratches inside. If you look inside and see scratches, which stem from the presence of sand in your cooling water, replace the housing. Also check the bridges across each water port, which can break and lead to premature blade wear.

Mercury specifies that the impeller be serviced every other year, or 200 hours, whichever comes first. However, most owners replace them as part of their annual spring fitting out. In northern climates, it’s best to install them before the boating season rather than at the end, because the blades tend to “take a set” when stored for long periods.

Because the impeller is made of fairly stout rubber, it’s difficult to get it into the housing. The trick is to coat the blades with Vaseline petroleum jelly or some other lubricant and spin it as you push it into the housing. Be sure you spin it in the proper direction, which is indicated on the replacement housing.

To make it last, follow Mother Mercury’s recommendations: don’t run your boat aground in sand, maintain at least two feet of water beneath your boat, don’t run the pump dry, and use your boat regularly.

When you’re done, you can take comfort in knowing you only have to perform this service once every two years. And if you still get stranded, at least it won’t be the water pump’s fault.

- Brett Becker

 

Seaswirl 2301

Preseason Outboard Maintenance

Seaswirl 2301

50 percent of engine problems could be avoided by annual preventative maintenance on your outboard.

In early May, I asked my buddy Lee if he had launched his 2005 24 foot Seaswirl with its 250 hp Yamaha outboard yet.

“Not yet,” said Lee. “I’m bringing it in to have the engine serviced this weekend, then weather permitting, it’ll go in next week. I don’t want to have any problems once the season starts.”

I’m pleased and surprised by this reasonable approach to preventive maintenance, since I’ve known Lee for over twenty years and always thought he was rough on his vehicles.

So I asked him what the service entailed.

“They change the oil, fuel filter, and spark plugs, and every two years they swap out the water pump,” said Lee. “They go through it with the computer diagnostic, check the throttle and shift cables, and lube and grease everything. Why are you so  interested?”

I confessed: I wanted to write about it.  And since I have always been a proponent of preventive maintenance, I was wondering what the Yamaha authorized service covered and how much it cost.

“It’s a couple hundred bucks, but I can tell you it costs a lot less than one tow service would,” Lee said.Yamaha outboard

I believe him, since I know he had to use a tow service when he went aground and ripped the lower unit off the engine last season… but that’s another story.

I think Lee is on the right track, and that having preseason preventative service by an authorized service tech on your outboard is good advice. It should give him peace of mind, the confidence to push his boat during many offshore fishing trips, and a season of uninterrupted, hassle-free use - that’s worth every penny.

hull staging

Boating Spring Fever

hull staging

The cover may be off and the staging set, but who will really be ready to get the boat ready until spring fever hits?

My friends and sailing buddies are calling to see if I can give them a hand as they prep their boats for the spring launch. Bottom painting, rigging, waxing, installing batteries, canvas, whatever it is, I’ve always lent a hand to people I sail with.

My own boat is another story.

I’m waiting for that annual case of spring fever that propels me into a frenzy. The kind of energy and drive that doesn’t just eat up the list of chores related to boat prep, but obliterates them.

I’m still waiting… and waiting.

The cover is still on, I’ve peeked inside and I’ve completed a few winter projects: a new companionway ladder, a teak trim ring for my compass, new staging planks to work on the topsides. But these seem more like chores, and the rest of the list is way too long to complete without spring fever and a few friends to make it manageable.

Must be the quirky weather this year. I’m always infected with spring fever by March, April at the latest—but not this year. I’m plugging away, working diligently, making myself do at least one boat-chore a day, but it is not the same. I don’t have the fever yet and for something that has always been automatic, looked for, and anticipated, I’m at a loss.

Perhaps a really warm day will trigger it, maybe the smell of varnish will, or maybe a ride to the boatyard for contact with those already infected. Hopefully it’s contagious, maybe it’s just anticipation that propels the mind and drives the body to boating nirvana.

If you are looking forward to the boating season with a touch of fever, try to bottle it—it is a most precious and necessary thing. Triumphant during launch, full of pride and energy, spring fever has been known to last well into summer. You’ll know it when you have it, miss it if you don’t, and welcome it gladly whenever it arrives.

tilted element

Transducer Thru-Hull Fittings

tilted element

A tilted element transducer self-levels for boats with steep deadrise

My buddy Charlie and his brother Bill, co-owners of a 23-foot 1977 Slickcraft SS235, were given a new fish-finder as a present. While the brothers already have an old Hummingbird model with a transducer mounted on the stern, they wanted to install the new one that came with the fish-finder, due to its larger color screen and added features; they had even purchased the exact size hole-saw they would need, but first they consulted with me about mounting the finder’s thru-hull transducer.

Few people are comfortable drilling holes in their boats, especially below the waterline, but new fish-finders, boat-speed or depth-finders come with a transducer that needs to be mounted so it can measure depth, speed, or find fish. While the term transducer commonly implies the use of a sensor/detector, any device which converts energy can be considered a transducer. Here are a few tips to guide you through the process of installing a thru-hull transducer.

Slickcraft

Slickcraft SS235

Since Charlie and Bill’s boat hull is solid fiberglass, the mounting process is a little easier than for cored-hull construction (discussed a little later in this piece). The first step is to find the right location in their boat so that the thru-hull stayed submerged below the water line.

I asked them about the kind of thru-hull fitting they intended to mount. It’s an old style brass fitting with a high-speed fairing block that needs to be mounted level so it points straight down, even if requires installing a wedge to make it plumb. They knew about the stern-mount type fittings because they already had one. They seemed to be unaware of the tilted element type that mounts flush and self-levels—this type may be right for you if the deadrise (the angle from the keel to the turn of the bilge) is steep. Given the shallow deadrise and relatively flat bottom on their boat, their fitting would not be a problem. Most manufacturers can provide a different type of transducer to meet your installation needs/budget.

The next issue is to find a location to mount the thru-hull that not only stays in the water, but also gets minimal turbulence.

Thru-hull Fittings on Powerboats

thru-hull diagram

The transducer slides into a housing-the housing allows you to remove the transducer for cleaning / inspection.

A good location for placing transducers on powerboats is where turbulence is minimized and the bottom is relatively flat—about a foot to the side of the keel and roughly amidships.

Make sure you place them where you have decent access from above—you’ll need to get at them from time to time for cleaning. If you leave transducers in for any length of time, the tips may become fouled with growth. To prevent this, I like to keep painted dummy-plugs in my boat when I’m not aboard. Just unscrew the transducer, pull it out, and after a quick gush of water insert the dummy plug tipped with bottom paint into the transducer housing and screw on the cap. This will keep your bottom and transducer clean. I leave a sponge in the bilge right next to the transducer for quick clean up, and I challenge myself to keep the plug ready and let in as little water as possible.

Thru-hull Fittings on Sailboats

Most speed and depth transducers perform well when mounted just forward of the keel or centerboard. I like to see them placed a foot or two off centerline, depending on the size of the boat. There is usually a relatively flat spot there and this area will stay underwater and have less turbulence than behind the keel. See special flush-mounting options for racing sailboats, and also read about cored hull considerations below.

Installation tips:

Raymarine B744V thru-hull transducer

Raymarine bronze thru-hull transducer with high-speed fairing block

  • When your boat is on the hard or even on a trailer it is not always level, so don’t true the transducer to the boat – true it to vertical by using a plumb bob.
  • Use underwater caulk/sealant like 3M’s 5200. It won’t come off easily, but in this case you don’t want it to.
  • On cored boats, water intrusion into the core can be a problem even if it is not leaking inside the boat. Water in the core can freeze in the offseason and cause delamination in the hull. To prevent this, fill the area around the transducer with epoxy to seal the core. The way to do this is drill the hole for the transducer through the inner and outer skin. Now use a slightly larger hole saw to cut only the outer skin and the core material centered around the first hole. Clean out the core material around the whole with a sharp chisel. Now tape the bottom hole from the outside, fill with epoxy from inside. When it hardens redrill the original size hole for the transducer and install. It should be surrounded by a solid epoxy wall all around and the core is sealed.
boat outdrive dirty

Eco-Friendly Anti-Fouling Paint

boat outdrive dirty

A dirty boat bottom robs you of fuel-efficiency, performance and handling, but how to keep it clean in the most eco-friendly way?

A search has been on for some years to find more environmentally friendly bottom paints and anti-fouling methods. Environmentalists have pushed scientists and chemists for better solutions. Green marinas that capture and filter runoff from waterfront boatyards are in vogue. And more and more cities and towns are banning divers from cleaning their bottoms in the harbor to avoid releasing clouds of copper oxide onto shellfish beds and fish breeding grounds. Something that will keep aquatic plant and animal life from growing on your boat’s bottom is, by its nature, unfriendly, repellant, or downright toxic to those organisms. But there are some greener alternatives in anti-fouling protection.

A slippery surface that repels growth because nothing can hang onto it is a step toward eco-friendly. Thin film technology paints, like Interlux VC-17 containing Teflon, create hard slippery surfaces that require fewer toxins. Forespar has created a non-toxic slippery surface product called LanoCote Prop and Bottom that can actually be applied underwater.

But if boats don’t move often or fast enough to shake the growth loose, a slippery surface alone is not enough. Many boat owners scoff at racing sailors who wet-sand their boats’ painted bottoms, but in fact hard slick surfaces that include biocides are even better at anti-fouling.  Most racing sailors I know take it one-step further, using hard anti-fouling paint, wet-sanding before launch, and then cleaning the bottom regularly during the season.

Paint companies have developed products that limit the range of toxic material from the eco-system at large by adjusting the release process of the biocides in their products.  Soft ablatives or sloughing paints are less popular and less eco-friendly, because they wash away indiscriminately. The “controlled-release” nature of hard ablatives, as an example, allows for the use of fewer toxins.

Heavy metals in anti-fouling paints have long been the effective, yet toxic, component of bottom paints. Some metals, like tin or tributyltin (TBT) and graphite have been banned outright in some locations. California and Washington State have legislation pending that would outlaw copper based anti-fouling on new construction. And while copper oxide is still the most prevalent and effective biocide in bottom paints, chemical alternatives like copper thiocyanate (white copper used in Petit Vivid and Interlux Trilux 33), Zinc Omadine (which creates a hydrogen peroxide chemical reaction and is found in E-Paints EP-ZO), along with slime fighters like zinc pyrithione, have been employed by paint companies trying to find alternatives to copper oxide while also staying within regulations.

Three companies, Petit (Ultima Eco), Interlux (Pacifica) and Sea Hawk (Smart Solution) now have zero-metal products based on Econea, a biocide that is reported to be as effective in 6% solutions as paint containing 50% copper oxide.

boat bottom clean

Regularly wiping down your boat's bottom might be eco-friendly, but is it practical?

Water-based paints with lower volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are also becoming favored over solvent-based paints for ecological reasons. These are safer for humans during application and are more biodegradable. Bionimetic silica encapsulation is a technology being touted as a natural eco-friendly alternative: non-metallic biocides encapsulated in silica that polishes away to release the biocide. Look for products with this technology in the near future.

An area of concern that doesn’t get enough attention, in my opinion, is compatibility between paint types. Some formulations require that an old non-compatible paint be removed completely. Removal by sand or soda blasting leaves contaminated residue, and mechanical sanding and chemical peels can cause skin burns and breathing problems. Co2 blasting with dry ice is a commercial alternative that leaves no secondary contaminated residue, but it has not been widely accepted yet. Most boatyards now require that any old bottom paint removed from your hull be captured and properly disposed of.

Ultrasonic anti-fouling  is one method of anti-fouling that does not require a toxic paint formula, biocides, or a slick surface. The technology is based on a series of ultrasonic sound frequencies generated through onboard transducer(s). The up-front cost for a system for a 30-foot boat is approximately $1,300.

As boaters, we all appreciate and enjoy our water world, but let’s face it, there is presently a tradeoff between more toxic anti-fouling paint and more eco-friendly, albeit unrealistic, solutions like wiping down your boat’s bottom by hand every day.  Based on how and where you use your boat, you’re going to have to experiment to find which combination of products and actions works best for you.

bottompaint-green

Bottom Paint for Freshwater Boats

bottompaint-green

Painting the bottom of your boat is a spring ritual many would rather avoid

Many people have asked me if it is really necessary to paint the bottom of boats used exclusively in freshwater. The answer is simple; if you leave it in the water for the season, yes, paint it. Your boat may not accumulate barnacles, but boats left in freshwater can grow a healthy beard of plant and algae slime. On the other hand, if you haul it after every use, hose it off and don’t worry about it. If you do leave your boat moored in freshwater all season, the question of what bottom paint to use is a little more complex.

There are five basic types of bottom paint:

  • Soft sloughing paints
  • Vinyl
  • Modified epoxies
  • Ablative
  • Thin film Teflon

Regardless of type, bottom paints today have two primary ingredients to keep plant and animal life from fouling your boat’s bottom—biocides, such as copper oxide, and what are now termed slimeocides, which act as sunscreen to keep plant and algae growth from forming. While copper oxide is the dominant ingredient in most anti-fouling paints with content as high as 80%, it’s the slimeocide that keeps the fuzz off the boat that then attracts the hard shelled animals. Think of the type of bottom paint as the delivery system for the biocides and slimeocides. In freshwater, you want strong slimeocides and harder surfaces which is why only the last two types of paint, hard ablative or thin film, are typically used.

VC17M

Interlux's VC17M is a thin film paint popular with freshwater boaters

If I had a freshwater-only boat that got left in all seasons my primary recommendation for bottom paint would be Interlux VC17M, the most popular thin-film paint with performance sailors and go fast powerboats–it has a very hard slick surface, great for performance. This paint contains both 20% cuprous oxide for a biocide and a strong slimeocide called Biolux. While it can be sprayed on for best effect, it is also easy to apply with a solvent-free roller. It dries very quickly (10-15 minutes), making it great for quick launching. The downside to this paint is that it is not compatible with aluminum boats due to its copper oxide content. Also, due to the relatively low copper content, it is not as effective in saltwater—which might not matter if you boat only in freshwater.

My secondary preferences for freshwater boats are a little bit more flexible. So called “hybrid” hard ablative paints such as Interlux Trilux 33 or Petit Vivid contain copper thiocyanate rather than cuprous oxide as the biocide. These have several advantages:

Petit-vivid-white1)    Their controlled release of biocides means they can tolerate being hauled then re-launched without loss of effectiveness;

2)    They’re compatible with all hull materials including aluminum hulls;

3)    They come in a variety of bright colors–including white;

4)    They can be used in saltwater;

5)    They’re still hard enough that you can trailer your boat without worrying that the paint will end up all over the trailer bungs.

6)    While not as hard and smooth as thin film paints, they can be burnished for performance.

Following the time-honored spring ritual of applying bottom paint to your freshwater boat will not only protect it and keep it clean, but result in improved fuel efficiency, performance and handling.Trilux 33

For outdrives and props used in freshwater I recommend either Petit Alumaspray (black only) or Interlux Trilux Prop & Drive Spray (clear or 3 colors).

Regardless of paint choice, check the manufacturer’s compatibility charts, prep and application requirements, and always protect your skin, eyes and lungs.

outboard

Fuel Price Increases: Will they affect your boating?

outboard

Plenty of speed, but at what cost?

Just as the economy is showing a few positive signs, rising fuel prices continue to offset the benefits for boaters. Maybe the sailboat crowd isn’t feeling the crunch as sharply, but I’m sure the powerboat crowd, particularly in the offshore fishing or ski and wakeboarding arenas, are contemplating if they can afford as much fun as before.

outboard electric

Electric outboards like the 3 hp Torqeedo 1003 with lithium battery are capable of pushing small boats and tenders up to 1.5 tons

I don’t pretend to understand why gasoline prices continue to rise; going up for the tenth straight week in my home state and now just below $4 per gallon—and even more at marinas. Some experts predict gas and diesel prices will rise over $5 per gallon in the U.S. this summer. I do know it affects certain segments of the boating community more than others, even resulting in fuel surcharges on ferries and sightseeing boats.

How are increasing fuel prices going to change your boating activities this season? Will it lead to an industry-wide trend of trading down from inefficient gas-guzzling boats, like it has affected the SUV marketplace on land? Will it lead to more people buying electric outboards, or buying more modern and fuel efficient gas engines, or will it simply mean a cutback on trips and usage? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

P.S. If you do pay higher fuel prices at least learn to go with the current to save yourself some money.

For more about electric alternatives, read these posts on Boats.com:

17 Kona: Torqeedo-Powered Runabout

Torqeedo Electric Outboards

The Latest in Spark Plug Technology

When I was a kid, I remember my dad cleaning and gapping spark plugs to get a few more hours out of them. Frugality was his answer to a lot of problems, and it might be where my sense of thriftiness took root, but the practice of cleaning and gapping spark plugs has gone the way of points and condensers.

If you look at a spark plug used in engines in the early 1900s, you can see major differences between it and those used in the last few decades of the 20th century. The differences are striking, and most of the advances stemmed from engineering and design. If you look at today’s spark plugs, they don’t seem much different from those my dad used to clean with a wire brush — but they are markedly improved, due largely to advances in materials science.

The lowly-looking spark plug today appears much the same as what we remember a generation ago. But many plugs today are made of much more exotic materials. Doug Logan photo.

Better nickel alloys, advanced metals such as platinum or iridium laser-welded to electrode tips, and ceramics with fewer impurities have all gone a long way toward making spark plugs better suited to their task, and more durable. They cost a bit more, too, and boat owners need to know what the new technology means to them in terms of selection and maintenance.

For starters, the use of advanced metals on the center and ground electrodes resists gap erosion, the slow process in which the firing of the plugs actually wears away the electrode’s surfaces. These fine-wire plugs—so called because the electrodes are much thinner than conventional nickel alloy plugs—are more resistant to fouling and last longer.

Precious-metal, fine-wire spark plugs, like the ones shown here, cannot be gapped properly by the user. They’re factory-set; when they’re done, they’re done.

When installing fine-wire plugs in your boat’s engine, the differences in materials also require different techniques. For example, attempting to set the gap on a precious-metal spark plug is a big no-no. Gapping tools actually can break the precious metals off the electrode tips. In fact, NGK’s official policy is that customers should not regap platinum and iridium spark plugs, period. They’re gapped at the factory and packaged so that the user can take them out of the box and thread them into the engine.

Regapping nickel spark plugs with a “coin style” gapper is still acceptable, though, as long as proper care is taken.

Use dielectric grease on the terminal where the spark-plug boot connects to keep water and corrosion at bay. Never use a lubricant such as antiseize on the threads because it changes the torque values.  And always use a torque wrench— one person’s hand-tight is not necessarily the same as another’s. NGK publishes torque figures in its catalog and online because it is that important.

As a word of caution,  spark plugs should never be used to cure a problem. Whether it’s worn piston rings or seals, or fuel delivery too rich or too lean, the spark plug is a bandage fix. Cure the cause, not the symptom.

When iridium or platinum plugs look badly worn, don’t bother to regap them. Throw them in the recycling bin and get new ones. Odds are they have lasted longer than conventional plugs anyway, so you’re still probably breaking even on price. For all its merits, frugality isn’t always the answer.

- Brett Becker

winter boatyard

Boatyards in Winter

winter boatyard

The Winter Boatyard may be silent on the outside, but it's busy with unique winter work.

Boaters in cold climes are in stasis through the long winter nap, but not boatyards. In boatyards, a flurry of unique work goes on unseen at this time of year. What kind of work? you might ask, for nary anyone in the general public can determine any activity from the external look of a winter boatyard.

But deep in the heated sheds and administrative offices there is life. The Operations and HR managers are working on ads for spring-time help in the paint department and looking for kids to man the gas dock this coming summer. By now stock room personnel are completing their inventory audits. Sales staff members are sending out mooring contracts, soliciting pre-launch work, and producing the first blush of spring launch schedules. In the heated boat sheds, high priority winter projects get a final coat of varnish or paint, a new engine, a swim platform. The engine shop has rows of outboards undergoing annual maintenance. Yard management is preparing to attend the local winter boat shows and the purchasing manager is placing discounted bottom paint orders by the pallet for the coming season. The launch crew is performing maintenance on their skiffs and equipment.boatyard

It is this busy planning and preparation before the storm of customers arrives in early spring that will make things go smoothly when the snow and ice retreat. The air in the boatyard is already ripe with anticipation. You might not see it, but a boatyard in winter works toward a boater’s dreams soon to come true.

Gelcoat Maintenance: Shiny Side Up

When it comes to caring for the finish on your boat, there are essentially five steps to the process and two approaches. The steps are, in order:

  • Wash
  • Clean
  • Polish
  • Protect
  • Maintain

The two approaches are Best Results or Quick & Easy. Well, none of it is easy. It all takes work. It’s just that the second approach involves less of it.

However, any time you combine steps, you’re losing the individual characteristics of each category. A cleaner-polisher-wax is not going to clean as well. It’s not going to polish as well,  and it certainly won’t protect as well. The tradeoff is that it’s a lot quicker.

Proper gelcoat care can keep the finish from become chalky and oxidized. And it’s a lot less work to maintain a finish than it is to try to bring it back.

 

The method largely depends on the condition of the boat. For example, a new boat likely would need just a wash and wax to keep it looking good. For older models showing their age, you might need to go through all five steps to bring back the finish.

Before you head to West Marine to get the supplies, know the basics. First, if you can move your boat around on a trailer, put it in the shade. Washing and waxing are all easier on a cool surface. Second, for washing, use two buckets if you can. One bucket is for the soap, the other is to rinse the dirt off the sponge before you put it back in the soap bucket. It doesn’t make an immediate difference, but over time the method prevents the small “spider scratches” that show up in direct sunlight. And third, make sure you use biodegradable boat wash soap. It’s safe for the environment and it doesn’t remove wax. Do not use dishwashing soap, which does remove wax. Unless you really enjoy waxing your boat.

Once the boat is clean, look at its condition and decide which method you need to use: best results or quick and easy. Either way you’re looking at some serious elbow grease. Boats have a lot of surface area to be polished and waxed.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to slather on thick coats of polish and wax. A thin coat is all you need, because regardless of how heavily you lay it on, the same amount of product is actually going to stick to the surface. When you put a real thick coat on there, you’re going to be wiping off a bunch of excess, which is a waste of both product and effort.

In terms of what to use, I’m not going to tell you that Meguiar’s is better than Mother’s, or that Simoniz is better than Turtle Wax. Use what you like, but for boats, you’re better off with synthetic waxes than you are with a natural wax like a carnauba. Why? Synthetic polymers offer superior protection. A carnauba is easy to apply and remove, and it gives a great shine, but it tends to degrade rapidly in a saltwater environment.

Most of the experts I’ve interviewed over the years recommend surface care at least twice a year, and if you’re washing with the right soap, that should be all you need. The more often you maintain and take care of your gelcoat properly, the easier it is. Frequent boat care is easy boat care. Well, easier, anyway.

- Brett Becker