The summer heat can make getting in your boat and out onto the water irresistible in Florida. Boat detailing properly is incredibly important to make that time out on the water as enjoyable as possible with a safe, clean boat that looks beautiful and stays in seaworthy shape for years.
Florida Boat Detailing Best Practices
When setting up all your cleaning supplies for detailing your boat, we recommend using the two-bucket method. Briefly, the two-bucket method is filling one of your buckets with the appropriate cleaner and water mixture while filling the other one with clean water. The soapy mixture will be used for washing as usual, and the clean water will be used to rinse your soft brush or washing mitt. Using this method will reduce the amount of dirt on your washing mitt as you clean your boat.
Items you’ll want on hand for boat detailing include:
- Boat appropriate cleaning solutions
- Two buckets
- A wash mitt
- Access to a water hose
- Microfiber drying towels
Boat Detailing Process
Once everything is set up, you will begin by rinsing your boat thoroughly in order to wash off all the loose dirt and grime. While rinsing, you will want to spray water from the higher areas to the lower ones; this will make it so you do not allow dirt to trickle down to areas you’ve previously rinsed.
Pre-Rinse & Washing
When you begin to wash your boat with your soapy mixture, make sure you are following the directions closely for the proper solution/water ratios. Also, ensure the solution you are using is designed for boats. You will not want to use dish detergent or cleaners used for cars as they may have different pH balances that will potentially damage parts of your boat.
Just like with rinsing, start washing your boat with your wash mitt from the higher points of your boat and work your way downwards as to not allow dirt to travel from the area you’re cleaning to areas you’ve already cleaned. Gently scrub surfaces in order to avoid scratches, and rinse the soap off shortly after scrubbing – you do not want the soap drying on the surface of your boat where it can create a film or damage your wax.
Final Rinse & Drying
Before drying, you will want to give your entire boat a final rinse with no nozzle on your hose. This will allow the water to run smoothly down the surface of your boat and minimize beading and water spots. Once fully rinsed, you’ll want to hand dry your boat a good microfiber cloth and/or appropriate drying towel.
This last step is important because water spots and swirls will be left behind if you leave your boat to air-dry. Remember to dry quickly because the water on your boat can evaporate quickly from the heat and sunlight in Florida. Boat detailing with this attention to detail will make sure you end up with the perfect finish every time!
Other Florida Boat Detailing Tasks
- Clean windows and other glass surfaces
- Clean your seats and other fabric surfaces with products appropriate to their material
- Polish metal features and ornaments such as railings and ladders
- Make sure to scrub down and clean other items associated with your boat such as any coverings or canvases.
Taking care of a boat can seem to be a daunting task if you’re new to getting on the water in Florida; boating detailing doesn’t have to be intimidating though! Hopefully, we’ve given you a few ideas on how to best take care of your boat. Did we miss anything though? Let us know down in the comments!
