Spring Boat Commissioning
Getting your boat ready for the new season in no time.
Getting a head start on your boat’s spring cleaning is an excellent way to asses any maintenance that might be required before you and your loved ones can get out on the water. Here are some ideas to get your vessel looking and running great in time for Spring.
Unwrapping
Remove your boat cover and scrub it down before storing it. If you’ve shrink-wrapped your boat, take the shrink wrap off and recycle. Your marina should have an area to deposit shrink-wrap.
Wax Poetic
Giving your boat a thorough scrubbing and waxing will not only make your boat look good, but it will protect the gelcoat and paint all season long. Polishing and waxing your gelcoat or two-part paint system is a great investment and extends the beauty of your exterior.
Throw Some Shade
Now is the perfect time to get those windows tinted. When it is out of the water it is much easier to bring in for window treatment, and even if you stored it on the water, you can have someone like Diversity come by the dock and give it a once over. Lots of options available, and better early than late when it comes to summer boat preparations.
Water, Water, Everywhere
It’s time to flush out the areas of your boat that were properly winterized. Fill up your water tank and run fresh, clean water through all your fixtures, open up fresh water intake through-hulls, marine heads, and flush fresh water through your macerators, bilge pumps and shower sumps.
Bottoms Up
Applying a fresh coat of antifouling paint to your boats bottom is a good idea, especially if your boat spends part of the season in the water. If the bottom paint is in good condition, simply sand and reapply a coat of paint.
It’s The Wood That Makes it Good
If you’re lucky enough to have an abundance of teak on your boat, you want to keep it looking beautiful. All popular marine woods like mahogany require annual care which is nothing more than some sanding and varnishing to protect the longevity and beauty of your wood.
All Systems Go
Make sure you go over your entire boat, testing and checking how well these systems and their components are working. This attention to detail will avoid any surprise issues that could crop up on your maiden voyage.
Safety First
While your knee deep in the bowels of your boat, take this opportunity to inventory your safety gear. Make sure your flares are unexpired, your personal flotation devices are in good shape and any First Aid equipment is topped up. If you haven’t already, check your emergency radio.
You spent a weekend preparing your boat, now you can go out on the water looking good and with peace of mind.
