Mike's Wash Down Procedure

Mike's Wash Down Procedure

    I met Mike at the Hog's Breath Saloon in Key West. It was a chance meeting (our orders got mixed up) but we discovered we shared a passion for Mahi-Mahi Key West (a Hog's Breath specialty), wine and vehicle/vessel care. I'm more than a little crazy when it comes to car care and Mike is positively obsessive compulsive when it comes to boat care. We hit it off immediately. Over the next few days, we shared more than a few bottles of wine and Mike taught me (a weekend boater) the finer points of boat care.

    Somewhere in his early forties, Mike cashed out of his New Jersey law practice and ended up in Key West with a Harley Fat Boy and a 30 ft Sundancer. I'm guessing Mike's vessel is 8 to 10 years old but it looks like it just left the showroom. I swear you could shave by the reflection in the gel coat! There's no trace of salt etching on the windscreen and the pipe frame on his camper top is bright and free of oxidation. 

    Mike likes to point out the difference between his boat and a little used, 10 month old Donzi a few slips over. The gel coat on the Donzi is already chalky, the aluminum pipe work on the T-top is badly corroded and the window is permanently salt etched. In a year or two, it will require a major restoration.

    Mike keeps a good coat of sealant on his boat (he introduced me to Island Girl products) but he attributes the pristine condition of his craft to his compulsion for washing it down after every outing. Salt, I learned, coats everything. It corrodes metals, makes cushions damp and sticky, deteriorates stitching and corrodes gel coats just as badly as intense Ultra Violet radiation. When salt spray dries, it turns into crystals. These salt crystals are hydroscopic. That means they can absorb moisture directly out of the atmosphere on humid days and mix with dew at night to become salt water again. If not washed away promptly, salt films will quickly turn your vessel from new to old.

    Here's Mike's 30 minute (or less) Wash Down Procedure:

    Work from top to bottom then bow to stern. Start with a complete spray down. Wet everything including the top and underside of T-Tops and all supporting pipe framework. Spray down the flying bridge, superstructure and finally the hull sides. This initial wet down allows salt film crystals to dissolve. No go back and do a second, final rinse. That's right, go back and give everything a second spray down. During the first wetting, salt crystals will have turned to salt water. The second rinsing washes the salt water away.

    During the final rinse, do not use a high pressure spray around windows and hatches. High pressure sprays can force water under hatches and into areas where it doesn't belong. Use a fine spray around windows and hatches. Mike uses a "plastic", adjustable nozzle with a complete shut off feature. This conserves water, reduces run-off and prevents marks on the gel coat if he accidentally drops the hose.

    Don't forget vinyl seat cushions. After a final rinse, set them on edge, zipper side down, and allow them to air dry. This double rinse will remove salt residues that leave seats sticky but will not remove stains. If the cushions are stained (beer, wine, food, etc.), spray the cushion with an approved marine vinyl cleaner (Bimini Top Cleaner, 303 Aerospace Cleaner, etc.), brush them with a natural bristle Vinyl Scrub Brush and rinse.

    After the second, final rinse, Mike uses a chamois to wipe down the windshield, cockpit area, railings, T-Top pipes and bright work. He allows the gel coat to air dry.

    It takes Mike 20 to 30 minutes to go through this routine and he does this religiously after every outing. Except for removing specific stains, he uses no cleaners or shampoos.

    Mike also told me he details his boat four times a year. His boat is in the water year around and Key West is a harsh environment with both salt water and intense Ultra Violet exposure. If he were on one of the great lakes, he said he would detail his boat at the beginning and end of each boating season. A full detail for Mike is usually spread over two days. It includes washing the gel coat with a shampoo and applying a gel coat sealant (he prefers a sealant over a carnauba wax). The camper top is cleaned with a cleaner and after it dries he applies a UV protectant. Ditto for all vinyl seat cushions. Clean first with a vinyl cleaner, allow the cushion to try and spray with a UV protectant approved for marine vinyl. A glass cleaner is used on all glass windows and he uses Plexus Plastic Cleaner & Protectant on all clear plastics. Railings, top framework and bright work is buffed with a metal polish and he finishes with scrubbing the bilge.

Addendum: In appreciation for the time he spent explaining his wash down procedure and other boat care tips, I sent Mike a California Water Blade, a Big Blue Drying Towel and a Little Blue Towel. Mike had never used any of these products before and wrote back telling me that he was blown away by how well they worked. He said he dries the hull and superstructure with the Water Blade in a fraction of the time it took with a chamois. And, after using the Blue Microfiber Drying Towels, he said he threw away his natural chamois. He uses the Little Blue Towel in the helm area and on the windows and the Big Blue towel to dry tower pipe work, railings, bright work and cushions.