Best Maintenance Products on your Boat?

[simonpickard]

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone wanted to share their must have products on board to keep things looking good, stopping rust, cleaning, etc.

If you were a brand new owner of a new fiberglass hulled sailboat what would those first few products be you'd buy to keep the boat looking like new?

Any advice would be most welcomed, there's SO many products out there it's hard to know what the good stuff is and I don't want to spend a ton of money finding out if possible.

Regards,
Simon

[Hudson Force]

I don't have specific "must haves", but I do have a collection of regularly used cleaners, solvents and adhesives.

Simple Green, Bar Keepers Friend, Acetone, Starbrite PTEF polish, Black Magic silicone "tire wet", 3M 5200, Amour-all, "Turtle" wax, WD-40, "G-Flex" epoxy, Bleach

Some of these items are not environmentally "friendly" and care should be taken that they are not used in excess with the product rinsed overboard. The Bar Keepers Friend can be substituted for any cleaner with oxalic acid to remove rust stains. The silicone "tire wet" product may be exclusively useful for vessels like mine with large black rubber rub rails and portlight gaskets. Many people aviod the 3M5200 because they find it difficult to remove, but there are methods and that very trait makes it function well. I use the Amour-all for UV protection on some plastics.
We also use "Pledge" spray wax on our acrylic windscreens and a brush on water sealant Thompson's (Ace Hardware's equivalent) on or bimini fabrics.

[NewMoon]

One of my faves is 3M Finesse-It. Each spring, after a thorough cleaning with boat soap to remove any dirt and dust from sitting over the winter, I give New Moon's smooth fiberglass surfaces a buffing with this very fine rubbing compound, then a waxing. She still shines up almost like new after 16 years, 35k miles of cruising, and 68k miles on the trailer. Here she is two years ago at Auke Bay.

[Hudson Force]

"New Moon" is a beauty!

[DumnMad]

Cold water washing machine powder for mopping off the deck. Contains anti-corrosion mix for metal parts in washing machines. Rinses off easily without streaking.

[s/v Jedi]

On new fiberglass? RejeX every 6 months!

[Tayana42]

Elbow grease applied liberally and often.

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[sailorboy1]

Bleach

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

"New Moon" is a beauty!

Thanks, CaptForce!


Jedi, is RejeX really as good as the web site claims - better than wax?
As easy to apply as they say - wipe on, wipe off, let cure for 12 hrs?

[zboss]

Tuff-enough!

[Vasco]

Barkeepers Friend. Spotless Stainless.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by NewMoon

Thanks, CaptForce!

Jedi, is RejeX really as good as the web site claims - better than wax?
As easy to apply as they say - wipe on, wipe off, let cure for 12 hrs?

It is a polymer coating that outperforms carnauba wax by a factor of 2. In the tropics it means it may last a year but when you do one coat every 6 months, you stay well ahead of things, saving time as it'll be much easier to do when it's all still clean and shiny.

It needs a little more elbow grease than the wipe-on, wipe-off thing like always. I also use it on stainless steel stanchions etc.

There are other brands that have similar products and I believe all are good. Prices differ though. I buy RejeX direct in a gallon container to save some $$$.

If your gelcoat is older and needs polishing, you must do that before applying RejeX as it is a protective coating only. I use 3M Perfect-It machine-polish with a Makita polisher and believe that combination can't be beat. I think 99% of pro's use that too.

[a64pilot]

Rejex is good, and a whole lot less work than say colonite paste wax or carnuba, carnauba in particular is a whole lotta work

[Hudson Force]

Jedi, Thanks for the RejeX suggestion. I need to attempt something that would protect with less difficulty. Protecting my freeboard with a conventional wax is my most labor intensive task.

[carstenb]

Make your life easy. Buy a heavy duty battery powered right angle drill and a polishing attachment. These are lighter weight that a normal polisher and much, much easier to handle, especially when trying to polish those "hard to reach areas"