* Boat Spring Cleaning

Spring Clean

Many boats have been tied up and wrapped up for the winter. Getting that “new boat” look is important – Would a Boat Buddy be a help?

My boat, Skua, is kept fairly clean at all times. I like stepping aboard a nicely organised and clean vessel. I launch and retrieve each trip. There are advantages and disadvantages to this system of operation. One advantage is that it is great to have your boat the side of the house when there are jobs to be done. It is also handy for cleaning purposes.

My Warrior spends a lot of time on my driveway during the winter. Cod trips in the harbour are taken either in Bella Vista hire boats or I head out in my Rubber Duck. The down side to this tends to be an explosion of mildew inside my cuddy. The outside suffers more from the general filth that is held in rain and usually means some black streaks that are not hard to clean with decent detergent. The constant running of rainwater usually will cause some staining around the rear transom drain holes and the scuppers. All my fittings are stainless and all fasteners are high quality so I do not suffer from rust stains. It matters little in any case. The boat will not clean itself! And regardless of condition a spring clean is in order at this time of the year. I like to have Skua ready for the off and ready to fish at short notice.

It was online that Boat Buddy first came to my attention. One of the lads from Dublin won some in a competition and used it to superb effect last year. I happened to meet up with a friend who knows the people involved so he arranged for some product to be sent out to me to have a try out.

I was speaking with Chris from Boat Buddy about products in general. Firstly his take on mildew was simple: Make up a solution including bleach and spray the affected areas. Just spray and wait. Mildew is an organism not dirt. I duly made up a weak solution in a spray bottle and liberally sprayed all round the inside of the boat (being careful not to allow drops on clothing). Within fifteen minute the mildew was gone, without need for further rubbing. When bleach is left exposed it will lose its effectiveness.

Chris had a simple take on boating products: you buy a bottle of made-up product and you are buying mostly water. Boat Buddy products are highly concentrated so they go a long long way. You do your own diluting.

In the mean time I began to look closely at the Boat Buddy products:

Boat Buddy Marine Wash

This is the first of a three part process. The marine wash is non caustic and will remove wax and traffic film from the surface of the boat. This takes diluting. I sprayed it on and worked it with a sponge and a little scrubbing brush. To be fair, it worked as well as I would expect. One thing about this is that it is Eco-Friendly and can be used on Marinas where caustic products would be frowned upon.

Boat Buddy Marine Surface Cleaner /  Grunt

This is the real workhorse of the group! Think a better alternative to Y10. The product is also available as a product called GRUNT. If you have a boat that has lots of stains, rust marks or streaks. I treated some watermarks at the transom and also use it on some stubborn black rubber marks on the hull (from trailer rollers scuffing). The Surface Cleaner shifted the stains effortlessly. I sent some GRUNT down to the Bella Vista Hotel where Kevin Murpy used it on one of his fleet that had been on the water all winter – “Superb results” says Kevin, “I could not believe how clean and white the hull is after treatment!”. “What’s even better is the ease of application – paint it on, wash it off!”. High praise indeed. Also the fact that it is biodegradable means it can be used safely where a boat is on the water.

 Boat Buddy Marine Surface Protector

The final stage of the process is the application of the protector or wax. Again it is easy to apply and easy to buff once dry. The blurb says that it will last five time longer than conventional wax. I certainly hope so as SKUA is looking very well at the moment.

There are other products in the Boat Buddy range: A Renovator that will sort out light oxidisation. A Wash & Wax , A Bilge Cleaner a RIB Cleaner and a Sail & Cover cleaner. I used the Surface wash on my cover and was really impressed with the results.

The final bonus is that it is a northern Irish product.

Check out www.boatbuddy.net

Or some of the videos :

The Verdict:

The Verdict:

If you want a product to bring your boat back from the dead then this is really the one! If your boat is clean but needs a few stubborn stains sorted then go for the Surface Cleaner or Grunt. If you want to be the sexiest on the slipway then go the whole hog.