Cleaning your boat hull is an important part of taking care of your investment. Not only will it keep your boat looking great, but also it can help with fuel efficiency and overall performance. The question is how often should you clean the hull? While there’s no right or wrong answer to this question, there are some guidelines and best practices to follow. We’ve put together a quick guide that discusses how often you should clean your boat hull.
Benefits Of Cleaning Your Hull
Cleaning the hull of your boat is essential to keep it clean and in good shape. Hull cleaning prevents corrosion, algae growth, and growth of other marine life and water from pooling up on the boat. It’s easy to forget that even the most thorough cleaning job can’t remove every bit of residue from your boat hull, especially if you’ve been on the water all day.
You may not think that a dirty hull would be a big deal, but it definitely can be. A clean hull will help with fuel efficiency by reducing drag and increasing aerodynamic efficiency. In fact, the more dirt you have on your boat’s bottom, the more drag there is when it travels through water. This means that your engine will have to work harder than it needs to just to get where you need to go.
Paying attention to how much time passes between washings of your boat’s bottom can help ensure that you’re using as little fuel as possible when traveling across open water or from one dock to another—and keep things running smoothly for longer periods of time without needing major repairs or maintenance costs down the road!
Hull Cleaning Maintenance
Some cleaning tips that will help remove some of this buildup, though are:
- Power Washing – This is the best way to clean a boat hull because it will loosen and remove dirt, salt, grime, and other contaminants from the surface of your boat. You can use a pressure washer or manual scrubbing brush to do this job; however, you should never use any chemicals when power washing your boat as these may damage its paint job or cause corrosion in areas like switches and hinges.
- Soft Cloth Wipe Down – If you don’t want to use chemicals on your boat’s surfaces then consider using a soft cloth with water mixed with dish soap as this is usually enough to remove most stains and leave behind a nice shine once dried thoroughly. Make sure not to get any of these cleaners inside cracks where they could seep into seams which could lead them escaping later on down the line causing more damage than necessary!
How Often Should I Clean The Hull
You might be wondering: how often should I clean my boat hull? You should clean the hull of your boat every 4 to 12 weeks! We understand that the duration between boat cleanings might vary greatly! Depending on what kind of boat you have and where it’s kept, the frequency of your cleaning can vary significantly. This is because a variety of things influence how dirty your boat gets. The good news is we’ve listed factors that affect boat cleaning:
Fouling
The frequency, length, and speed with which your boat may have a significant impact on how dirty your boat becomes. Boats that are not used frequently may easily accumulate fouling. Fouling occurs when plants, algae, or other marine life accumulate on the hull of your boat. The warmer the temperature of the water the faster growth will occur. In Florida we have some of the warmest waters and fouling can quickly become out of hand. By sailing more often, farther, and faster, you can reduce the spread of fouling while having fun!
Salinity In the Water
Every boat owner should practice the good habit of hosing down everything with fresh water at the dock or ramp after a boat day. You’ll need to use a cleaning agent because the salt residue won’t be removed by just hosing it off. Instead, the salt builds up on the hull, leaving behind difficult-to-remove watermarks. Try washing the boat down fully if you can, but if you can’t, concentrate on the windows in particular. This will help the windows stay clear and survive longer.
Weather Guards
Weather guards such as; slipcovers can get away with fewer washes. Slipcovers avoid scratches and stains by keeping rainwater, leaves, and branches out. Every three to four weeks is advised for hull cleaning without a boat cover. If you are due for a boat wax, you’ll want to take care of that right away because the surface will quickly deteriorate under the intense Florida sun. A thorough wash and wax should be performed every 8 weeks or so to avoid South Florida’s sun’s wrath.
Better Boating With Bilbo’s Marine
For most boat owners, it makes the most sense to clean the hull once every year. This is a good time to do an inspection and see if there are any spots that need special attention or repairs. If you have other options available like a dry dock or marina, then we recommend having them cleaned at least twice per year so they stay in shape. While preventing corrosion is unavoidable, it is feasible to delay the process with regular maintenance procedures. At Bilbo’s Marine. No boat is too small, and no yacht is too big, we service them all. Contact us today because it’s time to get that Bilbo shine!