General maintenance question

FightinIrish

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My 23SSRCX is set to arrive in late April and I’m hoping that we bought our last boat first! I obviously want to keep it in great shape and was hoping you all could let me know your rituals to help keep your boats in top shape, and perhaps including some product names if warranted. I know there have been various posts on certain cleaning products but I was hoping to compile a list of things I should definitely be doing and with what frequency (like waxing the cowl, UV protection for Bimini, cleaning/ protecting seats, washing down floor, cleaning toons and panels, etc etc).

Thanks!
 
Did you order you boat with Sharkhide applied to your pontoons?!? If you did great! If not I would suggest doing so before she hits the water. At least once a season I give my boat a good waxing. I wax the panels inside and out, the rails, the entire motor from the cowling to the lower unit, the ski tow bar, etc. etc. I've used Turtle wax, Meguiars, Nufinish and others over the years. It doesn't matter as long as you do it. I don't have the Simtex upholstery that your boat has so I can't help you there. I'm sure another member will chime in. We always have a container of disenfectant wipes onboard. Doesn't matter what brand. They have multiple practical uses. Whether you want to disenfect a surface or wipe your hands, we also use them to spotclean and they do a great job. (Wipe the throttle, steering wheel, Simrad, clean that slider poop off the seat or wipe the dirt somebody tracked in off the seagrass) But my biggest suggestion to you is to religiously cover your boat. The sun will eventually get to it if you don't..........
 
My 23SSRCX is set to arrive in late April and I’m hoping that we bought our last boat first! I obviously want to keep it in great shape and was hoping you all could let me know your rituals to help keep your boats in top shape, and perhaps including some product names if warranted. I know there have been various posts on certain cleaning products but I was hoping to compile a list of things I should definitely be doing and with what frequency (like waxing the cowl, UV protection for Bimini, cleaning/ protecting seats, washing down floor, cleaning toons and panels, etc etc).

Thanks!
Make sure you read the warranty info for your motor. For example, Mercury extends your warranty, "bonus warranty", if you get it serviced at a qualified Mercury Marine mechanic during the required time intervals.
 
I bought a motor cover to keep my cowling protected. I also keep mine on a covered lift that helps.
 
Did you order you boat with Sharkhide applied to your pontoons?!? If you did great! If not I would suggest doing so before she hits the water. At least once a season I give my boat a good waxing. I wax the panels inside and out, the rails, the entire motor from the cowling to the lower unit, the ski tow bar, etc. etc. I've used Turtle wax, Meguiars, Nufinish and others over the years. It doesn't matter as long as you do it. I don't have the Simtex upholstery that your boat has so I can't help you there. I'm sure another member will chime in. We always have a container of disenfectant wipes onboard. Doesn't matter what brand. They have multiple practical uses. Whether you want to disenfect a surface or wipe your hands, we also use them to spotclean and they do a great job. (Wipe the throttle, steering wheel, Simrad, clean that slider poop off the seat or wipe the dirt somebody tracked in off the seagrass) But my biggest suggestion to you is to religiously cover your boat. The sun will eventually get to it if you don't..........
BK - have you ever tried a ceramic spray on Wax? Testing on my truck and RV a few months back, went on easy and seems to have outlasted my typical wax job with half the work - which of course I am always suspicious of.....
 
BK - have you ever tried a ceramic spray on Wax? Testing on my truck and RV a few months back, went on easy and seems to have outlasted my typical wax job with half the work - which of course I am always suspicious of.....
I have thought about maybe trying something like this a ceramic coating of some sort for my motor cover. Perhaps a dumb question, but is ”ceramic spray on wax” different than ceramic coating?
 
I bought a motor cover to keep my cowling protected. I also keep mine on a covered lift that helps.
Agree 100% I owned my last boat for almost 20 years. Motor was always out of the water with a cover on the top. Amazing what the top of motor looked like versus uncovered section. The sun seem to just burn the top finish off the lower half. Or was it Acid Rain? :)
 
have you ever tried a ceramic spray on Wax?
One member recommended The Last Coat. I'm ordering a bottle and will try it next week. I'm going to try it on the fiberglass part of the boat as well as the motor. It says it can also be used on glass so I'll hit the windshield too. I'll see how it does this summer but looked like it would be worth a try.
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BK - have you ever tried a ceramic spray on Wax? Testing on my truck and RV a few months back, went on easy and seems to have outlasted my typical wax job with half the work - which of course I am always suspicious of.....
No never tried the spray on ceramic wax. Does it last much longer than regular wax?!? For the past 2 years I've used Nufinish to wax all of our vehicles and our boat and it has performed and lasted for a while. Speaking of ceramic products......I stopped into a local boat/auto detailer and inquired about the ceramic coating for my pontoons. To apply it to all 3 pontoons it comes to $100 a foot. I'll stick to Sharkhide for now......
 
Thanks all! I did not order the Sharkhide. People seem to really love it on here, but my dealer wasn’t too keen on it and says it can really look bad if spots are missed and it will accentuate the water line on the toons as he said the water will remove it? I’m still contemplating doing it myself...

I too will have a covered lift...lakeliving do you still put your mooring cover on under your lift cover?

Has anyone put any sprays on their Bimini to protect it? Or their lift cover for that matter?

I like the idea of waxing the whole thing.

Thanks again
 
I spray my Bimini and my mooring cover. Others had warned about spraying them on the boat can cause drippings below so I drape them over my trailer and use a fairly inexpensive pump sprayer to spray the 303 fabric protector
 
You can Sharkhide it yourself. A quart container will easily do all 3 pontoons. Use a cloth lint free diaper and overlap as you go. Do at least 2 coats so you don't miss any spots. (You will know if you miss. Ha!) Like Link I used to remove my Bimini top and mooring cover and spray it with waterproofing spray. But I used a gallon container of Starbrite waterproofing spray. I would put it in a pump sprayer and spray everything. Let it dry then spray it again! Lasts about 2 seasons.......
 
Thanks all! I did not order the Sharkhide. People seem to really love it on here, but my dealer wasn’t too keen on it and says it can really look bad if spots are missed and it will accentuate the water line on the toons as he said the water will remove it? I’m still contemplating doing it myself...


Did he also tell you what they look like above the water line after 1-2 years? They ALL will look like bad below the water line with or without. I’m going on year 5 and other than a couple minor spots mine still look new “Above the water line”. I really can’t believe how many dealers tell people this stuff.
 
Thanks all! I did not order the Sharkhide. People seem to really love it on here, but my dealer wasn’t too keen on it and says it can really look bad if spots are missed and it will accentuate the water line on the toons as he said the water will remove it? I’m still contemplating doing it myself...

I too will have a covered lift...lakeliving do you still put your mooring cover on under your lift cover?

Has anyone put any sprays on their Bimini to protect it? Or their lift cover for that matter?

I like the idea of waxing the whole thing.

Thanks again
Search Sharkhide upper right corner. You will learn a lot about the product.
 
Agree 100% I owned my last boat for almost 20 years. Motor was always out of the water with a cover on the top. Amazing what the top of motor looked like versus uncovered section. The sun seem to just burn the top finish off the lower half. Or was it Acid Rain? :)
I'm new to the forum...
Would Yamaha sell motor covers???
 
I'm new to the forum...
Would Yamaha sell motor covers???
They do. Each manufacturer does.

You will pay a premium for one through the manufacturer vs. a generic after market cover. However, the manufacturer covers look so much better, and they fit perfectly.

I have a Mercury and bought my cowl cover through them directly. Looks great. Fits perfect. Worth the extra expense to me.
 
They do. Each manufacturer does.

You will pay a premium for one through the manufacturer vs. a generic after market cover. However, the manufacturer covers look so much better, and they fit perfectly.

I have a Mercury and bought my cowl cover through them directly. Looks great. Fits perfect. Worth the extra expense to me.
I'm in agreement with you....Thanks for the reply.
 
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