That new boat sure looks gorgeous. She shines like a diamond in the sun. Just like your automobile, keeping that sexy shine will take a bit of work. Have no fear, as keeping that sleek look is just as easy as it is on your automobile. These tips will help you be ready to smile every time you pay your boat insurance bill.

Gel-coat care

Gel-coat is the smooth shiny finish on fiberglass boats. The Gel-coat is a mixture of polyester resins and pigments that need protection from the damaging effect of UV rays, dirt, and other hazards of this world. Not giving the gel-coat some love and tenderness can lead to oxidation and a dull finish on the boat

So how do you keep that gel-coat in tiptop shape and preserve that high sexy look of your boat. You wax that baby. Get yourself a good boat wax for this process. The Turtlewax that you use on the car just is not going to cut it here.

Waxing should be done no less than twice a year, depending on how much you use your boat. Transporting the boat to and from the lake on a weekly basis will mean you need to wax that boat a whole lot more than someone who just hits the lake once every month or so.

You should wash your boat after easy use. This will help reduce the amount of waxing you need to do. Washing the boat after each use will help keep all the dirt and grime from eating away at that precious gel-coat. It will also allow you time to look over the boat after each use to look for any damage to the hull that might have occurred.

Teak Care
Teakwood is a wood full of natural oils and wax. This is why so many boat manufactures choose to use it. Like any other wood, it will fade and dull over time.

Restoring that wood to the natural beauty is easy, but time consuming. First, you will want to use a fine grit sand paper and sand the wood down. While sanding the wood, feel free to wash it with some ammonia and dish detergent. This will help get any crud that has built up off of the wood.

You will now need to apply a nice new coat of varnish. This will make that wood look like new. Make sure you use a high quality varnish for this process. You don’t want to be out sanding and varnishing next weekend when you could be on the lake having fun. A good quality varnish will help in keeping water and other pollutants from destroying your precious teakwood.

Taking care of your boats finish is every bit as important as taking care of all the mechanical workings. You want that boat to keep looking as sexy as it did when you rolled it home.

Photo via Webb Zahn