Before you can set sail on the open water, you have to make sure your sailboat is clean and prepared for the trip—especially after a long offseason during which your sailboat has sat in storage for months. It’s always smart to clean and maintain your sailboat before taking off on your trip.
Cleaning a sailboat isn’t always the easiest thing to do though. It takes time and a lot of attention to detail. Safeguard is not only prepared to store your boat while you’re not using it, but we’re also prepared to provide some tips on how to clean and maintain your sailboat before the sailing season hits.
1. Use Freshwater To Clean and Rinse Your Boat and Boat Parts
Even though you might be sailing on saltwater, it’s good to clean your boat often with fresh water. That salt water might be great for catching fish and exploring the Florida waterways, but it’s not great for the longevity of your sailboat.
Saltwater has a number of potential chemicals, including salt, that can build up over time. That buildup can cause grime and mildew to set in. That's not only going to make it harder to clean your boat down the line, but it can also have a long-term impact on your parts.
2. Use Home Products To Clean Your Boat
Sometimes, a copious amount of fresh water isn’t enough to get your sailboat looking spick and span. Vinegar, banking soda, Borax, lemon juice, and even hydrogen peroxide can go a long way toward cleaning various parts of your boat. Whether it’s removing mildew from the side of the boat or cleaning the sail, these household items could be of service.
To specifically clean the sail of your boat, mix water and borax in a bucket and scrub down the sail. You have to be careful when cleaning a sailboat so as not to over-scrub. Doing so can weaken your sail.
3. Maintain Your Boat at Home
While there are bigger boat maintenance issues that might be beyond your expertise, there might be some things you can do at home to cut down those boat maintenance costs.
You should consistently check the oil and motor of your boat. While you will want to take your motor to a professional, you can check the oil level at home, like you probably do with your car. Check the levels to make sure it’s set for sailing before taking off on the open water.
4. Take Your Boat to a Professional
You might deem yourself an expert sailer out on the water, but that does not always mean that you are an expert at sailboat maintenance. Sure, there are some things you can do at home, but the last thing you want is to be out on the water with a maintenance issue. Before you set sail, you should consider taking your boat to a professional to make sure it’s ready.
There are countless places to take your boat for maintenance. Larger stores like Bass Pro Shop and Cabela’s have boat maintenance options. You can also opt for a smaller local shop if that proves easier or more convenient.
5. Consider Professional Boat Storage
During the summer months, you want to have your boat on the water as much as possible. Unfortunately, during the offseason, you probably want to get that boat somewhere where potentially poor weather won’t have an impact on your boat. After all, one of the best ways to maintain your boat is to prevent damage in the first place.
Safeguard Self Storage has boat storage ready for you at a number of locations. If you have any questions about storing with Safeguard, visit our FAQ page. If you are ready to book your storage unit today, contact us or rent and reserve your unit online today.