Boat Maintenance

At some point in the life of a cruising sailboat, hull wax or fiberglass polish is no longer an option and restoring gel coat requires more serious commitment. Hull restorers contain water-based emulsions of acrylic or acrylic/urethane resins. The resins are tiny droplets suspended in water. When applied the water evaporates, and the resins flow together to form clear films. The process is similar to what happens with many fiberglass or gel-coat finishes. For this Practical Sailor test, surface preparation was critical. If you miss a streak of dirt or grease, that blemish will become trapped under the hull restorer.

Barnacle removal is ranks among the least favorite boat maintenance chore for a cruising sailor. In our last barnacle remover test, https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/barnacle-removers two products stood out. The most effective was Star brite Zebra Mussel and Barnacle Remover, but we also had good results from a milder product called Marsolve. This time around, we tried a solution with the promising name of Barnacle Buster and documented the results with time-lapse photography.

Wouldnt it be nice if you could have a rust-proof boat? In search of our ideal anti-corrosion coating, we chose the products based largely on their advertised claims and also on how easy they were to find. Among the products we tested for corrosion prevention: West Marine CorrosionPro Lube, CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, Corrosion Block, Boeshield T-9, WD-40, CorrosionX, Corrosion X HD, Shark Hide, LPS 1, LPS 2, LPS 3, and TC-11 all popped up during Internet searches. We left out products that made no specific claims for use in the marine environment.

Practical Sailors readers have long been asking for a test of antifouling paints in freshwater. Last summer, we sank antifouling paint-covered test panels in Lake Erie, and now, the short-term results are in. The top performers, Pettit Super Premium and Pettit Hydrocoat, are laced with copper, but theyre probably overkill for seasonal boaters. While we havent had much luck in salt water with those low-copper, slick racing paints like Pettit SR-21 and Interlux VC-17M, these freshwater paints hold up well in Lake Erie.

At Practical Sailor, were always looking for boat maintenance shortcuts. Typically, restoring and protecting an oxidized hull is a two-step process, compounding with a mild abrasive, followed by waxing. This time, we looked for the lazy-mans approach-so-called one-step cleaner/waxes. Among the contenders: Collinite 870, Meguiars 50, Restructure Marine Polish, Meguiars 67, 3M Fiberglass Cleaner Wax, 3M Clean & Shine, Interlux Premium, West Marine One Step, Star brite Cleaner Wax, and Simoniz Cleaner/Wax. After three months in the Florida sun, the shirkers route is looking pretty good.

In an update to our June 2006 and January 2007 metal polish test, we pit three products against PSs favored metal polish: Miracle Cloth (the top pick for both stainless steel and bronze). The challengers-Sure Shine from Weems & Plath and Metal Polish Pros Mirage Polish & Sealant and Prism Polish-debuted in the bronze cleaner test published in January. This time, we put them to work on a stainless steel bow railing. Both Sure Shine and Prism Polish performed well, but the hands-down winner for shiny stainless remains Miracle Cloth.

Teak decks can last a century, if theyre properly cared for, and a major factor in successful teak deck maintenance is choosing the right caulk-and applying it correctly. In June 2006, testers applied seven caulks used for teak deck seams to test panels. The products: Simson MSR (Marine Special Range) Deck Caulk Plus, Maritime Teak Deck Caulking, Teakdecking Systems SIS 440 Teak Deck Caulking, West Marines Multi Caulk Sealant, and three from BoatLIFE (Life-Caulk, Teak Deck Sealant, and Life-Calk Type P). We rated each for ease of application in the September 2006 issue, so after eight months, its time to take a look at their durability, adhesiveness, and resistance to chemicals.

The value of space onboard a boat means that just about every piece of equipment has to have at least two uses. For the portable Wonder Wash, may we suggest colors and whites?

In our bi-annual test of marine antifouling paints, Interlux Optima and a new bottom paint from Sea Hawk Paints, Biocop CF, produce the cleanest bottoms after six months. Interlux VC Offshore (hard) and Interlux Micron 66 (ablative) emerge as the most effective ablative paint after 18 months.

When it comes to marine metals, appearances can be deceiving. The shiny surface on that brand new stainless steel cleat could really be concealing cheap, highly ferrous metal, while that green crusty silicone bronze seacock could be as structurally sound as the day it was fabricated. As part of a series of articles focusing on problems that plague older boats (as well as poorly built new ones), Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo helps pinpoint potential trouble spots for metal parts and hardware.