| Non-Skid Deck Cleaning and Maintenance |
| By James "Doc" Lewis |
Published
11/30/2005
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Maintainance
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Unrated
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Start With A Thorough Deck Cleaning
Start off by wetting down the deck, to loosen up any dried on dirt and grime.
Wash the decks using a mild soap and deck brush, a section at a time, rinsing as we go. This point is important! Many folks, in an effort to get done quickly try to wash the whole boat at once, leaving the soap to dry. Once dried it is impossible to remove with cold water and will leave just enough of the soap to start a dull film. Soap scum build-up isn't just for shower stalls anymore.
Turn the hose on the decks ahead of where your washing to keep them wet till you get to them. You'll find that the longer the surface has to soak, the easier it will be to clean.
This procedure will remove most of what will come up easily and we can assess the situation and decide on our next course of action. The idea here is to use only what is needed to get the job done.
If the deck looks pretty good after the initial washing, one of the regular non-skid deck cleaners put out by Marykate, Starbrite, West Marine, and others will do a deep cleaning and leave a non-slippery, protective coating behind to help keep the decks looking nice, and make future washings easier.
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