Best boat maintenance supplies according to redditors

3M citrus based adhesive remover works great, everyone should have some. then i'd imagine you'd need to do some paint restoration/treatment since the clear coat around the sticker location looks faded

Dig out all the soft stuff, let it dry out well, and treat it with Git-Rot. Fill in the hole with Bondo, sand, and paint.

I highly recommend the 3M Vinylester I have pictured. It's a little pricey (buy it from Amazon. It's half the price of what West Marine wants for the same size) but if you use it properly and don't make too much at one time (instructions recommend golfball sized portions) it'll do the job and cleans up easily. Just make sure you're ready to do some sanding if you over did it on the spreading like me.

For the exterior, here is a copy and paste of a previous post of mine. Everyone may give you slightly different advice as there are many valid ways to do this. This routine has worked very well for me for many years.

• Clean well with soap and water and a good microfiber cloth. (removes all dirt and oil build up.)
  
• Dry it with another cloth. I like a big cotton towel.
  
• Clean with a good oxalic acid based cleaner such as Star Bright hull cleaner, or The works tub and tile cleaner(NOT THE TOILET CLEANER) Applying with a one gallon pump up sprayer works great for me. Rinse well. This removes any rust stains.
  
• Dry again.
  
• Buff with an oxidation remover. I like this one. I apply with a 10 inch random orbital buffer and application bonnet, and remove while still slightly wet with the same buffer and a wool bonnet. In heavily oxidized areas you may need to do this more than once. If you do not have oxidation, feel free to skip this step.
  
• Next buff again with a cleaner wax. I like this one same process as above, but let it dry to a haze before removing.
  
• This will leave you with a clean hull and a nice shine, if you want an even deeper shine, make one more buffing pass with a nice marine wax. I like this one
  
  It sounds like a lot of work, but once I got the process down, I found I could do all of these steps on a entire 23' boat in less than 4 hours, and it leaves it looking like new.
  
  Edit: I forgot to mention, for the outside of the windows I like this stuff. It cleans as well as a normal glass cleaner, and causes any water that hits the windshield to bead up and run off. This is a nice bonus for many boats as they often do not have windshield wipers.

Edit:

> 3M marine ultra paste wax (for gel coats)

This stuff. They call it a wax, but it's not - it's for protecting the gel coats on boats. It's sort of a turtle-wax consistency and that may be why they sell it that way.

I imagine a dupont product or whatever will work just as well. Just ask for a UV gel coat protectant at a marine supply. And test compatibility in a corner of the lens because it would suck to have to repolish if it went foggy due to solvent incompatibility.

They sell this stuff by the gallons for boats, so you can probably get a "free sample" if you ask nicely at a local shop ;-)

i took my commander 120 (canoe hybrid kayak thing) out in the surf in the gulf and found out quickly that going parallel to waves worked much better. once i was out of the breakers i was trolling anyway but i certainly took in water when trying to poke through waves rather than just turning and riding them out.

i also find having one of these bailing sponges helpful to have, although i didn't pay 10 bucks for the nice one. just got a cheap sponge at the grocery store.

(upon further inspection, that appears to be six normal sponges and not the nice one pictured, which is 15 bucks)

I don't have much to contribute over what others have said, but I've done this before.

Remove the rudder and put in a shed or garage with a few heat lamps on to really dry it out. Sand it to clean wood. Use gitrot to repair any rotted spots (I'm lookin' at you dark spot at the top). I would then wrap that whole rudder in glass. I would probably use a thicker cloth, and I would wet out with a graphite thickened epoxy for added protection for running aground.

Good luck!

Look up star-brite. it removes scum from the cells in the paint, just make sure to wax the boat afterward thoroughly, otherwise the stain will come back much worse. do not brite the boat too often, otherwise it has a strong chance to strip paint over many uses.

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http://www.starbrite.com/category/hull-bottom-cleaners

Wax that pocock suggests

They should put some non-skid on the plates.

Boat bright is what Pocock reps recommended for my crew for their white shells. But you should also wax at least once or twice per season, preferably right after you use the boat bright. I think I've used this in the past. Without waxing, boat will look beautiful right after cleaning, then stains will come back within a week of regular use.

The teak finish that /u/Guygan recommends is a good option. We occasionally used Star Brite teak oil on some of our decking back when I was washing teak for a living.


You could also sand it down to bare wood and leave it unfinished. That is what I would do. FIL should give it a freshwater rinse after every trip and clean the teak occasionally (scrubbing across the grain) to keep it in good shape. You can go nuts with two-part cleaners, but I know professionals who use a light sprinkle of Cascade dishwashing powder and get results just as good.

No matter what, you should consult with FIL first. Classic boat owners can be mighty particular.

Look into a product called TeakGuard Here's the brand although you need to clean the wood before use. All the patio furniture at our families cabin in the northern part of my state is Ipe, I had to refeinish it after 2 years although we do bring the furniture inside over the winter so that might add to it's longevity. Brings out the grain really nice and is pretty simple to apply.

Boat juice interior spray is amazing!

I know it’s for boats but man that stuffs crazy good at removing stains on cars carpet and upholstery as well and it smells like orange creamsicle not some nasty chemical spray. You can find it on amazon too here

Here you go... This should clean it up.

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https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Away-Products-SA128-Cleanser-Concentrate/dp/B0000AXVG9

If it doesn't contain UV inhibitors, yes. UV degrades most (if not all) plastics. You'd need to use a marine grade product.

Something like this!

WEST SYSTEM 105-K Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D2QV5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_F84hDbPJQ5QAP

Yes, that is a very good product. I've used it many times. If there are any spots and scuffs that don't come out then you can use this just in spots https://www.amazon.com/Star-Brite-One-Step-Heavy-Cleaner/dp/B00144AQS2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3MS30QUCOHNMJ&dchild=1&keywords=starbrite+cleaner+wax+ptef&psc=1&qid=1571246776&sprefix=starbrite+clean%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-2 . Basically same stuff with some actual polish in it.

Thanks. For a boat that's in good condition and has no oxidation or scratches to repair, would something like this before a simple all in one solution:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AYB18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I-0PDbHX5T5V6

My goal is just to keep it looking good and prevent oxidation issues down the road. It's a new hull, so nothing to correct now.

The hull is largely painted blue, if that matters.

I used this on a 2005 31 foot fiberglass rig. The results were amazing! (Pro Tip: When your arm feels like it is going to fall off, you are half way done! Get a buffer!)

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Cleaner-and-Wax/dp/B0000AY66D