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One of the most common questions we get concerns the cleaning and restoration of
the non-skid decks on the boats we maintain. As with most things, an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure and daily washing with a mild soap and a
little elbow grease, will go a long way towards keeping the non-skid deck looking
ship shape and Bristol. By daily washing, I mean washing after each use or at
least once a week, even if the boat has just been sitting.
Unlike the rest of the gelcoat surfaces on the boat, we can't just compound and
use wax to protect it, as anyone who has stepped on a waxed floor with a little
water on it knows. While there are some products which claim to protect a non-skid
deck from stains and oxidation many of them contain chemicals, such as silicon which
create their own problems and are nearly impossible to remove if you are not happy
with the results.
Back in the real world; what do we do when the washing has been infrequent, the
cleaners often far from mild, (bleach, detergents, abrasives, etc.) and the non-skid
looks like it belongs on a boat twice (or three times) as old as the rest of the
vessel? Assuming that it hasn't gotten to the point of no return and needs to be
re-decked, what can be done to bring back that shine and sparkle to a dull and
stained non-skid surface?
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.
Three Common Deck Stains
If, after the initial wash, you have a few stains which are beyond the reach of
the over-the-counter solutions (test on a small area to find out) we get down to
finding the least offensive chemical to eliminate the stains and then wash the
whole deck again with one of the above mentioned cleaners. Most of the stains
found on topsides come from one of three sources.
1. Oil: No surprise here. We track it on from the parking lot, spill it
when adding to the engine or hydraulic system, fish are full of it. There are a
few other sources but you get the idea. A little paint thinner will generally
dissolve the stain left by oil and evaporate enough to be washed off later with
soap and water.
2. Food: If all you ever eat onboard is French Fries then refer to item 1.
If, like most of us your taste buds tend towards exotic treats while asea then the
possibilities become extensive. Red wine is another "food" that is much easier to
spill than it is to clean. In general, the same chemicals that you would use at
home will work on the boat. What's that you say, you don't do any cleaning at
home. Shame on you! Ask your wife, maid, or mother, they'll likely tell you if
you offer to vacuum or something.
3. Epoxy: I can see some of you looking at me like I just flew in from
Mars. If you don't have this problem, good for you, but it is a quite common
complaint in our neck of the woods. All too often boat owners will try to save
a little money and make a repair to a chip, scratch, or worse without having a
clue as to how the pros do it. As a pro I can say that the number 1 difference
between an amateur patch job and an unnoticeable professional repair is in the
preparation of the area to be worked on. And the first thing any fiberglass man
does is to mask off the surrounding area and thoroughly cover the area beneath
(called decks where I come from) with drop cloths.
The other part of the problem is the use of the "Magical Fix-It Stuff" that all
the boating stores sell under a variety of names,(aka Epoxy) which is harder than
the gelcoat itself and therefore nearly impossible to remove. The easy fix here
is to remove as much of the spill as possible by sanding or grinding (be careful)
and then covering with color matched gelcoat.
A Little Friendly Advise
I'd like to mention here that one of the advantages to maintaining boats every
day is that I've accumulated not only a great deal of experience with the techniques
involved in removing stains safely and relatively gently but along with that I've
also accumulated a rather extensive assortment of chemical cleaners and stain
specific removers (my dry-cleaner consults with me and vice verse). The secret
is to experiment, in as non-conspicuous a location as you can, until you find the
right chemical for the job and then use only as much as you need for as short a
time as possible to get the job done. If you have a pretty good idea what caused
the stain, consult your dry cleaner. If he won't help you, find another dry cleaner.
Let's Keep It Ship Shape
OK. We got it, the deck looks good, maybe not new, but a whole lot better than
it's looked in recent memory.
So how do we keep it that way?
A few tips on non-skid maintenance:
1. Keep it clean. One of the first things I learned, in the United States
Coast Guard, was that decks needed to be cleaned every day. Not some days, not
whenever you got the time, not just when there was an inspection due. Every day!
They knew, and now you do too, that keeping a non-skid deck clean is much more
than just a matter of aesthetics. Non-skid is designed to provide sure footing
onboard, no matter what the conditions. Anything which comes between your soft
soled, boat shoes and the non-skid decreases that sure footing and creates a
hazardous condition.
Now we both know that your boat likely doesn't get the same amount of usage as a
Coast Guard SAR boat (on the other hand they don't do a lot of fishing on theirs)
but the principle is sound. If the dirt, grime, soot, and oil don't have time to
soak in and dry they don't become a stain and wash off with little difficulty.
Become lax, even a few times, and the stains build up and eventually become nearly
impossible to remedy.
2. Never ever, not once, never, nope, uh uh, DO NOT
(do I have your attention yet?) wear street shoes on a non-skid deck. Now I can
hear you out there saying, "Who me, I always wear Topsiders on my boat."
Congratulations! Where else do you wear those Topsiders? Now I know that 9 out of 10
of you are saying things like, in the car, into the store, just from the house,
well, I did stop to get gas, and breakfast, and I had to pick up that new antenna,
and bait, and . . . OK, we get the picture.
I suppose a better way to say it would be to only wear boat shoes on the boat.
I take off my street shoes (which are Topsiders, by the way) as I get on a boat
and either put on my boat shoes (shoes which are only used on a boat) or go barefoot,
when washing.
If you follow Tip 2 faithfully and see to it that all of your passengers/guests
do likewise (keep a few pair of cheap white soled sneakers onboard for unknowing souls)
you will be amazed at how easily you will be able to follow Tip 1. Without the
stuff which is tracked in from the street your boat and deck cleaning at the end
of the voyage will be a relaxing time rather than a discouraging one.
2 1/2 This goes along with the above suggestion so I won't give it a whole
number of it's own. If your boat/yacht has an engine compartment, which you can
walk in, be sure to have a pair of "bilge shoes" which you put on when entering and
pull off when leaving. Wear your boat shoes into the engine room one time and
you'll be tracking oil and grease every other place you go aboard for a long time.
James "Doc" Lewis has been "messin about in boats" for as long as he can remember.
He is owner/operator of BoatDocs1, a full-service boat detailing-yacht maintenance
company serving the Emerald Coast region of Florida. To learn more about boats and
keeping them looking their best visit his web site at: http://www.boatdocs1.com/
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