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Home>The Model Range>Care instructions>Maintenance
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There are a number of boat parts - such as canopy, vinyl window, cabin roof, decks, hull bottom, box seat, undecked space, transom - that should be carefully maintained to keep them in good condition.
General maintenance tips:
1. First remove loose dirt by washing with water or a mild soap solution
2. Deep cleanse persistent dirt with appropriate cleaning detergents
3. Polish with a polishing agent
4. Apply protective agents for water resistance or UV radiation resistance, for example.
Suitable cloth materials for boat maintenance are soft 100% cotton or chamois. To prevent scratches, take off your wristwatch or rings. Avoid excessive use of deep cleansing agents, as they tend to have a wearing effect on certain surfaces, such as gel coat surfaces.
Removal of fouling
When a boat remains moored in seawater for a longer time, fouling often attaches to the boat bottom. Fouling should be removed before laying your boat up for the winter. First wash the boat bottom with a pressure washer, for example, using plenty of detergent. Whatever fouling remains can be scrubbed off with a plastic car window scraper, and white spots with a rigid putty knife with due caution to avoid damaging the paint surface. Before launching the boat in spring, add final touches with light water sanding and repainting if needed.
Teak surfaces
Teak is the best-known naturally oily rainforest hardwood species, and it is the conventional premium choice for boats thanks to its beauty and durability.
Because teak surfaces begin to turn grey already within one summer when exposed to sunlight, they need to be treated. There are two different approaches in this. Some feel that teak is at its most beautiful when it turns to silvery grey and only requires occasional washing and cleaning.
Others, however, reckon that teak surfaces should be oiled and waxed, even varnished, to retain the original colour and glow. If you wish to retain the original colour, you must oil the surface already when new, and repeat the treatment every year. A standard colourless wood oil is suitable. To spare the teak surface from the effects of dirt, stains, mildew and air pollution, you must wash it regularly. This is best done with a soft sponge and soap water. Formation of mildew on teak surfaces can be prevented with post-treatment substances intended for this purpose.
NOTE! Never use solvents, because they may damage the surface. Neither should you use pressure washers, as the power of the water jet will open wood grains tearing off loose soft wood material, after which the teak surface is more prone to get dirty and more susceptible to mildew and fungi.
Canopies
Summer boating leaves its mark on the boat, and the canopy is no exception. Fortunately, there are effective detergents to tackle dirt, oil stains, mildew spots and gull droppings. Cleaning is best done after the season, but washing the canopy every now and then during the season is a good idea, because most of the dirt on the canopy is grease that originates from human hands.
Ordinary stains can be washed off with pine soap, grease stains with white spirit and dried bird droppings by brushing them off. Removal of mildew spots requires more effort and accuracy due to the application of chlorite-based special products that may result in fading in the canopy colour. After the washing, rinsing and drying, the canopy can be treated with coatings that repel water and dirt and also prevent the formation of mildew. Stains on the plastic windows of the canopy can be washed off with a washing-up liquid and a damp sponge. NOTE! The canopy should be kept in a dry place over the winter – not in the boat. It is a good idea to treat the canopy zippers with silicone grease at the beginning of the each season.
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