Why dry the hull?

[Big Pete]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I think looking after the boat and cleaning it is all part of the fun of having the boat ..

Stick the stereo on blast some music and its enjoyable and the next time she goes out its all ready to go and looking good.

Nothing could be worse than going out fresh for the day with the last trips spilt drinks and crisps scattered along your dashboard etc..

 

[Gregk]

Re: Why dry the hull?

you wax your boat trailer? If you ever sell anything, call me I want it.

LOL! Hell ya! If the guy that had it b4 would have done it, maybe it wouldn't have a rust hole in the front bunk support.

 

[atx111]

Re: Why dry the hull?

While I'm not sure what the PO's of my boat have done, I'm sure it hasn't looked this good for 32 years by putting it up wet.

The lake we usually day trip to is really dirty since it's a mud bottom reservoir. So, if you even let your boat sit in the water for a couple of hours you end up with a cool reddish brown racing stripe right along the water line.

So, once we pull out the boat and pull back over to the parking lot, my wife starts wiping it down with a wet towel while I get all the stuff out of the boat including anything wet. I'll make sure all the straps are tight and secure, pull the plug, and then finish helping wipe it down. Once we get home, my wife starts dinner, and I start wiping it down again with a product from a local dealer called Fast Wax. Besides doing a good job of getting rid of water spots, it smells like bubblegum. I'll make sure the inside is dry, wipe down all the vinyl(still original and still soft) with the Fast Wax, and vacuum if necessary. Fast Wax works great on glass too. I don't worry too much about the trailer yet since it needs to be media blasted and repainted, but I have new wheels so I wipe them down too. This takes me an hour tops and by the time I'm done, dinner is ready. After dinner, the cover goes back on, and if we're not using it for a few days or there's a chance of rain, it goes back to storage. Every month or so, the vinyl gets wiped down with 303, and all the teak gets re-oiled.

I also enjoy all aspects of boating, and to me, it's a pride in ownership thing. I take the same approach with everything that I have, things just last longer when you take care of them.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Why dry the hull?

We're never gonna understand each other. Let's just quit trying to make each other understand why we do or don't wipe our boats down afer use, and go back to making fun of one another. It's the natural order of things. Don't disturb the balance of the force.

 

[Gregk]

Re: Why dry the hull?

things just last longer when you take care of them.

That's right!

Besides, I'd probably have a better chance of pulling all my wife's teeth out with a rusty pliers than convincing her I need a new boat. This one's gotta last the rest of my life....or my married life anyway.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Why dry the hull?

What would one do, assuming their boat is slipped? I don't think I could reach the majority of the hull from the top sides...

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Why dry the hull?

Not wiping off water spots as soon as they appear does not = not taking care of something. I know that their are lots of folks out there who take perfect care of the appearance of their boat , yet don't have a clue what a gimbal bearing is or what bellows are or how to winterize. I don't want anyone to think I'm being an arse, just carrying on conversation.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I think you'll find a better relationship between the value of the boat and a person's net wealth.

To a guy making $150K, a $20K boat may be an "entry level" purchase. It gets them out on the water. Short term expense.

To the guy making $35K a year, that same boat may be the dream of a lifetime.

You need to read the book titled "The Millionaire Next Door". Some of the richest people I know are the tightest. It may correlate with wealth, but that has not been my experience.

 

[jelli]

Re: Why dry the hull?

u do what with ur wife .....thats just not right

 

[CaliCash]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I wipe mine down with white vinegar to remove the water spots and grime as soon as it comes out of the water. purely to remove water spots so its easier to wax/clean next time.

I do the same thing. Then when at home the day before the next outing, I detail it inside and out. Gotta have your boat looking good when you hit the water!

I also give the trailer some polish and wax at the beginning of every season. Trailers need love too. lol

 

[dingbat]

Re: Why dry the hull?

You need to read the book titled "The Millionaire Next Door". Some of the richest people I know are the tightest. It may correlate with wealth, but that has not been my experience.

Don't have to read. Have several familes in the neighborhood that are Millionaries.

Have a couple of Multi-Millionaires in the neighborhood as well. My father-in-law is one of them

 

[jkust]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I think you'll find a better relationship between the value of the boat and a person's net wealth.

To a guy making $150K, a $20K boat may be an "entry level" purchase. It gets them out on the water. Short term expense.

To the guy making $35K a year, that same boat may be the dream of a lifetime.

I think I disagree with this premise. $150k is entry level $ but when I made 20k I took care of my stuff as well as I do today. Much of that came from my upbringing. My Chaparral is entry level in size but I'd bet I rival everyone here for freshwater cleaning and detailing. My boat is one of the few things that I am over the top with. If you pull it out of the water and it has a ring around it and crumbs and food on the floor from the kids, wouldn't most folks at the least wash and clean it out when they get home. We also have a 26 year old boat with an original interior that looks nearly new. The few minutes you take today preventing and maintaining makes stuff last longer, you save your money not buying new stuff. Some of our neighbors at the lake have gone through ten bowriders to our one because of poor ownership. I'd rather have the $ saved than have to keep buying new stuff.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I wash and rinse the boat and motor after every dunk.

God dries....

But streak-free?.....

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Why dry the hull?

My boats a 23 foot 94 Wellcraft Coastal used always in salt water. It's never streak free

 

[JimS123]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I think I disagree with this premise. $150k is entry level $ but when I made 20k I took care of my stuff as well as I do today. Much of that came from my upbringing. My Chaparral is entry level in size but I'd bet I rival everyone here for freshwater cleaning and detailing. My boat is one of the few things that I am over the top with. If you pull it out of the water and it has a ring around it and crumbs and food on the floor from the kids, wouldn't most folks at the least wash and clean it out when they get home. We also have a 26 year old boat with an original interior that looks nearly new. The few minutes you take today preventing and maintaining makes stuff last longer, you save your money not buying new stuff. Some of our neighbors at the lake have gone through ten bowriders to our one because of poor ownership. I'd rather have the $ saved than have to keep buying new stuff.

Very well said. Best post of the thread. Rich people aren't necessarily rich because they are skinflints. More than likely they just use common sense and use their money wisely.

"wouldn't most folks at the least wash and clean it out when they get home." Sadly, NO!. That's why you see so much crap on the water They are also the same people that don't maintain the mechanicals as well.

IMHO, that's why you don't buy a used boat! Few people actually KNOW how to take care of a boat, and a lot of the rest just don't care. If its what meets your requirements and you are willing to keep her for 26 years, you have put your $ to work for you wisely!

 

[jkust]

Re: Why dry the hull?

If its what meets your requirements and you are willing to keep her for 26 years, you have put your $ to work for you wisely!

Not only that it is a Bayliner that should have rotted and imploded years ago according to common sense and it even has a Force OB. If we can keep our Bayliner impecable for all these years, you should be able to keep most boats nice. The materials in our Bayliner are all pretty thin especially by today's standards.

The first time I read the millionaire next door when it came out I kept waiting to see my name in print. I wasn't a millionaire at the time but that was just how I lived. The funny thing is it's not that hard to become a millionaire in the US just like it isn't hard to keep a boat in excellent shape. It is all about self control and not instant gratification. If I can do it, literally anyone from any background can and I have only been out of college for 11 years.

 

[skargo]

Re: Why dry the hull?

Not only that it is a Bayliner that should have rotted and imploded years ago according to common sense and it even has a Force OB. If we can keep our Bayliner impecable for all these years, you should be able to keep most boats nice. The materials in our Bayliner are all pretty thin especially by today's standards.

The first time I read the millionaire next door when it came out I kept waiting to see my name in print. I wasn't a millionaire at the time but that was just how I lived. The funny thing is it's not that hard to become a millionaire in the US just like it isn't hard to keep a boat in excellent shape. It is all about self control and not instant gratification. If I can do it, literally anyone from any background can and I have only been out of college for 11 years.

I agree! I didn't even finish the 10th grade, yet I have contemporaries tell me "I'm lucky" because I am doing well. Yeah right!

Another good book to read is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".

I have to disagree with the statement made earlier not to buy used. I bought mine from the original owner, he had it for 31 years and it is in better shape than a lot of 10 year old boats I see. He owned his own helicopter and did the maintenance on that too. It's not hard to tell if something is a ragged out bag of crap, or well maintained if you have a little mechanical aptitude...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Why dry the hull?

Keep in mind folks that there are boats that don't need to be cleaned every trip, and retain their good condition. You don't wash your windows of your house every day, or every week, do you? Some boats can get dirty and clean up just fine--and they aren't being neglected, just used like a boat.
Cosmetic preservation is not cosmetic maintenance, and cosmentic maintenance is not maintenance. We all agree boats need maintenance. The next levels are optional, and driven by the materials they are made of--and quality of same.

 

[jkust]

Re: Why dry the hull?

I agree! I didn't even finish the 10th grade, yet I have contemporaries tell me "I'm lucky" because I am doing well. Yeah right!

Another good book to read is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".

I have to disagree with the statement made earlier not to buy used. I bought mine from the original owner, he had it for 31 years and it is in better shape than a lot of 10 year old boats I see. He owned his own helicopter and did the maintenance on that too. It's not hard to tell if something is a ragged out bag of crap, or well maintained if you have a little mechanical aptitude...

I wished I'd get some luck. Unfortunatly for me it was all smart decisions, hard work and the other stuff I already mentioned. If I still have a picture I will show the car I lived in when I was a teenager. The interesting thing is that so many of the people I know knew me way back when in my long hair and loud music days only for them to know I was the one who made it. It's actually kind of nice to know not only do you have the means now, but you don't use them or show off. I enjoy driving my 10 year old minivan probably more knowing that I drive it not because I have to but because I want to. Same with my tiny 18 foot Chaparral. It could just as easily be their new 40 foot model but that is just showing off.

I do agree on not buying new for a couple reasons. No sales tax in MN on used boats and sooo many people here buy a new boat only to find they don't have time to use it so sell it practically new and take the depreciation for you. If ever there was something that I just might buy brand new however a boat would be it. I have't gotten around to reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I feel my kids aren't getting the same kind of appreciation for frugality due to necessity as I did. Might be a good read.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Why dry the hull?

Keep in mind folks that there are boats that don't need to be cleaned every trip, and retain their good condition. You don't wash your windows of your house every day, or every week, do you? Some boats can get dirty and clean up just fine--and they aren't being neglected, just used like a boat.
Cosmetic preservation is not cosmetic maintenance, and cosmentic maintenance is not maintenance. We all agree boats need maintenance. The next levels are optional, and driven by the materials they are made of--and quality of same.

More good wisdom. You're right. Some things don't need to be done daily, just "as needed" or when its reasonable. I think the issue here is that some people never do it and that's OK. Its their stuff.

I love a challenge and have done restorations before. Let's not forget that in order to be able to buy a used boat somebody had to buy it new in the first place. Without new buyers there would be no used ones.....supply and demand you know. And in order to find that $500 restorable relic and turn it into a classic, somebody had to mistreat it over the years.