Sunday, March 20, 2011

Boat bath...


After a great day on the water yesterday, Wild Blue was in dire need of a bath. She gets a fresh water rinse and the motor flushed after each outing, but overnight the birds used her for target practice. And now that it is "officially" spring, it's time for the camperback to come off. With daytime temps in the upper 70s to low 80s most days this time of year, it gets a bit warm in the cockpit, even with the screen windows open. Before it can go into its storage bag, it needed to be cleaned, too.

So, while I went all over the boat with soap and a scrub brush, Joan took each piece of canvas and cleaned it. She did a great job - it looks like new! besides scrubbing all the canvas with Dawn, she cleaned all the waterspots off the eisenglass. I put silicone lubricant on all the zippers and snaps, and we draped the canvas over the railings on the deck to let the sun and breeze dry it all.


The camperback covers the entire cockpit. It's great when we're cruising, since it is like having an enclosed "porch" on the back of the boat. We're still leaving the bimini on; that provides shade to the cockpit without enclosing the sides.

When you keep a boat in the saltwater, it's important to keep it clean and flushed with fresh water. Wild Blue is all shined up and looking good.

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