Household Products That Will Keep Your Bass Boat Looking Good
While I’m not completely OCD about it, I like for my bass boats to stay relatively clean. Not only do I value the work that I’ve put in to buy these increasingly pricey toys, but by wiping them down after every use it makes them easier to sell every four years or so.
For the fiberglass, I’ve long been a big fan of Bass Boat Saver. It’s reasonably inexpensive, removes scum and debris, and even smells good. There are, of course, plenty of other comparable products. With my 2022 boat, I received a selection of Lucas Oil products including Slick Mist Marine Speed Wax that seems to be very efficient (and widely available). Many members of the Bass Cat family swear by the Pro-Tec series of boat cleaning products.
But if you don’t want to spend on marine-specific products (Really? After paying tens of thousands of dollars for a boat, you can’t drop a few more to keep it looking good?), there are some other options, many of which are likely already in your house. If not, they’re all easy to get at Home Depot or Lowe’s or Wal-Mart or even the Dollar Store. I was reminded of this when I heard a recent episode of Bass Talk Live in which Matt Pangrac interviewed pro Matt Stefan. They were talking about being in a hardware store and viewing it from a fisherman’s perspective – every product, from zip ties to nuts and bolts, goes through a test to see if it has any application to the world of fishing. That’s how I am, too. So with that in mind, here are some products that you likely already have access to that at some point could prove useful:
Simple Green -- Need to wash your boat down in an ecologically-sensitive spot, such as in your boat lift or in a driveway that drains into the lake? Simple Green is just as effective as most soaps (although it doesn’t have the UV protection of some car/boat washes). They also have auto-specific formulations, but that kind of defeats the purposes of having it for all-around household use.
Lemon Pledge -- The hard core neat freaks may get after me for this one, but several boat companies and boat dealerships I know utilize a quick wipedown with Lemon Pledge to literally put their products in “showroom condition.” It’s available everywhere, and like the Bass Boat Saver it smells good.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser -- If you rub your boat up against a dock and end up with some hard-to-remove residue, this little block will remove it quickly. Same with all sorts of other nastiness, from bird poop to dried up road tar to dried-up bits of hydrilla.
Goo Gone – If the Magic Eraser won’t remove some sort of stubborn stickiness, like the residue from old boat numbers or registration stickers, this is the next step up the boat-cleaning ladder. Sure, it might be good for degreasing your kitchen or grill or removing paint, but it serves a far higher purpose by making your fiberglass smooth again. Your household hair dryer will speed the process up even more.
Acetone -- If Goo Gone isn’t strong enough, then regular hardware-grade Acetone is even stronger as a means for removing old boat numbers and similar distractions. It’s quick-evaporating and highly-flammable, so be careful, but in limited quantities it’s fine for your precious boat.
Microfiber Cloths – The critical rule of boat cleaning is “first do no harm.” If you use an old rough rag, or one with embedded dirt particles, you may end up scratching the boat you’re trying to clean. Microfiber towels are remarkably inexpensive, soft to the touch, and can be machine washed. If you don’t want to buy a pack of 100 at Wal-Mart or Costco, you can round out a Tackle Warehouse order with any of the following:
Wet Dry Vac — When it comes time to clean off your carpet or other flooring, a Wet Dry Vac can be worth its weight in Senkos. We have an enormous one for general household disasters, but we added a small wall-mounted model for working in and around the boat. The Bissell Little Green carpet cleaner is a solid performer for removing stains from the carpet.
One Final Note -- If you already have products designed to work on your other vehicles, several of them – like tire and wheel cleaner, and tire shine spray -- can be applied similarly to your trailer. Just make sure that they are meant for the particular type of wheels or other components in use. Always read the “Caution” section on the label to ensure that you aren’t doing damage while you’re trying to do things the right way.
