Published on: 03/08/2018 Updated on: 20/02/2025
Let's find out how with MAFRA products we can best care for and prepare our boat for summer vacation!
Never neglect your boat, be it a small dinghy as well as a 45-foot boat. Cleaning, with the right protective products, can repair from ugly and costly repairs due to lack of maintenance, some of them potentially irreversible.
As a classic adage goes, prevention is better than cure, always! Especially when it comes to boats, care is very important because it can prevent worse damage, particularly caused by weather phenomena and brackish environment, which with the action of time may require special interventions, possibly to be avoided...
Immediately a premise: all boats, after every outing, should be washed. To clean them, it definitely pays to use a neutral shampoo with protective wax such as Caravel, which can be diluted in water and applied with a dedicated sponge or glove, and then rinsed thoroughly. A product that, in a single pass, provides cleanliness, shine and protection, leaving a pleasant scent. At the end of the season, however, before storing the boat in the shed, it is advisable to use Dolphy, an effective detergent with surfactants of plant origin, designed for complete cleaning of fiberglass parts. This product is also very useful when going fishing, to effectively remove residues left by the caught animal, leaving a pleasant scent.
Glazed and Plexiglas surfaces are another part that needs to be treated daily because they are affected by saltwater. Ideally, they should be cleaned with a product specifically for glass such as Split, and then rinse thoroughly. Also very effective are Glass Cleaner e Glass Cleaner & Shine, two products designed for crystal cleaning that are easy to use and can make any clear surface shine again.
Daily or weekly cleaning should also cover steel parts, which are inevitably subject to corrosion or surface rusting. To renew and polish exterior steel and alloy surfaces, we suggest using Squidy, a pickling cleaner for marine steel AISI 316 or higher. For polishing and subsequent protection, however, you can use Flash Bright, a quick polishing polish that is easy to apply and remove, provides a deep, long-lasting shine without creating micro-scratches, and restores the original shine while providing effective protection against corrosion and UVA rays.
To protect mechanical and electrical parts, which are subject to the action of moisture or saltiness, MAFRA has developed Oil Silic, which in addition to being a silicone lubricant, also extracts moisture from the affected part. Thanks to the included straw, even the most difficult spots can be reached, forming an effective barrier against water and weathering.
During the use of our boat, we should also be very careful about the use of oil or sunscreen, which inevitably go to soiling the cushions, usually made of sky or vinyl. Sunscreen oils attack these materials, as well as the tubulars of inflatable boats. The best solution for treating contaminated surfaces is called Macky, to be applied when returning from a boating excursion. It is always wiped off with a glove and sponge, after which you rinse thoroughly. The more rinse water you use, the better, because the less surfactant remains on the treated area, the less exposure to the sun can cause unpleasantness.
Be careful, however: especially on cushion fabrics, it is advisable not to apply Macky in excessive amounts; if you do, the product may seep into the padding and re-emerge when you sit down, possibly staining the outer fabric again. If you are afraid of taking this risk, it is advisable to use Flash Bright, an interesting, slightly less intense-acting product that does not penetrate the foam.
For subsequent, long-lasting protection of the cushioning, after it has been well washed with Macky or Flash Bright, you can apply Idrostop at a distance of 20 cm from the cushion and, just like a varnish, taking care to pass one coat horizontally and one vertically, so as to go to completely cover the fiber. Idrostop is a regenerating and waterproofing fabric spray that provides a protective barrier against any substances accidentally spilled on the cushioning. For the product to work effectively, it is essential to allow the treated material to dry for at least 24 to 36 hours.
Finally, for those who love sailing boats, the best solution is the Dinghy, a detergent cleaner, expressly designed to clean any type of sail and also tested in racing boats. Of course, the sails must first be spread and then washed ashore, with the Dinghy product diluted according to the instructions. You run the product over the sail, perhaps helping with a brush, let the solution work for about a minute and then rinse thoroughly with a medium-pressure pressure washer.
The final tip: Before lowering the boat into the water, it would be best to apply a protective coating such as Illumina 2.0, sealing polish polishing boat finish (Gelcot and enamel), which protects against the attack of salt spray and salt spray. Finally, remember to carry out all cleaning operations in the shade and, in any case, not on hot surfaces exposed to the sun and, above all, with the utmost respect for the environment.
... The cleaner you keep your boat -- with the right products that contain protectants -- the more you preserve it from even potentially irreversible damage.
Pamper your boat with MAFRA products: www.mafra.shop!
Here is a small in-depth article on cleaning sails - click here! -
Watch all the video tutorials on our channel YouTube Mafra in the Nautical playlist
