New Boat

[tgrass462]

We lost our 1994 Hunter 26 - Grasshopper II in a freak windstorm in central Illinois last Friday. Our lashed down boat was literally blown from its trailer.

Anyway - we are about to purchase a 1999 Hunter 260. It's a beautiful boat that looks like new. While our older boat was well maintained and had many upgrades - it also suffered from a fair share of nicks and scratches over the four years we owned her.

Short of not using the boat - can someone provide suggestions on how to keep a boat 'like new'? Do you, for example - insist - no shoes on board - only sock feet? Do you store indoors in the winter? We plan on using this boat ... but in so doing I really want to keep it looking nice.

Regards,

Tom Grass
Grasshopper III

 

[George H260]

A few dings and scrapes are a fact of life but indoor storage will do more for the long term appearance of the boat than anything I can think of. It is like anything else you own, if you get after the small stuff right away everything will look better and last longer.

Stop by your local marine store and pick up a large can of elbow grease and spread a thick coat all over the boat. Keep a good supply of cleaning products aboard and when you have a few moments while hanging on the hook touch her up where needed.

Every spring I have a waxing party in my barn and I clean the deck with Starbright non-slip wax/deck cleaner several times during the summer.

I keep a clean pair of deck shoes on the boat and ask guests to clean their feet with a towel I provide before coming aboard.

Since I don't have bottom paint, I run it up on the beach a couple of times during the summer and give the bottom a quick scrub. An application of Slimy Grimy in the fall makes the bottom factory fresh.

Clean and treat the canvas work with 303 products once a year.

I always touch up the small amount of brightwork each spring.

Since I day sail a lot during the summer and we don't hang around the boat after a sail, I keep the interior cushions in the barn except when cruising. Makes it easier to clean the interior after a sail. I wax the interior once a year and use a good teak oil on the interior wood a couple of times a year.

Other than that there is not much more needed to keep her looking factory fresh.

My boat is a 2003 and people frequently ask me if it's new.

Talk about getting back up on the horse....!