Just bought your first boat? See our boat maintenance checklist to ensure that your boat stays as good as new.

Boat Maintenance Tips

Having a boat, much like having a car, requires work to keep it in tip-top shape. If you just bought a new boat, here are some tips and steps you can take to keep it looking as good as the day you brought it home. A boat is a long-term investment, and taking good care of it could prolong its lifespan even more, extending your enjoyment and fun.

5 Steps to Keep Your Boat in Top Condition

Building habits around maintenance and protection of the boat’s key components and equipment will be a good start down the path toward keeping your boat in the best possible condition. There are many components to keep track of, but once a routine has been built, it will become second nature.

1. Routine Boat Check-ups

Just like going to a doctor, boats need regular check-ups to make sure their gear is performing correctly and nothing has broken or been damaged. This kind of check-up will typically include annual, necessary boat care, such as repainting bottom paint or checking all fittings and fasteners. Taking your boat to a professional will ensure the job gets done correctly and having an annual routine of maintenance appointments will make sure nothing gets overlooked.

2. Boat Motor Maintenance

As one of the more vital parts of a boat it’s a good idea to prioritize work on the motor. With smart preventative measures, it’s easy to keep an engine running for a long time and thus preserve the value of the whole boat. These include simple steps like flushing the motor after every trip to eliminate debris, keeping an eye on the engine’s oil level, and watching for any damage, corrosion or marine growth buildup.

3. Test and Charge Your Boat’s Battery

If the motor is the most important part of the boat, the battery is its heart. Without it, none of the necessary electronics will function and the engine won’t start. Checking the battery’s charge and wiring and cleaning the terminals, will help avoid an unexpected failure, both during the boating season and after.

4. Use a Boat Cover

Since boats generally live outside, it’s relatively common for surfaces and components to degrade over time if left exposed. Simply covering the boat will protect it against rain, excessive sun damage, and other forms of damage that can occur over time.

5. Winterize Your Boat

Preparing for the off-season will look different depending on where the boat is stored, but generally, it’s good practice to fully winterize the boat until next boating season. This typically looks like cleaning the whole vessel, inspecting the boat from top to bottom for damage, replacing any broken or deteriorated parts, filling the fuel tank almost all the way and adding a stabilizer and antifreeze, flushing the engine as well as water lines and tanks, and removing all extraneous objects from the boat’s storage. Electronics, especially, should be removed to avoid being heavily damaged by colder weather.

Saltwater vs. Freshwater Boat Maintenance

While many principles of boat maintenance apply regardless of where the boat spends its time, some of the processes look different depending on whether boaters frequent salt or freshwater.

Saltwater

Exposure to saltwater accelerates corrosion, so people who engage in mostly saltwater boating should pay extra care to some maintenance tasks. The first is flushing the engine with fresh water as soon as possible to keep salt from collecting inside and corroding the metal components. The second is to wash the boat down with fresh water to remove any lingering salt residue and thus protect its finish. This includes the boat’s interior surfaces, since the salt will damage those as well. Operating in salt water also requires additional anodes to prevent corrosion. These anodes must be checked for wear.

Freshwater

Freshwater boating is a little gentler on a vessel, but care should still be taken to ensure the boat’s components are at top performance. Just as in saltwater, a washdown and flush are necessary. A big issue for many lakes and inland waterways are invasive species and ensuring no mussels or algae stick to the bottom of your boat goes a long way to protect the environment.

How to Clean Your Boat

Maintaining a boat’s condition involves some repairs and some mechanical know-how, but more than anything, it requires dedication to cleanliness. Boats that are regularly cleaned will be less likely to be subject to buildup or debris that has long-term, destructive impacts. Plus, the act of cleaning a boat top to bottom helps many boat owners to inspect the boat for any potential issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Boat Cleaning Supplies

It is tough to get started on the cleaning process without the right equipment. Boat cleaning supplies come in many varieties, often depending on what kinds of surfaces or materials that a boat may have. In general, it’s best to have some basics on board, like mildew stain remover, simple boat cleaner wipes, and instant hull cleaner. Some surfaces like upholstery and electronics may require more attention, or specialized cleaning supplies.

Cleaning Boat Fiberglass Elements

Fiberglass is a very common material for building boats and is typically made with a special outer surface called a gelcoat that protects the hull and gives it a smooth, reflective color. As it ages, it can sometimes collect stains and discolor, making it difficult to clean afterward. To prevent this, washing the hull with warm, fresh water and specialized boat cleaning soap is a great first step, followed by drying it completely to avoid mildew buildup. This should be followed by polishing and waxing, to create a protective coating.

Cleaning Boat Aluminum Elements

Aluminum tends to look smooth, but it requires work to actually keep it that way. Unlike some other common boatbuilding materials, aluminum tends to oxidize and react strongly to exposure. If aluminum elements have a buildup of debris, dust or grease, it’s important to clean that off first before applying an aluminum-specific cleaner, which will then brighten, polish and protect the surface from oxidation.