We know that your yacht is your pride and joy. There are a lot of other yachts on the water, but in your eyes and your heart, only your yacht is the best.
Other yachts may be bigger, newer, fancier, and have more toys in them, but it is only your yacht that has given you experiences that you will remember for all time. That is why your yacht deserves all the pampering it can have through a maintenance regimen that will guarantee you more fun times on the open water.
Tips on Yacht Interior Cleaning
You, friends, and guests, all love to get away from it all in a yacht that looks new and is spanking clean.
As a boat owner, you want the indoor sections of your yacht to be as spick and span as possible all the time. Anyone who tries to imagine a yacht interior only sees a 5-star hotel neatness with their mind’s eye.
Keep a 5-star appearance to your yacht’s interior and add these yacht interior cleaning tips to your boat cleaning checklist:
1. Daily cleaning – Treat your yacht like your home and clean the interiors every day. A livable house is one that gets cleaned every day. The same is true with yachts.
You may not be on your yacht every day, but what you want is that livable-house feel every time you step inside your boat. This is only achievable through thorough cleaning, whether you have guests or not.
2. Have a vacuum cleaner on board – Teach yourself or your boat cleaners to have a top to bottom approach, as this is the best way to clean your yacht. The idea is to start from the ceiling and make your way down to the floors. Dust and vacuum this way on your yacht to have the best chance of removing dust and dirt indoors.
3. Room/space cleaning checklist – Have a yacht cleaning checklist of all the spaces that need to be cleaned. Tick off each room/space until you clean the whole boat.
Steps to Super Interior Yacht Detailing
Have a boat detailing checklist of 2 items and never forget what each item entails:
1. Mind the hard-to-clean things in the boat – There are a lot of challenging things to clean on a yacht. Here is a short list of those things and how you/your cleaner can tackle them:
a. Red wine on the carpet – Act fast but do not rub the carpet. Press paper towels to remove as much red wine from the carpet as it’s possible. Pour salt on the stains and leave it for several minutes. Vacuum up the red salt/wine powder and proceed to how you would normally de-stain the carpet.
b. Metal fixings – Use non-abrasive cloths like microfibers and chamois dampened with a soapy water solution. Wipe them dry with a second cloth. With a third cloth, polish these metal fixings with your choice of metal polish.
c. Vinyl/leather surfaces – Clean off leather/vinyl surfaces as you normally would. Dry them off completely and apply an even coating of high-quality conditioner and leave them to dry.
2. Cleaning glass and mirrors – Have a 1:1 white vinegar/water solution with a hint of your choice of essential oil as your glass cleaner. Spray this solution on streaky glass and mirrors and work and wipe the solution with newspapers in a circular motion. Wipe and dry with a chamois or microfiber cloth.
3. Metal bathroom fixtures – Mind that you don’t use abrasive scrubs to keep fixtures scratch-free. Use soapy water to lather and clean fixtures with microfiber cloths or sponges. Dry them off with a second cloth or sponge. Apply a polisher and wipe metal fixtures until you achieve the desired gleam.
Tips on Yacht Exterior Cleaning
Your voyages are more thrilling and your boat parties are more happening when you have a shiny yacht.
1. Mind the hard-to-clean surfaces of the boat – The ship’s integrity relies on how well-maintained it is. Detailing your ship not only makes your boat look nice and clean, but it prolongs its life on the water, too.
a. Clean submerged parts; hull, keel, rudder – From bow to stern, these parts take the most abuse from the water and are exposed to all dirt, algae, and organisms that stick to your boat.
When on a dry dock or on a trailer, do these steps to clean the underside of the yacht:
1. Work from the most-bottom part of the boat with an acid wash. We advise you to work on spraying 6 feet sections, working your way toward the deck. Do this to avoid streaking.
2. Leave your acid wash for at least 30 seconds. Spread and scrub the acid evenly using a brush.
3. Rinse and leave to dry.
b. Clean off algae and barnacles on your hull.
1. In salt water, scrape off barnacles with a putty knife.
2. Freshwater vessels tend to get discolored and stained by algae. Brush off all visible algae on your boat’s hull.
2. Apply a hull restorer spray and scrub until algae, stains, and traces of barnacles are removed.
3. Rinse, scrub, and let dry.
2. Exterior shine – All visible parts should be cleaned, waxed, and buffed for that high shine you and your yacht deserve. Here’s how:
a. Wash off all dirt on all visible exterior surfaces.
b. Machine or hand-apply exterior wax on all visible exterior surfaces.
c. Leave on and let the exterior wax harden.
d. Buff in circular motions by hand or buff with a machine buffing tool.
e. Leave a gel coat layer on rusting and scratches until you take your boat to a restorer.
Tips on Engine Maintenance
The key to engine maintenance is regular daily, monthly, and yearly checkups of the engine and engine room. Know what to look out for, and you assure your yacht a strong beating heart for the rest of its life.
1. Daily engine/engine room checks:
a. Inspect that the engine has current antifreeze and coolant levels.
b. Transmission fluid levels should be normal.
c. Engine oil level and quality should be at least normal.
d. Visually, make sure that everything about the engine is aligned and looks right.
e. The alternator and water pump belts should be tight and must be replaced on time.
2. Monthly engine/engine room checks:
a. Check if the engine oil should already be replaced.
b. Check if transmission fluid levels need to be topped up.
c. Check if the engine’s oil filter needs replacement.
d. Check antifreeze and coolant levels. Top up if needed.
e. Check if the heat exchange anodes need replacing.
f. Clean and flush the engine’s siphon break.
g. Check and clean the thru-hull.
h. Check on the pump, impeller, and raw water strainer.
3. Yearly engine/engine room actions:
a. Replace your boat’s primary and secondary fuel filters.
b. Fully bleed your boat’s fuel system.
c. Check diesel tanks for rust, contamination, and damage.
d. Recharge or replace the boat’s batteries.
e. Inspect, lube, and/or replace props and shaft.
f. Check for the system’s wires, screws, nuts, and bolts to know whether all are in working condition.
Inside and Out, Top to Bottom, Every Time
It is cool if you have the time to do all these yacht maintenance steps yourself. After all, you love your yacht the most and your care is the best in the world. But if you can’t afford the time for the meticulous steps to maintain your boat, there is no shame in calling in the help of professional boat maintenance.Be sure that you hire a boat detailing service that will treat your boat the same love and care that you would.