Composite Boat maintainence

[Gcosloy]

After most trips to the salt water I usually hose down the boat still on the car and also the car as well. The little salt water that remains in the cockpit stays there until the next outing. Is salt water bad for the seams and material inside the boat, long term? Unless I get sand into the cockpit I usually don't bother to wash it out. Anyone done this over many seasons and had problems?

[bob budd]

Rinse metal parts to inhibit corrosion, most of your deck fittings are likely marine HW and relatively immune. Rinse any moving parts ('biners on the tow gear) as either the lubrication or moving parts may fail to move.

[Suz]

Best to do is to give a rinse, outside and inside the cockpit. The purpose is to rinse the salt water out. Should at minimum, sponge dry the inside with salt water before it dries. I believe it is the salt that attracts the moisture. Over time a boat will pick up extra water and get - GOD FORBID - HEAVIER!

What I do though is a bit simpler and not as good:) When I get out of the boat, I rinse the cockpit out with fresh salt water (lower concentration of salt than the dried on crusty stuff), rinse the hull to remove sand and pick up and put on the car without putting on the sand again. When home remove the hatch covers to dry out any remaining water inside the hatches.

Done this for a few years and my Explorer looks none the worse for wear. Of course, too early to tell on my new Capella 161.

I usually replace the deck lines every other year and wax the boat yearly in the Spring.

[Ben Fuller]

Nail the aluminum foot braces hard with some fresh water.... adjustable foot braces stop being adjustable. Same for rudder hard ware.

[scamlin]

I was taught that the interior of glass boats will absorb water over time. I believe this is happens with fresh or salt water: it simply seeps into the glass/resin matrix. But I don't really know: does anybody have a technical explanation?

Dried salt will attract moisture out of the atmosphere: it's why your hands feel sticky after being in salt water. Suz is right: a rinse in salt water is better than no rinse since the resulting concentration of salt from the one final rinse is less than the accumulation of many layers salt from repeated wetting.

However, it's hard to imagine the resulting dampness being enough to significantly seep into the boat. But I'm open to being convinced.

Scott

[Brian Nystrom]

Polyester resin and gelcoat will absorb a small amount of water, but it's primarily something that affects boats that are kept on the water all the time. The effect on kayaks used for day trips is negligible, probably less than what soaks into the decklines, backbands and other absorbant parts in/on the boat.

As for rinsing, it certainly doesn't hurt with glass/plastic boats, but I almost never rinse mine and have never experienced a related problem. Skin-on-frame boats with wooden frames should NOT be rinsed with fresh water after saltwater use, as the salt helps to preserve the wood and fresh water encourages rot.

[gyork]

Call me anal-retentive (and I'll agree) re: boat maintenance, but this newby takes the <5min to wash the yak with soap and fresh water after every saltwater trip. Does it make a difference? Who knows?-I simply can't help myself.

Gary

[Dee Hall]

We haven't rinsed our boats in years, except when we are doing modifications. There is no degradation to the resin, Kevlar, Glass, wood, plastic or deck fittings.

Caveat: Those Yakima foot pegs will freeze right up if you don't rinse the sand out of them.

-Dee

[scamlin]

Brian:

Thanks for the technical input. So we shouldn't worry if there is standing water in the cockpit or hatch during boat storage?

I did forgot to mention another related issue: sea water that cannot dry out will smell! There are lots of microbes and other cool stuff in sea water (much more than fresh water lakes and ponds I think) that can ferment and get stinky if left damp. Main problem areas:

1. Closed hatches. Leave the hatches covers off when the boat is stored so the hatch can dry out. I either put them in the hatch itself or in the cockpit so I don't forget them when I pack up.

2. Interior surfaces covered by foam where the water can get trapped behind the foam. Potential areas are glued in foam such as a seat or foam spacers used for bulkhead footrests. If the water is trapped, it can get funky. A solid glue perimeter or groves to allow drainage can help.

I do rinse in fresh water after each paddle, as much for the scum, sand and seaweed as damage to fiberglass.

I won't go into the larger potential for neoprene and nylon gear to stink if not dried. I've found that a fresh water rinse and drying after each paddle prevents almost all smell problems. The drying is more important than the rinse. Microbes love damp.

Best,

Scott

[Brian Nystrom]

As for standing water in the boat, a small amount won't hurt anything during the summer, but allowing water in the boat to freeze could potentially cause problems, so it's best to make sure the boat is dry in the winter. Doing what you suggest with hatch covers, etc. will generlly take care of that, but the bulk of the water should be pumped, dumped or sponged out.