How To: (And Why To) Clean the Bottom of Your Boat
July 8, 2024
Mike Smith on why you need to get some dive gear and get under your boat.
Mike Smith on why you need to get some dive gear and get under your boat.
Inside tricks from the pros on maintaining your boat’s stabilizer system.
The Right Way to Buff Your Boat Hull: Tools, Techniques & Expert Advice
Head trouble off at the pass by giving your boat a thorough physical. Learn more here.
Could this be the bilge-pump system of the future?
Covering up old, barely visible names and hailing ports with Awlcraft 2000—a job best left to professionals.
Don’t live with dirty, stained gelcoat. Spruce it up easily by choosing the right cleaners and sealants.
Keeping through-hull fittings exercised is a simple way to make sure they work. But that’s only the beginning of what you should be doing. Learn more about these critical component here.
So you’ve got a quarter guard that got torn up by a piling? Or you need to plug a hole left by an extracted through-hull? Fiberglass fabric’s the answer.
Easy cleanup and lightning-fast dry times are just a couple reasons why Pettit’s Neptune 5 might be the next bottom paint for your boat.
All things come to an end, including bottom paint. Here’s how to cope with antifouling separation anxiety.
Heesen Yachts uses one of a kind under-water “wing” to provide unparalleled efficiency.
You may be tempted to keep all sorts of spare parts on your boat, but really, you’d just be adding clutter to your decks. We break down the essential spare parts you really need to have onboard.
Capt. Richard Thiel does a deep dive on your bearings and shafts, parts of your boat that are probably a lot more important than you think.
There’s nothing glamorous about it, but maintaining a clean and well running bilge system is a good indicator that you’re a consummate boater. Here’s everything you need to know about maintaining your bilges.
Mike Smith investigates the value of having a survey done on a boat you already own.
It all starts with the hull. If you haven’t got that right, there’s no way to fix it. Here we provide a full course in how boats are built, to underscore the point that the methods used today are an evolution of everything that’s gone before, on the steady march toward making a better boat.
This Vacuum Is Designed To Eliminate Those Ugly Osmotic Blisters In Your Hull.
Slicker Means QuickerA slippery new breed of bottom paint promises performance—but at a price.These days it seems like nearly everyone is talking about going green. Some people are going all out, living in solar-powered homes and driving hybrid cars, while others require a bit more convincing before they hop aboard the tree-hugger
A real-world test of this bottom paint produces some definitive results.Toward the middle of this past July, I had my Grand Banks 32 Sedan Betty Jane hauled at a local boatyard for two completely different reasons. First, I wanted to facilitate a first-rate wax job. Using a big electric buffer on a comparatively small, faux-planked hull
These days it seems like nearly everyone is talking about going green. Some people are going all out, living in solar-powered homes and driving hybrid cars, while others require a bit more convincing before they hop aboard the tree-hugger
Virtually everything can be improved—that’s the point Capt. Matt Condon was making just before the big brainstorm hit him. Condon’s the head guy at Signature Yacht Shares, a Destin, Florida-based outfit that’s into a variety of marine
Over the years, I’ve squirted, rubbed, mopped, and sprayed my fair share of potions, pastes, and potations onto fiberglass and other boaty surfaces. And, given the amount of time, money, and effort I’ve lavished upon this strange enterprise, you’d think I’d
So a guy walks into a boatyard and says, “Hey, I gotta have a bow thruster.” In a few days, an open-ended job begins, with the bill contingent upon the yard’s hourly rate, expertise, and the man-hours worked. When the guy returns he finds his boat starring in a veritable horror show. A couple of first-time thruster installers have blundered into a foam-cored transversal while cutting a hole in
Remember “Wax on, wax off?” It was Mr. Miyagi’s discipline-building anthem in Karate Kid. For years, I figured it was merely a figment of some movie maker’s imagination—it couldn’t be applicable to boat detailing, right? Wrong! As part of my campaign to do my maintenance chores myself, I recently detailed my trawler Betty Jane and made her literally sparkle. But I had to cheat.
Although I’m loathe to acknowledge my naivet concerning such matters (especially since I’m 61 years old and have owned boats all my life), my approach to in-water bottom cleaning was plain as dirt—if not downright cavalier—until recently. It went something like this: When growth on chines and running surfaces slipped past the faint-slime stage, I’d simply dial up a marina-recommended dive
Although I’m loathe to acknowledge my naivet concerning such matters (especially since I’m 61 years old and have owned boats all my life), my approach to in-water bottom cleaning was plain as dirt—if not downright cavalier—until recently. It went something like this: When growth on chines and running surfaces slipped past the faint-slime stage, I’d simply dial up a marina-recommended dive
Mike Smith on why you need to get some dive gear and get under your boat.
Inside tricks from the pros on maintaining your boat’s stabilizer system.
The Right Way to Buff Your Boat Hull: Tools, Techniques & Expert Advice
Head trouble off at the pass by giving your boat a thorough physical. Learn more here.
Could this be the bilge-pump system of the future?
Covering up old, barely visible names and hailing ports with Awlcraft 2000—a job best left to professionals.
Don’t live with dirty, stained gelcoat. Spruce it up easily by choosing the right cleaners and sealants.
Keeping through-hull fittings exercised is a simple way to make sure they work. But that’s only the beginning of what you should be doing. Learn more about these critical component here.
So you’ve got a quarter guard that got torn up by a piling? Or you need to plug a hole left by an extracted through-hull? Fiberglass fabric’s the answer.
Easy cleanup and lightning-fast dry times are just a couple reasons why Pettit’s Neptune 5 might be the next bottom paint for your boat.
All things come to an end, including bottom paint. Here’s how to cope with antifouling separation anxiety.
Heesen Yachts uses one of a kind under-water “wing” to provide unparalleled efficiency.
You may be tempted to keep all sorts of spare parts on your boat, but really, you’d just be adding clutter to your decks. We break down the essential spare parts you really need to have onboard.
Capt. Richard Thiel does a deep dive on your bearings and shafts, parts of your boat that are probably a lot more important than you think.
There’s nothing glamorous about it, but maintaining a clean and well running bilge system is a good indicator that you’re a consummate boater. Here’s everything you need to know about maintaining your bilges.
Mike Smith investigates the value of having a survey done on a boat you already own.
It all starts with the hull. If you haven’t got that right, there’s no way to fix it. Here we provide a full course in how boats are built, to underscore the point that the methods used today are an evolution of everything that’s gone before, on the steady march toward making a better boat.
Unleash Your Inner Boatbuilder with a DIY Kit
New technologies protect your hull and the environment.
This Vacuum Is Designed To Eliminate Those Ugly Osmotic Blisters In Your Hull.
Slicker Means QuickerA slippery new breed of bottom paint promises performance—but at a price.These days it seems like nearly everyone is talking about going green. Some people are going all out, living in solar-powered homes and driving hybrid cars, while others require a bit more convincing before they hop aboard the tree-hugger
A real-world test of this bottom paint produces some definitive results.Toward the middle of this past July, I had my Grand Banks 32 Sedan Betty Jane hauled at a local boatyard for two completely different reasons. First, I wanted to facilitate a first-rate wax job. Using a big electric buffer on a comparatively small, faux-planked hull
These days it seems like nearly everyone is talking about going green. Some people are going all out, living in solar-powered homes and driving hybrid cars, while others require a bit more convincing before they hop aboard the tree-hugger
Virtually everything can be improved—that’s the point Capt. Matt Condon was making just before the big brainstorm hit him. Condon’s the head guy at Signature Yacht Shares, a Destin, Florida-based outfit that’s into a variety of marine
Over the years, I’ve squirted, rubbed, mopped, and sprayed my fair share of potions, pastes, and potations onto fiberglass and other boaty surfaces. And, given the amount of time, money, and effort I’ve lavished upon this strange enterprise, you’d think I’d
A cheap and easy way to prevent costly prop damage.
So a guy walks into a boatyard and says, “Hey, I gotta have a bow thruster.” In a few days, an open-ended job begins, with the bill contingent upon the yard’s hourly rate, expertise, and the man-hours worked. When the guy returns he finds his boat starring in a veritable horror show. A couple of first-time thruster installers have blundered into a foam-cored transversal while cutting a hole in
Remember “Wax on, wax off?” It was Mr. Miyagi’s discipline-building anthem in Karate Kid. For years, I figured it was merely a figment of some movie maker’s imagination—it couldn’t be applicable to boat detailing, right? Wrong! As part of my campaign to do my maintenance chores myself, I recently detailed my trawler Betty Jane and made her literally sparkle. But I had to cheat.
Although I’m loathe to acknowledge my naivet concerning such matters (especially since I’m 61 years old and have owned boats all my life), my approach to in-water bottom cleaning was plain as dirt—if not downright cavalier—until recently. It went something like this: When growth on chines and running surfaces slipped past the faint-slime stage, I’d simply dial up a marina-recommended dive
Although I’m loathe to acknowledge my naivet concerning such matters (especially since I’m 61 years old and have owned boats all my life), my approach to in-water bottom cleaning was plain as dirt—if not downright cavalier—until recently. It went something like this: When growth on chines and running surfaces slipped past the faint-slime stage, I’d simply dial up a marina-recommended dive
Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Power & Motoryacht may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site.
Copyright © 2025 Power & Motoryacht Firecrown. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
