Boat cleaning tips

[steven_ickman]

I saw Capt'nKarl's post on GETTING READY and after doing some research I found that there's really strong guidance (and steep fines) around not letting soaps or detergents enter the water. So to that end I was wondering how others clean their boats? I want to keep my boat clean and looking brand new but I want to do it in a way that's safe for the environment.

-steve

 

[nzfisher]

There are some cleaners that are applied through water siphon style spray guns that use biodegradable "soaps". I believe Westmarine sells such a unit. As to whether this satisfies ordinances around pollution is another matter entirely. These cleaners are also, of course, available over the internet. They supposedly clean the boat without phosphates, water spots, do not remove wax and cure the common cold, (I have one but haven't used it yet). People use them but I don't know if they still get ticketed or not. I am sure there will be other feedback from users.

 

[Pilotnavigator]

Definition: Capable of being decomposed by the action of biological agents, especially bacteria.
It should be noted that biodegradable mean that the product is digestible by organic organisms and converted into harmless by products. Our lakes are rather clean up here and there are not too many "bugs" in the water to digest the products, nor do we what to provide food for them. Such biodegradable products are best disposed of on land to allow the multitude of organisms to digest the products.