Memorial weekend boat cleaning

This Memorial Day weekend I've been busy cleaning up my sailboat. It's going into the water on Tuesday or Wednesday. Every surface inside has been wiped down with a clorox solution to get rid of mold and mildew. The hull has been waxed for the third year in a row (as long as I've owned her). The boat is 25 years old and the previous two owners were not diligent about waxing the hull. So even though I've used rubbing compound and wax for two previous seasons, this year, when I went with wax only, the results were just so-so. Many times when working on my boat I mutter to myself, "you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." The Flying Fish is a nice boat... but there's only so much I can do to gussie her up.

I DID do two things that made a big difference this year: I varnished the the teak grab rails and the teak bordering the companionway (entry to the cabin) with Cetol and I washed the deck and cockpit with Marykate Cleaning Detail. I recommend both products highly. Cetol is well known and loved by classic boat owners. It's oil based but cleans up easily. It's semi-tranparent and helps to hide some of the imperfections in old wood that's been abused. More importantly it does a great job of protecting the wood from harsh sunlight. Marykate cleaning detail has oxalic acid in it and removes oxidation and all kinds of stains. It's kind of like a magic potion. The results are outstanding. But do be careful. Oxalic acid is serious stuff and should be treated with respect: gloves, ventiltaion, eye protection. On the other hand... if you have rust stains try the more concentrated oxalic acid solutions. You can watch rust stains disappear before your eyes.

Here in Orleans this Memorial Day weekend diesel fuel is $5.18 a gallon. Imagine filling up the tanks on a fishing boat. Yikes! No wonder the cost of fish has skyrocketed.

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