Inflatable Boat Maintenance
Welcome back to our DinghyBlog !
In our last article, we talked about the importance of proper maintenance of the valves on your inflatable boat. Today we are going to take it to the next step and discuss overall inflatable boat maintenance. As with any boat, proper maintenance will not only help to ensure a trouble free season but also help maintain the value and integrity of your inflatable. Cleaning your inflatable should be done regularly to prevent dirt and slime from building up in and around your floor as well as on the bottom of your boat if you have chosen not to bottom paint it. This will also help you to find those misplaced treasures that tend to find their way into your boat. A proper cleaning will include removing the floor, unless you have a rib, and giving the area beneath it a good scrubbing too. I cannot begin to count the number of objects we have found underneath the floors of customers boats that could have caused significant damage, items such as bottle caps, knives, fishing hooks, and countless other items. Overtime the area under your floor tends to build up a layer of slime and grit. Cleaning this area thoroughly will prevent undue wear and tear on your dinghy.
A good thorough cleaning will include scrubbing the inside and outside of your dinghy as well as the floor, seats, and all accessories. Washing off built up salt and dirt will help prevent corrosion and wear on any painted or varnished parts such as floorboards, transoms, seats and oars. For best cleaning results we recommend using, a good quality, inflatable boat cleaner, a scrub brush, and a mild scrubby pad. The white colored scrubby pads work well and are not too abrasive. The scrubby pads work well on the inflatable tubes as well as airfloors and the brush does a better job on rigid surfaces such as floorboards, seats and transoms. Once you have finished cleaning, we recommend allowing everything to dry thoroughly before reassembling your inflatable after cleaning. This is also a good time to give your dinghy a thorough once over to look for abrasions or gouges in the fabric and any chips or other damage that may need attention.
What you use to clean your inflatable is just as important as how well your clean your dinghy. Inflatable boat cleaners are designed to be safe for use on inflatables, without having ingredients that can be damaging to your boat. You never want to use a petroleum or silicone based cleaner or protectant of any kind on an inflatable. These chemicals are known to cause degradation of the material and may in some cases make them unrepairable. Silicone containing products can essentially seal the surface and leave a greasy feeling on your tubes which then makes it very hard for adhesive to bond to should you need a repair. DinghyPro stocks a full line of inflatable boat cleaning products as well as UV protectant to help keep your dinghy in tip top shape.