Best Boat Maintenance Practices

REMEMBER...
* Clean water starts with good boat cleaning and maintenance methods.
* Good stewardship of our boating water is about making choices.

WHAT BOATERS CAN DO
1. Read labels and buy products that will do the job without harming people and the water.
2. Think about where the all the dirt, paint chips, and solvents could go; chose a method which reduces the chance of getting any in the water.
3. Do as much hull work inside or under cover where rain can't wash dust, dirt, paint chips, oil and solvents to the water.
4. Help other boaters understand cleaner ways to do boat maintenance; pass this fact sheet on.

BOAT CLEANING
1. Look at product labels and buy 'non-toxic' and 'phosphate-free' cleaners while 'biodegradable' sounds good, it doesn't mean it is 'non-toxic'; avoid those which warn 'do not get in eyes' or 'always wear gloves' since these can harm the environment.
2. Use alternative cleaners, such as baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, and elbow grease; avoid those with bleach, ammonia, lye, or petroleum distillates.
3. Wash decks and hulls frequently with fresh water; using a little cleaner goes a long way; more cleaner does not necessarily work better, but can be harmful.
4. Buy only as much cleaner as you need to avoid the need to dispose of leftover cleaning supplies.
5. Clean boat bottoms ashore, over hard surfaces or a tarp, where all debris can be contained.
6. Keep caps on bottles while cleaning; and open container might spill into the water.
7. Follow the label recommendation and local regulations for proper disposal.
8. Recycle the product containers.

ENGINE MAINTENANCE
1. Tune your engine regularly per manufacturer's recommendation; this helps your engine operate cleanly and more efficiently.
2. Frequently inspect fuel lines for leaks or potential leaks such as cracks, loose connections; repair as necessary.
3. Change oil and transmission fluid with a spill proof pump or vacuum tank; slip a plastic bag over the oil filter before removal; wipe up oil drops immediately with absorption pad.
4. Use orange-pink colored propylene antifreeze/coolant which is less toxic, vs blue-green colored ethylene glycol which is very toxic and kills animals that ingest it.
5. Use minimal engine cleaning solvents; frequently wipe engine to keep clean; engine parts should be cleaned on land over a leak-free container, not over the water.
6. Keep separate and recycle used oil, solvents an antifreeze; or follow label instructions or local regulations for disposal.

SANDING & PAINTING
1. Do all hull scraping, sanding and chemical stripping ashore over a drop cloth to catch all debris.
2. Prepare the surface with dustless sanders and vacuum to keep you, the air, ground, other boats clean.
3. Use only legal bottom paint; depending on boat use, consider a hard non-ablative, paint which may be longer lasting.
4. Leave paint cans open to thoroughly dry before throwing away.