By River, By Road, By Mail...
By River, By Road, By Mail...
The clocks have changed, the days seem longer, the sun is shining (well, for a lot of us anyway!) and a few boats are beginning to leave their winter moorings in the coming weeks. It is a great time to use boat cleaners and a boat polish to bring back the shine and carry out your boat engine service work before setting sail!
The big Spring clean! That's right, your boat is in need of some tender loving care! Having been winterised for a while its time to get the elbow grease out, the boat wash in a bottle, boat polish and boat canopy cleaner to brighten up the outside of your boat ready for the season ahead.
A boat interior clean and freshen up could be exactly what is in order. With a mild, and actually quite warm winter the boats have become a little damp inside so may need some sprucing up! Boat vinyl seat shampoo and interior shampoo along with marine mildew stain remover can help brighten your boat ready for the spring.
When cleaning a boat it is important to use all the correct equipment and tools. From clean cotton cloths to water fed cleaning brushes, classic boat deck mops to wet and dry sand paper and boat brush kits for all your boat cleaning requirements.
Painting a boats deck is a very fulfilling job to achieve at the beginning of the season. Once completed, the results of a finished deck paint are very pleasing and you can really see what you have achieved. Degrease the area, masking tape the borders and apply Deck Paint with anti-slip granules; then simply admire!
With so many boats attending the River Thames London Pageant and other waterway meetings throughout the year it is important to be ready for all situations. Be sure to have adequate boat fenders to protect your boat and possibly add extra fenders if you are part of the possession in London as there is sure to be a lot of traffic!
Anti-slip floor covering can be used on boat decks and in cockpit areas to improve safety onboard and can leave an attractive finish. Select from smaller, self-adhesive, grip pads to larger sheets that can be cut to fit different layouts, or, cleaners and colour restorers can help with repairs to existing anti-slip flooring.
Now that the boat has survived the winter months it's time to recommission the engine so that you can enjoy the Spring and Summer sun. Cleaning, renewing or replacing serviceable engine parts is a good way to start. Boat engine spark plugs, fan belts, oil filters, contact sets and oil are all available for a comprehensive recommission.
It is important to make sure that your boats engine water pump is running correctly and smoothly so that the water can cool the engine down effectively. Replacing the boat engine water pump impeller regularly and keeping a spare on board can go some way to keeping you moving on the water. Replacing seals, gaskets, o-rings and grease we all help keep the water pump running smoothly.
Over the winter most of us empty the fresh drinking water tanks to prevent the water from freezing and causing problems throughout the pipes. When recommissioning it is a good idea to clean out the tank with water tank cleaner and add or replace the drinking water purification so that the water is fresh and drinkable.
Sitting comfortably on board your boat is of the upmost importance! If the captain is not happy the ship is not a happy environment. Choose from a selection of boat captain seats, boat navigator seats, boat seat pedestal frames and economic boat helm seat to exquisitely crafted hand made British boat helm seats.
Whether it be a new splash of boat paint, perhaps changing the theme of your boat, or a completely new cooker and gas system for the Boat Safety Scheme, a new boat heating system or boat hot water system or even a new boat toilet system you can usually upgrade your boat to enjoy the luxuries of home living onboard!
