Boating Tips: Better Ways to Float Your Boat

Odor in linens

Towels, bed linens and clothing stored on board can pick up an unpleasant odor simply by being in the high humidity that is on every boat. Prevent this odor by placing fabric softener sheets sold for use in clothes dryers among your stored items.

Zippers on canvas

Sometimes zippers are difficult to operate. If your boat is kept in saltwater rather than fresh water, check for salt granules. If present, rinse with fresh water to remove the salt accumulation. Then lubricate the zipper. Star Brite offers a product named White Teflon Snap & Zipper Lubricant. Or you can simply use a stick of lip balm.

Snaps on canvas

Place a thin coating of lubricant in and around the receiver side of each snap connection. The lubricant can be the purpose-specific one named in the previous paragraph, Vaseline jelly or even lip balm. This will make snapping and unsnapping easier and also deter formation of surface rust.

Fresh water tank odor

Some fresh water tanks...particularly those made of plastic...add an unpleasant taste and odor to the water. Try adding ordinary baking soda at each tank fill-up. Experiment to determine the proper quantity for the size of your tank with the goal of eliminating the unpleasant taste or odor without adding an unnecessarily large amount of baking soda. Additionally...particularly in Florida’s warm climate...a small amount of liquid bleach added to each tank fill-up will prevent growth of organisms. One-quarter cup of bleach per 30 gallons of water should do the job without adding any perceptible chlorine taste. If you do notice a chlorine odor or taste in the water, reduce the amount for future tank fills...experimenting until you determine the appropriate amount to add at each future fill-up.

Items in cabinets

Place non-skid, waffle patterned liners such as Shure-Grip brand in cabinets and on shelves. Use compartmentalized plastic silverware trays for utensils. Boating supply stores carry non-skid shelf liners; but so do discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart, where they are generally priced lower.

Toilet tissue

The mariners’ rule: “Don’t put anything into the head unless you have eaten it first!” applies, of course, to everything except toilet paper. Most boaters feel they have to purchase special “marine grade” toilet paper for this purpose. The manufacturer of VacuFlush marine heads posted a report on their web site indicating this is not true. The report stated that the least expensive, non-known brands of single-ply toilet paper available at grocery and discount stores perform as well as marine toilet papers in marine heads. The only requirement for toilet tissue to be used in a marine head is that it will be completely pulverized by the macerator. That is the reason that two-ply and three-ply tissue sold for home use shouldn’t be used in marine heads. Single-ply toilet tissue performed well (macerated completely) in their tests. Apparently the more plies in toilet tissue the more likely it won’t be completely pulverized by the macerator.

There is a home test you can perform to confirm that inexpensive (non-marine grade) single-ply tissue is suitable in your marine head. The test requires a small glass jar with a tight lid...such as from pickles or other condiments. Place a square of toilet tissue in the jar along with an inch or two of water. Secure the lid. Shake vigorously. If the tissue shreds, then it is acceptable for use in your boat.

Dock lines

Lines exposed to salt water tend to absorb moisture...including its salt content. Over time this buildup of salt and other minerals in the water makes the lines stiff. If allowed to continue absorbing saltwater the lines will eventually become so rigid that they will be difficult to use. There is a simple treatment to eliminate this problem. Put each line in a mesh laundry bag. This is necessary to help prevent raveling. Then run your lines through a normal washing machine cycle. Add double the normal amount of fabric softener for the rinse cycle. Hang the lines out to dry. You will be amazed at the renewed flexibility in your lines gained by this process--and, as a side benefit, they will be made clean again.

Ice box organization

Improve organization in your top loading icebox by putting like items such as condiments in a mesh bag, wire tray or plastic container so that you can easily find sandwich fixings by taking out just that one container when you need those items. In large top loaders, several large bins that stack can increase storage capacity and hasten finding stored provisions by grouping like items together in each container.

Fresh water tank odor

Some fresh water tanks...particularly those made of plastic...add an unpleasant taste and odor to the water. Try adding ordinary baking soda at each tank fill-up