How to treat rust on your boat

Rust can be quite damaging

Buying a boat is a really exciting time. Everyone wants to get their boat in the water immediately without being worried about how to really take care of it to keep it in the best shape possible. With some preventative measures, you can guarantee that your boat will be rust-free for as long as possible and you can keep it looking like brand new.

The Cause of Rust

The water that the boat is in as well as the moisture in the air (especially ocean air with the high salt content) can both cause damage to your boat. The best way to keep your boat from getting rusty is to be preventative in your upkeep.

Preventative Care

There are a number of products that you can apply to your boat before use or after drying it to keep rust at bay. Some will dry on the metal of your boat in a thick, waxy coating. This will protect any metal surfaces from water damage and rust. Most are safe to use on plastic, vinyl, and paint, and spray applicators make application easier.

After Time in the Water

Always wash your boat off with clean and fresh water when you're taking it out of the water after use. You can use a mild detergent to make sure to remove all of the salt and any other chemicals that may have come in contact with your boat. Make sure to thoroughly dry all flat, glass, and metal surfaces after washing to keep the water from sitting on your boat and causing rust problems. When your boat is washed and dry you can store it covered to keep it out of both the sun and the rain.

Removing Rust

Sometimes, even in the face of your best efforts, your boat may get some rust on it. You can use any number of products to remove the rust, but obviously, Jenolite is best! It’s also easy to use and will remove rust from a number of surfaces. Jenolite is great for steel rigging, fittings, carpets, and cushions, plus cast iron, fiberglass, and vinyl, among others.

Our metal polish is great for the marine industry. After removing rust use our metal polish on any metal surfaces for added shine and protection. With a little care during the life of your boat you can make sure to keep it in the best condition possible!

Check out our case study on the S.S. Agios Geogios V