Wash Kayak

Advice
#1

Just wondering what you use to wash your poly kayak after a day paddling in salt water?

Do you just hose it down?

I saw advertised on this site Triffik wash.

Has anyone tried it?





Thanks,

Robert

#2

Don’t know about Triffik, but plain
water or any cleaning soap with water that leaves no residue will be fine. Poly is used for containers for so many things. It is resistant to most solvents and chemicals.

#3

Just rinse it and all your other gear
off with fresh water.



Jack L

#4

Fresh water
Like Jack said, rinse it with fresh water. especially if you use it in salt water. Every once in a while I’ll use whatever soap is out in the garage. Periodically apply 303 protect and you’re good to go.

#5

Kayak Maintenance
As others have said, maintenance is pretty easy for plastic kayaks (as compared to fiberglass kayaks). A daily hosing with fresh water after paddling in salt water will prevent most buildup.



Still, you should probably pay a little extra attention to help prevent hardware from corroding, by cleaning, lubing, and frequent inspection.



Here’s an article I wrote on seasonal maintenance of all types of kayaks and other paddling gear:

http://aquadynology.com/maintenance1.html



Good luck!



Delphinus

#6

The water you didn’t drink…
dump it on all the fittings and lines on the deck when you come in. This works out well to make sure you carry enough water for an emergency. At the worst it makes it faster to wash the salt off the boat when you get in.



We walk into the shower with our clothing, dry suits and all, when we are in the cabin in Maine. It’s well water, so it is likely better for our stuff than anything we could do at home.

#7

i rarely do anymore
I have a brush that hooks tothe garden hose and found that scrubbing with clean water works well.



But i rarely paddle in really disgusting water so a little muck and oil stirred up bnythe speedboats is all I have to deal with.



Sea water just gets a hose-down and if it rains on the way home, I feel that is fine.

#8

coin-op car washes
I kill two birds with one stone and drive into one of the coin-op car wash booths and use the high pressure hose to blast the gunk or salt water off the kayaks and the gear (most of the ones I’ve gone to have big clips on the wall for hanging floor mats to wash – you can hang your PFD or drysuit on them.) At the same time I am blasting any drippage off the car and roof rack. You can insert the high pressure nozzle inside the boat and flush the hull out easily. This is particularly useful for my skin on frame boats that don’t have sealed bulkheads (i pull the float bags out for this.)



Of course this only works if you pass a car wash en route to the paddling takeout.

#9

no wax
For OP fresh water and 303 for roto mold plastic



If you have fiberglass or like my Eddyline the thermoformed plastic use Klasse rather than wax. Way way better than wax. Wax is 19th century tech. No wax has ever been on my car.



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/klasse.html

#10

Keep wax off Poly boat
Wax is hygroscopic and it is attracted to moisture.

It will slow you down and is completely unnecessary.



Ultra-violet radiation from the sun is just plain harsh

on your kayak. It’s the shorter more energetic

wavelengths you can’t actually see with your eyes that

cause the greatest damage to the exterior finish

of your boat.



Stick with 303, it an industry standard.

http://www.303products.com/shop303/index.cfm/category/65/303-aerospace-protectant.cfm