Cleaning a yacht after a storm

Start with safety, not with the hose

A boat that has been through a storm may not be the boat you left. Lines may have shifted or parted. Fenders may be gone. The vessel may have taken on water, bumped a piling or a neighbor, or been struck by debris. Before anyone steps aboard, the question is whether it is safe to do so. A listing, partly flooded or visibly damaged vessel should be assessed by the marina, a marine surveyor or the appropriate professionals first, and nobody should board it until that is done.

Look from the dock before you step on. Check the waterline, the lines, the position relative to the dock and the water around the hull. Fuel or oil sheen on the water is a hazard and a reportable situation, and it should be dealt with by the right responders, not by someone with a rag. If there is any smell of fuel or gas inside the boat, do not operate switches and do not start anything. Ventilate as your captain advises and call the proper marine professionals.

Never touch the electrical system of a boat that has taken on water. Salt water and live circuits are a dangerous combination, and a vessel with flooded electrical gear needs a qualified marine electrician and the marina's guidance before power is restored. Cleaning is never worth a shock. If in doubt, stay off and ask.

If anyone is injured or the situation is an emergency, call 911 first. Everything in this guide assumes the situation is stable and the people responsible for the boat have given the go-ahead for cleanup to begin.

Document before you clean anything

Photographs of the boat as found are the most valuable thing you can take in the first hours. Debris on deck, water marks inside, stains, scrapes, dents, broken hardware, torn canvas and anything that has moved are all evidence of what the storm did, and washing them away before they are recorded can make a later conversation with an insurer harder.

Take wide shots of each side, then close-ups of every area of concern. Photograph the waterline and the lines, the dock and any contact points with other vessels or pilings. Take interior photographs of any wet areas, standing water, damp cushions and stains. Short videos walking through the boat can be a helpful supplement. Store the files in more than one place and note the date and time.

Ask your insurer what they need before you clean, and what they are comfortable with you cleaning in the meantime. Some owners are told to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, such as drying out wet areas, and that guidance is sensible. But what counts as reasonable is a question for the policy and the adjuster, not for a detailer. When the go-ahead comes, a crew can begin the recovery wash with confidence that the record has been made.

• Photograph the boat as found, before anything is moved or washed.
• Record wet areas inside as well as outside.
• Keep dated copies of the images in more than one place.
• Ask your insurer what they need before cleanup begins.

What a storm leaves on a yacht

Every storm is different, but the residue it leaves on a boat tends to fall into a few families. Salt spray is the most universal. Wind-driven spray carries salt onto surfaces that normally stay fairly clean, including the flybridge, the hardtop, the windows and the interior of open cockpits. That salt dries into a crust that attracts moisture, accelerates corrosion on metal and etches clear surfaces if left in place.

Organic debris is the second. Leaves, palm fronds, seaweed, feathers, sand and mud arrive on the wind and the water. They clog scuppers and drains, stain gelcoat and deck surfaces as they decay, and hold moisture against the boat. Tannin from leaves and vegetation can leave brown stains on white surfaces that need to be treated rather than simply rinsed.

The third is water inside. A hard, wind-driven rain can find hatch seals, window gaskets, vents and old sealant lines that normally hold. Standing water, wet carpet, damp cushions and wet headliners are not just a cleaning problem. They are an invitation for mildew in the warm, humid South Florida air. And the fourth is contact marks: black rub marks from fenders and lines, scrapes from pilings, paint transfer from neighboring vessels. Those are cosmetic when they are only on the surface, but they need to be looked at by someone who can tell the difference between a mark and damage.

The recovery wash: salt and debris first

Once the vessel is safe, documented and cleared, the first cleaning step is a thorough fresh-water rinse from the top down. The purpose is to remove salt, sand and loose debris before any scrubbing starts. Rubbing a dry, sandy surface is how scratches are made, so a long, patient rinse is more valuable than any product at this stage.

Clear loose debris by hand first: fronds, leaves, seaweed and other bulky items. Then rinse the flybridge, hardtop, cabin sides, decks, cockpit and swim platform. Pay particular attention to hardware, rails, cleats, windlass, engine vents and any metal that normally gets a light coating. Salt left on metal is the starting point for corrosion and for the tea-stain discoloration that is so common on stainless in this region.

Next comes a wash with a boat-safe soap and a soft mitt or brush, working small sections at a time and rinsing as you go. Avoid household cleaners that can strip protection or etch surfaces. The guide on why household cleaners damage boats explains what to avoid. Be careful with pressure, too. A pressure washer can force water into seals and strip sealant, so use it with caution, if at all, and read the guide on avoiding pressure washer damage.

1. Clear bulky debris by hand and bag it for disposal.
2. Rinse top to bottom with plenty of fresh water to remove salt and sand.
3. Wash with boat-safe soap and a soft mitt, one section at a time.
4. Rinse again, paying attention to metal, seams and hardware.
5. Dry and inspect each area as it comes clean.

Drains, hatches and the places water hides

After the surfaces are rinsed, turn to the places that hold water and debris. Cockpit drains, scuppers, deck drains and hatch drains are often packed with leaves, sand and shell fragments after a storm. A drain that cannot flow means the next rain pools on deck or in a hatch recess, so clearing them early is worth the time. Gentle rinsing and a soft tool are better than anything rigid pushed into the line.

Hatch and port gaskets deserve a look and a wipe. Grit trapped in a gasket stops it sealing, and some storms drive a surprising amount of sand into those channels. Run a damp cloth around each one, look for cracks or flattening and note anything that looks worn for the right technician. Track channels on sliding doors and windows collect sand and salt, which can bind the mechanism, so rinse and gently clear them.

Check around vents, lockers and the area under the flybridge, where water and debris collect in corners. Standing water in a locker or a bilge is a matter for the captain or a marine technician, not for a cleaning crew to pump out on their own initiative. If you find water where it should not be, note it, photograph it and pass it to the person responsible.

Mildew risk: dry the interior quickly

In South Florida, wet fabric and still, warm air are a fast route to mildew. The window for prevention is short, so as soon as the vessel is safe and the electrical system has been cleared, the focus turns to getting the interior dry. Remove wet cushions, towels and bedding for drying ashore. Open lockers and drawers where it is safe to do so. Run air conditioning or a dehumidifier once the electrical system is confirmed safe, and keep air moving.

Wet carpet and headliners are the hardest cases. A carpet that has soaked up salt water holds both moisture and salt, and it can develop an odor and visible growth quickly. A professional extraction and treatment is often the right step, and in serious cases the carpet may need to be lifted so that the sole beneath can dry. The service pages on interior mildew treatment and carpet and headliner cleaning explain how that kind of job is approached.

Be careful about what you disturb. Visible mold growth on large areas, or a boat that has been wet for several days, may call for a more cautious approach, including protective equipment and professional assessment. Anyone with allergies, asthma or a compromised immune system should keep clear of the work. Detailers clean surfaces, but they do not diagnose health issues and nothing here is medical advice.

Hull, canvas and hardware after the storm

Once the decks and interior are being handled, move to the hull and exterior gear. Wash the topsides and look carefully at the gelcoat or paint along the rub rail and the waterline. Dark scuffs from fenders and lines often wipe off with the right cleaner, but scratches, chips and cracks are different. Mark them with a photograph and a note for the right repair professional rather than polishing over them, since cosmetic work can hide something that needs attention.

Canvas, clear vinyl and sail covers that stayed on through the storm should be rinsed well, since salt and debris will bind in the folds. Check them for tears, loose stitching, stressed snaps and pulled zippers. If the enclosure was removed and stored, check it for dampness before it goes back up. A wet panel stored in a bag will mildew within days, so rinse, dry and then reinstall.

Stainless, chrome and aluminum should be rinsed and wiped as soon as possible. Salt left on those metals leads to spotting and pitting that are harder to fix later. If you see rust bloom or rusty runs on stainless, treat them early. The guides and service pages on rust stain removal and stainless metal polishing explain how those problems are normally tackled.

What to leave to the right trades

Some things after a storm are not cleaning jobs and should not be treated as such. Structural damage, a suspected hull breach, cracked bulkheads, shifted engines, damaged through-hulls, electrical systems that were wet, fuel system contamination and rigging damage are all for the right marine professionals. A marine surveyor can assess damage and write it up. A marine electrician, mechanic or rigger can address their part. A canvas maker can repair or replace enclosures. A detailer cleans and restores surfaces, and should not be asked to hide or soften what needs repair.

The same goes for environmental issues. Fuel, oil or sewage in the water are for the marina and the proper authorities. Large amounts of floating debris, hazardous materials and any situation that smells of fuel or gas all need the right responders and not a cleaning crew with a bucket.

Where a cleaning crew is most useful is in the careful restoration of surfaces once the trades have done their work, and in the early rinse and drying steps that stop salt and moisture from causing secondary damage. Coordinate with your captain, your insurer and your marina about the order of work so that everyone is helping and nobody is in each other's way.

Rebuilding the protection and getting back to routine

A storm and the recovery wash that follows it take a toll on wax, sealant and coatings. Salt, abrasive debris and repeated rinsing wear down the protective layer, so a boat that has been through a storm is often due for a fresh coat. A quick test is whether water still beads and sheets off the surface. If it clings and spreads, the protection has thinned. The guide on wax, sealant and ceramic compared can help you choose.

Think about the weeks after the storm as a restart rather than a one-off cleanup. A recovery wash, a careful inspection, any needed repairs from the trades, a deeper clean and a fresh coat of protection put the boat back on a solid footing. From there a regular wash schedule keeps it there. If you have questions about what order to do things in for your own vessel, call and we will talk through it.

We give quotes by phone only, and for complicated recovery jobs we may suggest an on-site visit first. There is a service call charge, explained on the phone before anyone is dispatched. Tell us the vessel type, where it is berthed, what the storm did and what the insurer has said, and we will tell you what we can and cannot do.

Questions people ask

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