While the floating jetty of your home does not need too much maintenance, it does have two areas that need cleaning after being exposed to wind and rain from the winter months. By paying attention to these two parts of your jetty now, you can protect both your boat and your family. Set aside a couple of hours to attend to this checklist of chores before you start to use the jetty for the spring and summer.
Boat Fender
The boat fender is the piece that hangs over the edge of the jetty. Beneath your jetty is a pontoon keeping it afloat. The boat fender protects the side of your boat when it is sitting alongside the jetty and its pontoons. Some fenders are made of carpet, while others look like hard plastic boxing bags. No matter what your fender is made of, it needs regular cleaning to scrub away the salt particles from the water. If left to build up, the salt can clump together and become harsh enough to scratch your boat's paint.
To clean the fenders, you can either scrub them with soapy water and a stiff brush or water blast them with a high-power washer to rinse the salt buildup away.
Helpful hint: if you chose to scrub the fenders, make sure you do this with a stiff bristle brush rather than a wire bristle brush. A wire bristle brush is too harsh for the plastic or carpet that your fender is made of, and will shred the fender surface.
Jetty Carpet
Another crucial area of the jetty that needs cleaning after the winter rain is the carpet. While your carpet now has a chance to dry out in the sun, over the winter, constant dampness will have caused algae to grow within the fibres. This makes the carpet slippery and dangerous to walk on, particularly for children who are not always sure-footed.
If you choose to clean the carpet manually, pour hot, soapy water onto the mat, and then scrub it clean with a stiff bristle broom. You can then rinse it clean with a hose. You can also do this chore with your water blaster; however, make sure there are no tears in the carpet before you start. The pressure from the water blaster could cause further damage if the carpet is not in good shape.
If, during your cleaning chores, you notice an excessive amount of rust or wear on any part of your jetty, get it inspected by a professional jetty repairer, before pulling up your boat alongside. This way, you can be confident both your boat and your family can safely use the floating jetty during the summer months.
Share26 January 2018
Have you always dreamed of running your own business? Have you recently opened a business? Are you looking for ideas that will help you be successful? Then, you have come to the right place. This blog is devoted to helping people make their business dreams come true. Whether you run a restaurant, a factory, a dog walking business or anything else, there are a lot of commonalities. You have to identify your target customers, do development research, launch a marketing campaign, potentially hire employees and deal with countless other details. These posts are designed to help you through that process. I wish you the best of luck in your business efforts, and I hope my posts help along the way.