[bpfirrman]

I am considering getting a slip with a hydra hoist to keep my boat out of water. My only concern is how do you wash it with fresh water when you are done for the day? The slips I have my eye on do not have a fresh water hookup to rinse it down and I am considering buying a LE red Mariah with the red hull that I know requires mucho maintenance, which is fine with me. I am sure some of you with private slips may have some sort of solution for this.

[milemarker60]

I'm at LOTO which is an extremely dirty lake and never actually "wash" my boat. It lives on a lift at my dock year around and at the beginning and end of each season I put on a coat of Yacht Brite Pro Polish which is UV stable and stands up better than all the waxes I have tried over the years. After every weekend I simply wipe it down with a synthetic chamois (absorber) dipped and rinsed in the lake and all the dirt/scum just wipes right off. There was a time I used to bring down a bucket of clean water from the house to use but the reality was I couldn't tell a difference.

I have never owned a Red boat but I have had one with solid Blue Sides which posed a similar spotting problem. I used the same technique above and never had a problem keeping it spotless and clean. The secret is starting with a super clean boat with no dirt in the gel before top coating with polish or wax. As long as the product is maintained then you really shouldn't have a problem.

Oxidation is a huge problem on colored hulls so it is important to keep it protected from the sun more than anything else. I have always been a believer in storage covers that completely cover the boat all the way down the sides. Granted my boat lives on my covered dock but there is always a time of day or morning that the sides are getting blasted by the sun. I'm convinced this helps more than anything in keeping everything clean.