Very Newb cleaning question
 

Hi Guys,

New to boats...

I bought an SX19 and was wondering is it ok to hose down the interior of the boat after cleaning with some car shampoo...the seats/floor and all...
Does the water drain out thru where the drain plug is at the stern? There are holes on the side of the boat as well...is this also where the water will drain out from? After hosing down, do I run the bilge pump? I know it is not recommended to wash down the engine compartment but if water gets into the engine compartment, will it drain itself down to the bilge and out the holes?

Thanks and sorry for the newb question.

Re: Very Newb cleaning question
 

I'd be careful with water around any of the electronics. We used vinyl cleaner/polish for the vinyl and it did a nice job cleaning it up. We haven't really done anything with the carpet, but I'm sure you could use a standard carpet shampoo to clean that. The bilge pump is drained through a hole usually on the starboard side(driver's side) near the aft part of the boat. It will never get all the water out as it's just not built to do so. We had a gas leak in ours and I had to use all sorts of things to get the smell out. I left the drain plug in and partially filled the bilge with water and bilge cleaner, used some bleach(be careful around the carpet), just regular soap and flushed it many times. After a month or so the smell was finally gone.

I have cleaned under the engine with soap and a long handle smaller brush and that works okay. Water in the bilge will get to the ski locker so it's best to take the drain out regularly to get all the junk out. Just don't forget to put it back in or the entire interior will get a good bath!!

Re: Very Newb cleaning question
 

thx Tom..much appreciated.