How To Maintain Aluminum & Powder Coating

The Basics

Rule #1, wash the metalwork down completely with soap and fresh water after every trip, finish up by wiping dry.

The Tips

Wash the metalwork with a soft material cloth and a mild detergent to remove all salt particles from the surface. Just rinsing with water will not remove salt from metalwork so make sure you are using soap. Salt particles and moisture are the main causes of white spots, pitting and corrosion. One key thing to note is to never let the soap dry to the metalwork, this causes staining and while not impossible to remove, it just adds more work to the washes.

After the washing and drying is complete, make sure to apply an aluminum protectant/wax, once to twice a year. This will fill the pores and seal against the environment. The treated surfaces will reject future staining and contamination from water, salt spray, UV sunlight, pollution, industrial fallout, marine life, and mineral buildup.

This preventive maintenance is necessary to the life of the metals on your boat. Proper owner maintenance is required to reduce deterioration. Most metalwork finish failure is due to lack of maintenance. If you keep this routine on your boat, you should have long lasting metalwork and great looking powder coating for years to come.

If you have additional questions that you would like answered, don't hesitate to ask your local dealer or drop us a message.