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Getting Your Raft Clean

Michael Hughes / Friday, September 11, 2015

A clean raft is a happy raft, at least in my opinion. Long days on the river, sun, sand, metal frames, and boxes can reek havoc on your beloved raft. However with a little patience, time, and elbow grease you can get your raft looking clean and like new.

boat-cleaning-supplies

Boat cleaning supplies

Giving your boat a good thorough rise with water will help get all of the sand, rocks, and any other debris that has accumulated. Using soap and water will get lots of grime off but you may still find spots that just won't seem to get clean. Run to the store and get a few Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, paired with some water and a towel you will have the power to get rid of those pesky stains.

dirty-raft

Dirty raft

The directions on the box tell you just what you need to do - wet, ring, and scrub. If the sponge is too wet things get really messy, if it is too dry it doesn't really work. You will probably find the happy medium and find that a dry towel is nice to keep on hand to help keep your working area clean.

raft-all-clean

Raft all clean

The erasers start to fall apart after a while, but work like magic to get tough stains off your boat. I went through one full sponge just washing frame marks from the top tube, and other random marks on my 18 foot SOTAR raft. They are pretty cheap, and don't give off harmful fumes like MEK or tolulene.

dirty raft

Dirty raft

almost-clean-raft

Almost clean raft

finish-clean-raft

Finish clean raft

The Magic Eraser will take care of a variety of stains from the mild to really stubborn ones. With a little bit of time and elbow grease your raft will be looking new.

Author

Michael Hughes

Michael grew up in the small Minnesota town of Stewartville. He spent his days outside in the woods and riding a bike. The only thing that has changed is his location. Oregon is now home and he is still outside, riding a bike, and paddling where ever the water is.

 
 

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Disclaimer: River conditions, obstacles, and rapids can vary for a variety of reasons. Please combine this general information with good judgment and your own river reading skills.


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