How to Detail Your Boat's Interior (Vinyl Seats, Carpet, Storage and Drains)

Take everything out: cushions that come off, life jackets, coolers, gear, trash and snap-in carpet. Open every hatch, locker, cooler and storage box. You'll find wet towels, old bait and food wrappers you forgot about.

Vacuum the floor, seat seams, storage boxes and under cushions while everything is dry. Loose sand and grit scrubbed into carpet or vinyl act like sandpaper.

Mercury advises against hosing or pressure washing permanently installed carpet, common in bass and multispecies boats. Vacuum, then spot-clean with a mild soap solution (Mercury suggests soapy lukewarm water with a little white vinegar for bigger stains) and a wet rag or soft brush. Blot, don't scrub hard, and use the wet/dry vacuum to pull out the dirty water. Soaking the carpet wets the plywood or foam underneath.

Unsnap the carpet and wash it off the boat: vacuum, scrub lightly with mild soap or an enzyme carpet cleaner, rinse, and hang it to dry completely. Mercury says to make sure the deck is completely dry before putting the carpet back. Check the snaps on the deck and carpet for corrosion and replace any that won't hold.

Woven vinyl flooring and foam decking are different. Sea Ray passes on the makers' advice: for woven vinyl flooring (Infinity), blot watery spills right away, scrape solids gently with a dull blade and vacuum, and wash regularly with hot soapy water and a rinse; for SeaDek-style foam traction pads, use the cleaner the foam maker names and a medium brush. Check your flooring maker's list of products to avoid before using anything stronger.

Mix mild soap in water (Bayliner suggests about a quarter cup of mild dish soap per gallon) and wipe the seats with a soft cloth or sponge. Use an old toothbrush on seams, piping and stitching, where sunscreen and dirt collect. Rinse with plenty of fresh water. Don't soak the cushions; MasterCraft warns that water in the foam leads to mildew. BoatUS adds two points: wipe the seats down after every trip even when they look clean, because invisible sweat, dust and sunscreen are what mildew feeds on; and go gently, since hard scrubbing wears away the antimicrobial and UV treatments most marine vinyl comes with, and those don't come back.

Soaked foam: if a cushion stays squishy and wet, the thin plastic film wrapped around the foam inside the cover may be torn. BoatUS describes pulling the foam out and drying it completely (sealing it in a contractor bag with a wet/dry vacuum hose taped into the opening speeds this up, then air-dry), then rewrapping it in new film before it goes back in the cover. It can take days. If the foam smells moldy or is crumbling, replace it.

For tough stains or pink "pinking" stains, use a marine vinyl cleaner and a soft brush. A few spot tricks from builders:

• Ink: Sea Ray and Bayliner say sunscreen can lift ink; wash the area with soap afterward. Some vinyl makers allow rubbing alcohol on stubborn stains, but only if your vinyl maker approves it.
• Spills: blot them as soon as possible with a soft, dry towel.
• Pinking: caused by dyes from microorganisms that grow on dirt and moisture. Regular cleaning and drying are the real prevention. The Sunbrella Horizon manager interviewed by Boating Magazine also suggests avoiding sunscreens containing PABA, which the bacteria can feed on.

Towel the seats dry and then let them air out with cushions propped on edge. Sea Ray points out that moisture hides in piping and thread, where mildew starts. Leave hatches and seat lids open until everything is dry.

Once dry, apply a marine vinyl protectant. Avoid silicone-based automotive protectants: MasterCraft says silicone pulls the plasticizer out of vinyl, leaving it hard and brittle until it cracks. Reapply on the product's schedule. On newer seats, check first: BoatUS notes that many seat makers don't recommend aftermarket protectants until the vinyl starts showing wear, because they can interfere with the factory coatings. Once mildew dots keep coming back or fine surface cracks appear, a regular restorer/protectant can buy a few more seasons.

Wash the insides of storage compartments, livewells (with the pump off), built-in coolers and cup holders with mild soap and a brush, then rinse and dry. Leave lids open to air out. Wipe hinges and gas struts and check that latches work.

Compartments that drain or vent to the bilge never fully dry out, so BoatUS suggests three defenses: a coat of paste wax on the gelcoat inside them at the start of the season (mold then wipes off with a rag), a mesh or grate-style liner so air gets under stowed gear, and a spray-on mold retardant reapplied every few months as its label says.

Many cup holders, storage boxes, coolers and hatch gutters have small drains that clog with sand, leaves and bait. Pour a little water in each and watch it drain. Clear slow ones with a pipe cleaner or flexible drain brush. Find out where each drain goes: if it empties into the bilge rather than overboard, keep it extra clean so food and fish slime don't end up rotting in the bilge.

Mercury warns against hitting multifunction displays and other electronic panels with a direct hose stream. Wipe them with a damp microfiber cloth, or use a cleaner made for marine screens, and follow your display maker's instructions. Wipe switch panels with a barely damp cloth.

Wipe interior gelcoat, plastic trim and consoles with mild soap or a non-acidic, marine-safe cleaner, then rinse and dry. Mercury suggests letting a marine all-purpose cleaner soak about 30 seconds on tough spots before wiping with a microfiber cloth.

Let the whole interior dry for a few hours with hatches and lockers open before covering the boat. Prop cushions on edge under the cover so air can move, and use a breathable cover with vents. MasterCraft notes pink staining gets much worse when the cover goes on over wet vinyl.