Takes Work, But an Old Boat Need Not Be an Eyesore

That's the word from Walker Smith of Wired2Fish. As he explained, "I have an older bass boat, and I'm dang proud of it, to be honest. While there's certainly nothing wrong with the newer varieties out there, I see no reason to upgrade just yet and strap myself to a bunch of payments. My 22-year-old boat does just fine, and it's paid for, which is always a huge plus in my book."

As a retiree living on a fixed income and knowing that I likely don't have a lot of years left, I can relate to what Smith said. I'd be foolish to even consider buying a new boat at today's prices. That's why it was a no-brainer for me just to have the Yamaha on my old Skeeter rebuilt when a cylinder went belly-up a bit more than a month ago.

Although his boat is on the older side, that doesn't stop Smith from taking good care of it.

"I'm not too compulsive about it because, like any older boat, mine has plenty of small scratches and imperfections," he acknowledged. "But heck, I just fish better out of a clean boat.

"I want to put a few ideas out there that'll help you keep your old boat looking good, too. Just because it has some years on it doesn't mean it can't keep turning heads at the ramp."

Wipe it down every single time. Your boat might not look dirty when you put it on the trailer after a day of fishing, but as Smith noted, "In all honesty, it's probably pretty filthy. Wiping down your boat after every fishing trip is a great way to stay ahead of the mess and keep your boat looking polished at all times.

"I fish a lot of muddy water," he continued, "so I normally keep an old bath towel in my boat and wipe it down completely while I'm still at the ramp. The towel gets damp from the residual water, which helps cut through some of the grime. When I get home and back my boat into the shop, I'll wipe it down a second time with some sort of quick detailing spray. I've been using Pro-Tec's Showroom Conditioner for the last few years, and I really like it. Cleans, polishes and keeps my old gel coat looking surprisingly shiny."

There's something else Smith likes about this conditioner, too: It neutralizes static electricity on your boat.

"My boat shop used to be a woodworking shop," said Smith, "and decades-old sawdust is the bane of my existence. No matter how much I clean, that nasty sawdust just seems to appear out of nowhere, and, of course, it likes to get all over my boat. This Showroom Conditioner, however, prevents dust from sticking on the top cap of my boat, so it stays clean for a really long time."

Ditch the vacuum. While some people drag a big shop vac all over their boat, Smith has found a cool little "hack" to get around this obnoxious chore. His father-in-law introduced him to using one of those battery-powered blowers like you see in Lowe's or Home Depot.

"Although it was meant to be used for keeping leaves and what not off the porch," explained Smith, "I use it on my boat carpet. I've told a few buddies about it, and they all agree; it's so much easier than vacuuming, and it only takes about 20 or 30 seconds.

"When I get home from the lake, I grab that lightweight blower and get all the debris off my carpet before putting the boat in the shop. This helps avoid the gradual buildup of sand, dirt and gravel dust from the local boat ramps. It keeps your carpet looking great without breaking your back."

Stay ahead of blood stains. During his college days, Smith learned a trick from a buddy of his who was super particular about his boat.

"It was the cleanest boat on the water," said Smith, "and whenever I fished out of it, I was kind of afraid to touch anything. One afternoon, my buddy tongue-hooked a bass and, of course, some blood got on his carpet. I thought he was going to freak out, but he calmly grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from his back compartment and put a little bit on the blood stain.

"After blotting it with a towel, the blood came out immediately, and you couldn't even tell anything happened. From that day on, I always have carried hydrogen peroxide in my boat.

"I do a lot of hybrid and striper fishing in the summer months, and if you've ever caught 'em before, you know how much they bleed. I'm constantly removing blood stains with this method, and my carpet never has looked better."

Don't make my mistake with your seats. Several years ago, Smith had decided his original seat upholstery had seen enough abuse. It was shredded to pieces, but the inside cushion and padding still was in outstanding condition, so he decided to get 'em reupholstered. He made sure to ask the repairman to use UV-resistant thread, and he swore he would.

"Less than a year later, though," said Smith, "I learned that he did not use UV-resistant thread, and my seats started falling apart. It's important to understand that I don't step on my seats, and I don't let my passengers step on my seats, either. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine. So I'm not rough on them at all, but the sun was just shredding that cheap stitching.

"The next time I get those seats done, I'm going to buy a separate spool of that UV-resistant thread and request that the upholstery shop uses that specific spool. That way, when the seats are done and I pick them up, I can get the rest of my spool back and tell whether it was used. I know it sounds like being a 'Karen' about it, but man...that upholstery work ain't cheap, and if I'm dropping a bunch of money in it, I want it to last longer than a year."

Final thoughts. "If you have an older bass boat, there isn't a thing in the world to be ashamed of," Smith concluded. "You worked hard for it, saved for it, and it's all yours. That's awesome and something to be proud of, for sure. It ain't a fashion show. It's not going to be perfect, and it'll have some blemishes, but guess what? That big ol' bass doesn't know what kind of boat you're driving and isn't impressed by anything you have. To keep your boat in tip-top shape, however, try these little tips, and I guarantee you'll get more life out of your prized investment."