Cleaning and Care

Cleaning Steel Parts We have found that BarKeepersFriend, honestly, is great for cleaning the stainless steel parts to rudders and assorted stainless steel screws on our kayak. The active ingredient, oxalic acid, works well if you take an old toothbrush and brush the dickens out of the "stainless steel" parts of our or your kayaks that may have rusted. We got a can at our local Wal Mart. They have site at www.barkeepersfriend.com in case you're interested. - Alan and Julie Orvis
Handy Kayak Racks Camp stools make handy (and inexpensive) racks to hold your kayak while you're cleaning up after a paddle. They can be found in most camping/sports shops or online at Campmor. - Mike Brown

My wife and I found that Rubbermaid step stools, ~$20 at Home Depot make good little stools on which to clean, dry, wax and whatever else, our Necky Pinta. If you get several pieces of medium size foam inserts it helps cushion the sides where the keel meets the stool edge for increased stability - Alan and Julie Orvis

Covers to Store Kayaks Outdoors If you store your kayak outdoors read the discussion for information on how to protect it from the elements.
Keep those camslocks clean Camlocks used to strap your kayak to the top of your vehicle are not maintenance free. I found that about every year or two I need to clean the gunk out of the groves and teeth in the camlock to prevent the strap from slipping. It also doesn't hurt to wash the straps then to prevent more gunk buildup. - Duane Strosaker
Get the smell out of those booties Does your pooch roll over and play dead after getting a snout full of your neoprene booties? A solution: After rinsing and drying, spray generously inside and out with Lysol (any flavor will do). Your dog (and your dogs) will be forever grateful - JerryG

Another trick for avoiding stinky booties is don't rinse them in fresh water. Let them dry salty. Saltwater is much less friendly to the growth of reeking, between-the-toes-slimy, disgusting molds, mildews, and microorganisms - drpaddle

Soap and water then dry them. Mine are three years old, no problem. - George Miller




Updated on May 30, 2007