Cleaning & care
Foam decking is close to maintenance-free, but a few habits will keep it looking new for years — and a few will age it fast. Here's the whole guide in one page.
Fresh-water rinse
Hose it down before the salt dries. Thirty seconds now saves a scrub later.
Soap & soft brush
Mild boat soap, a medium-soft deck brush, work along the grooves, rinse clean.
Spot-treat stains
Deal with blood, sunscreen and fuel the same day. See the stain guide below.
Do this. Never that.
Do
- Rinse with fresh water after every outing, especially in salt.
- Use mild soap — boat wash, dish soap or a pH-neutral cleaner.
- Brush with the direction of the grooves so debris flushes out.
- Use a magic-eraser style melamine pad on stubborn scuffs.
- Cover the boat, or at least the deck, during long layups.
- Call us early if you notice a lifted edge — it's a small fix when caught.
Don't
- Hold a pressure washer close or aim it into a seam.
- Use acetone, MEK, paint thinner or heavy solvents.
- Scrub with wire brushes, steel wool or aggressive abrasives.
- Leave undiluted bleach sitting on the surface.
- Drag anchors, dive tanks or unpadded coolers across the foam.
- Set hot engine parts or grills directly on the deck.
Stain guide
Always test any new product on a hidden section first — under a hatch or behind a seat base.
What normal aging looks like
Expect a slight softening of color in the first season, particularly on darker shades in full sun. That's the UV package doing its job and it stabilizes.
High-traffic zones — the step at the transom, the spot in front of the helm — will burnish smoother than the rest. If traction ever drops noticeably, tell us; grooves can sometimes be refreshed.
What you shouldn't see: bubbling, curling edges or panels shifting. Those are adhesion issues, and on a deck we installed, they're ours to fix.
Something not right?
Decks we install carry a workmanship warranty against lifting and seam separation. Send a photo and we'll sort it out.