Soon the summer season will be upon us again. Are you also looking forward to it? Back on the water with the boat! Now is the time to take care of the necessary maintenance. After all, during the sailing season you do not want to unnecessarily spend your valuable sailing time on this.
Is it really necessary to have the boat cover cleaned, you may wonder. In itself, an extensive cleaning of the hood is not necessary every year, but with a certain regularity it is definitely recommended. If it has been a while since your boat cover has been professionally cleaned and impregnated, now is the time to make an appointment. That means enjoying the sun, water and wind carefree in the summer.
Why have the boat cover cleaned?
A good shampoo or a professional cleaning agent will go a long way, right? It is certainly true that you can use these products for daily maintenance. However, having the boat cover professionally cleaned is recommended for the following reasons:
- The hood can also be impregnated.
- Temperature, pressure and soaking time during spraying require precision.
- Polishing windows extends their lifespan.
- Professional cleaning ensures that the boat cover lasts many times longer.
- Weather stains make the canvas unsightly and are difficult to remove yourself.
- Your boat cover is in safe hands with a professional company, for example you do not have to be afraid of shrinkage.
Boat cover getting dirty faster?
Because manufacturers of cloths and boat covers increasingly have to deal with strict environmental regulations, pollution occurs more quickly. It is no longer feasible to manufacture cloths that are sufficiently resistant to, among other things, mold formation. If we add our humid climate to this, it is clear why your boat cover regularly requires cleaning.
Which stains can be removed from the boat cover?
Are you wondering whether the stains you have on the boat cover can be removed? We can tell you right away that it rarely happens that we really don't get a hood clean. The age and condition of your boat cover play a role in this. Stains that can in any case be treated successfully by us include:
- spider poo
- rust
- vet
- green deposit
- Mold
- weather spots
- rain stripes
- stains by flies and mosquitoes
- atmospheric pollution
Have boat covers cleaned by Ultramar . sail laundry
We have been cleaning decks, spray hoods and boat hoods since 1998. We are now specialists in this field and your boat cover is in expert hands with us. Characteristic of our way of working is that we take into account every type and model of cloth. We do not use machines during cleaning, but our washing process is exactly tailored to the needs of your boat cover.
The cleaning process
We are happy to tell you how cleaning your boat cover goes with us:
- The boat cover remains in a basin specially developed by us for approximately 12 hours.
- Because the hood can soak in water for a long time, the dirt will loosen.
- Our basin has a heating system and a closed filter, so that the cleaning agent and water always maintain the correct ratio.
- This ensures the best possible result.
- During soaking, the temperature never exceeds 30 degrees and shrinkage is therefore absolutely impossible.
- If there are still stains left after soaking, we will provide a follow-up treatment.
- The boat cover is sprayed in the spray booth under reduced pressure.
- We hang out the hood to let it dry.
The administrative processing is also in good hands with us
It is very important to work accurately when cleaning boat covers. We receive large numbers of tents, sails and boat covers at Ultramar all year round for cleaning. Every part is checked and labeled by us with the utmost precision, so that it is impossible to lose.
We would be happy to tell you more about our way of working, so that you can see that accuracy is our top priority.
- We receive your order.
- All individual parts are checked by us.
- If we see defects or special features, such as stitching that comes off, we will note this in our system.
- Each part is given a label with a corresponding barcode.
- Everything is cleaned (and often impregnated as well).
- If a part is dry, it first goes to the control department.
- When all parts have been cleaned, dry and checked, they can be reassembled using the barcodes.
- We pack the order in a box and provide an extra check before the box is closed.
No chance of the boat cover shrinking during cleaning
We understand that you want to exclude this risk, but we guarantee that there will be no shrinkage. The cleaning agents we use are specially designed for use at low temperatures. We never clean higher than 30 degrees. For this reason, it is impossible for the boat cover to shrink during the cleaning process.
We would like to point out the following: if you have a boat cover with window windows, these can contract at temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius. It seems that the hood is warped a bit, but this is not the case. For this reason, we advise our customers not to replace the boat cover until the temperature is higher than 15 degrees.
Collection points
You may be wondering where to drop off the boat cover for a thorough cleaning. Ultramar has collection points throughout almost the entire country where you can return the hood. We will collect your belongings there and after the treatment you can also collect your boat cover at the same place. View on our map which place is most convenient for you. The collection points are, for example, water sports shops and sail makers.
DHL has been arranging transport between the collection points and Ultramar since 1998. In most cases, DHL will collect the items at the collection point within a few days and you can come back to collect them at the collection point within a few weeks. Cleaned and well.
Cleaning boat cover Oosterhout
If you prefer to bring the boat cover directly to us, that is also possible. We are open on working days from 08:00 to 17:00. It is also possible to have your items shipped to Oosterhout via, for example, PostNL or DPD. When your items are with us, we create an order in our system. From that moment on we will keep you informed by e-mail. We will also send you the invoice in this way. As soon as we have received the payment, we will return the cleaned products to you.
Do you suffer from yellow or pink spots on your boat cover?
Do you notice any strange yellow or pink spots on the hood? Wondering if these can still be removed? This phenomenon mainly occurs with PVC boat covers and is known as 'pink staining'. It is caused by tiny creatures that we often encounter in the coating of PVC. These so-called micro-organisms feel extremely comfortable at high temperatures, preferably in combination with moist conditions. The droppings of these animals are black, yellow or pink.
In itself it can do no harm to your boat cover, but the stains are often unsightly. Unfortunately, these stains cannot be prevented and cleaning is also difficult. This is because the stains are just below the coating, in the fabric. What can we do for you? Seal the cut edges and stitching holes by means of an impregnating agent or coating. In this way the tissue is not exposed and the chance of this problem is much smaller.
Cleaning the boat cover with green soap
Unfortunately, there are still boaters who believe that they should use green soap to clean their gear. I want to urge you not to do this. It is true that green soap is mild, but the major drawback of using this product is that it leaves a greasy film. As you understand, this is an ideal breeding ground for algae and fungi. And that is exactly what you are waiting for…
Read more on this topic: Cleaning the boat cover with green soap? Do not!
Prices
The price you pay for cleaning your boat cover depends on its weight. It doesn't matter what kind of cloth you have. The price starts at 93 euros for a weight of up to 1.5 kilos and goes up to 495 euros for a weight of 20 kilos. Our prices include VAT. If you opt for our emergency service, we will charge a 25% surcharge.
Is cleaning my boat cover yourself also an option?
We understand that you do not want to have the boat cover professionally cleaned every year. That's not necessary either. It is important that you take care of regular maintenance yourself. You can use our maintenance products for this. We have in stock for you, among other things:
- Boat cloth cleaning agent
- Impregnating agent for boat cloth
- Rust remover for boat cloth