Getting Your Raft Clean
A clean raft is a happy raft, at least in my opinion. Long days on the river, sun, sand, metal frames, and boxes can reek havoc on your beloved raft. However with a little patience, time, and elbow grease you can get your raft looking clean and like new.
Boat cleaning supplies
Giving your boat a good thorough rise with water will help get all of the sand, rocks, and any other debris that has accumulated. Using soap and water will get lots of grime off but you may still find spots that just won't seem to get clean. Run to the store and get a few Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, paired with some water and a towel you will have the power to get rid of those pesky stains.
Dirty raft
The directions on the box tell you just what you need to do - wet, ring, and scrub. If the sponge is too wet things get really messy, if it is too dry it doesn't really work. You will probably find the happy medium and find that a dry towel is nice to keep on hand to help keep your working area clean.
Raft all clean
The erasers start to fall apart after a while, but work like magic to get tough stains off your boat. I went through one full sponge just washing frame marks from the top tube, and other random marks on my 18 foot SOTAR raft. They are pretty cheap, and don't give off harmful fumes like MEK or tolulene.
Dirty raft
Almost clean raft
Finish clean raft
The Magic Eraser will take care of a variety of stains from the mild to really stubborn ones. With a little bit of time and elbow grease your raft will be looking new.
