Cleaning / Polishing Hard Top without falling off?

J

jmunro123

Member
Feb 2, 2008
370
Gran Bend, Great Lakes
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 390 Motor Yacht
Engines
8.1's
I am now in the process of trying to get the boat to shine. I had a few questions about working on the top of the Hard Top. My HT needs a good cleaning. I have two questions:

1. Can the Hard Top support the weight of a 200lb man
2. Will the 200lb man slide off and get hurt, how do ppl work on their hardtops without risk of falling off? It appears to slant toward the water - which makes sense so water can run off quickly.
 
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I would not risk it. I can't speak from the load bearing ability of the unit but SR probably can.

I can tell you the fall will not hurt you. The stop at the end on the other hand is a b!tch.

You should be able to sort of clean it with a swimming pole extension pole and a brush.

I wouldn't risk anything more until it was on the hard and you could attack the probelm from overhead.
 
Hire a 110LBS lass to do it for you. Make sure you stand on the lower deck and watch her so she does it correctly.

Wax on Wax off baby.
 
I have the same configuration as yours. I don't think Sea Ray would ever agree that the hard top can support a person of any size's weight but mine has certainly been trod upon by various folks including me and I weigh more than you. Having said that, I can clean mine pretty well for routine washing from the forward deck using a hose and 12' standard brush pole. For more detailed cleaning, by standing on the helm seat with my upper body sticking out the skylight (I assume you have one) I can reach most of the forward part of the hardtop by hand and use a microfiber pad and 6' or so pole I got from Home Depot to wax and polish beyond my arm reach. The back edge of the hardtop is the hardest to reach but I can just get to it from my dock using the same implements.
 
On our 38DA I climb up thru the radar arch vent with my feet hanging inside the vent opening so I won't slide off. I even installed a radar mount with a dome radar and polished the arch reciently, but had to get completely on the arch top to get behind the vent cover and work. I kept one hand very close to the vent cover just in case I began to slip. If you are very careful you should be OK cleaning the arch top with a long handle brush and hose, just sit on the top with your feet inside the vent opening. I put the cleaner directly on the brush, then brush the surface, then rinse.
 
alnav said:
I have the same configuration as yours. I don't think Sea Ray would ever agree that the hard top can support a person of any size's weight but mine has certainly been trod upon by various folks including me and I weigh more than you. Having said that, I can clean mine pretty well for routine washing from the forward deck using a hose and 12' standard brush pole. For more detailed cleaning, by standing on the helm seat with my upper body sticking out the skylight (I assume you have one) I can reach most of the forward part of the hardtop by hand and use a microfiber pad and 6' or so pole I got from Home Depot to wax and polish beyond my arm reach. The back edge of the hardtop is the hardest to reach but I can just get to it from my dock using the same implements.
Click to expand...

Thanks Al ( and everyone else). I do have the vent hatch so sitting there with a long pole and cleaner for now is a good answer. When its on the hard I will do some more cleaning with a lift of somekind. Thanks.
 
I've polished mine every year... I've slipped off every year as well... I don't recall breaking anything.... just make sure you slip down the front as you'll stop before you go off the edge of the boat. You just have to "ball up" and roll with it... Usually a leg or arm will hit the rail and keep you from going off the boat. The real fun is being up there with a Makita polisher and a big nasty extension cord... that is attracted magnetically to the rotating part....
 
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I had a vision based on Gary's experience that caused a serious sphincter clinch. To avoid what I envisioned it might be a good idea to bend back the windshield wipers in the event of a slide down the windshield on this model so as to avoid anal impalement.
 
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I weigh 185# and go onto my arch every season to hand wax. You have to be pretty agile, because it is treacherous. Before being waxed it isn't too slippery. The trick is to wax the furthest part from your exit and not to go onto a waxed area because once waxed, you WILL slide off. Get the Raydome and Glomex too. By the way, if your arch is clean, the rest of your boat will stay clean. Waxing the top will prevent dirt from clinging there. All the black streaks are caused by crap on the top. You almost don't even need to brush the top with boat soap after waxing it. Everything just rinses off.
 
Not a hardtop but I scale our slim arch to polish and wax the radar and topside of the arch. True about waxing your way BACK to safety.
I've often pondered the perils of maintaining a hardtop. True you don't really see it but were SR guys so if it can be waxed/polished were gonna do it. And as stated once done it does aid in dirt removal.
GOOD LUCK!!!
 
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