Boaters' Cure-All For Zippers And Other Spring Commissioning Tips

Getting corroded boat canvas zippers to work smoothly by using two common kitchen items has never been so popular, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national boating advocacy, services and safety group announced today the number one most widely viewed online "BoatTECH" how-to-fix-it tip this spring is author Don's Casey's simple saran wrap and vinegar repair.

"Zippers with metal slides have a bad habit of becoming frozen with corrosion even though the teeth of the zipper are plastic. If you use force, you'll ruin the zipper. Instead, stand the cushion with the zipper up and place a small rag soaked with vinegar over the corroded slide, cover the rag with a piece of Saran, and wait. The acidic vinegar will dissolve the corrosion and free the slide."

Don Casey has been one of the most consulted experts on boat care and upgrades for 30 years, and is one of the BoatUS Magazine's panel of experts. He and his wife cruise aboard their 30-footer part of the year in the eastern Caribbean. His books include Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual, and the recently updated This Old Boat, the bible for do-it-yourself boaters.

"The high interest is driven by the annual rite of spring commissioning," said BoatUS Vice President of Public Affairs Scott Croft. "Boaters across America are beginning to put all of the canvas biminis, sun shades, clear vinyl windows and camping canvas back on the boat for the season, and we all get frustrated by jammed-up zippers."

The series of online how-to BoatTECH subjects at BoatUS.com/boattech can help boaters plan spring-commissioning projects or upgrades, from putting on bottom paint, replacing an impeller or performing sterndrive maintenance, to the more complicated installing an inverter or adding air conditioning. BoatTECH features are authored by top experts in their field as well as the editors of BoatUS Magazine.

BoatUS also has a free Spring Fitting Out Safety Checklist at https://goo.gl/tmHe28.