Boats get water spots, but there are ways to keep them to a minimum. Prevention takes effort, but then again, so does removal.

Rinse your boat after each use, then dry with a soft rag, a microfiber drying cloth, a chamois or synthetic chamois. Many boat owners swear by the use of vinegar–one cup per one gallon of water prior to the rubdown. But whether you use plain water or a vinegar solution, unless you have a very small boat, you're going to have to dry it one section at a time. Otherwise, huge parts of it will dry without the benefit of your drying cloth, leaving water spots galore etched into the gel coat, on metal fixtures and on windows from the drying minerals in the water.

To prevent spots on windows, try this tip from the Mer-maids cleaning product website: "After washing and waxing the boat, take a wet cloth, add three or four small drops of liquid wax and incorporate the wax into the wet cloth. Wipe all of the windows and let them haze up. Then wipe the windows dry."

Once you have water spots, you're into removal mode. While many boat owners start with a vinegar and water solution and then rub dry to remove existing spots, others swear by spray-on, commercial spot-removing products, such as Meguiar's #47 Hard Water Spot Removal or Ducky Ducky Water Spot Remover. Waxing is always an option, too.

Always test any remover on a small, unobtrusive area of the hull first. It's also best to apply it in a shaded area.

– Linda Hoff