Late summer keeps boat ramps busy at Table Rock, Stockton, and Grand Lake. Every trip brings your truck, trailer, and boat home covered in mud and lake grime, but a few smart truck-wash habits protect all three until the season ends.
Why Do You Need a Truck Wash After a Day at the Lake?
Boat ramps are often coated in mud, algae, and loose gravel. Backing a trailer into the water splashes mud, algae, and loose gravel onto your rocker panels, wheel wells, and frame, where it dries into a crust that holds moisture against bare metal.
An undercarriage wash cleans the frame rails, axles, and brake lines you can’t easily see. Hurricane Car Wash’s higher-tier soft-touch and touch-free packages include undercarriage cleaning, so the underside gets the same attention as the paint.
How Do You Wash a Lifted Truck or Camper in a Truck Wash Bay?
The truck/RV bay at our Carthage location on the north side of town has a catwalk, so you can reach the roof of a lifted truck, camper shell, or RV without a ladder. For best results, work in this order:
- Rinse the undercarriage and wheel wells first to loosen heavy mud.
- Wash from the roof down so dirty water doesn’t run over clean panels.
- Finish with a full rinse to clear soap from seams, trim, and mirrors.
How Often Should You Wash Your Boat Trailer?
Rinse your trailer after every launch. The Missouri Department of Conservation advises boaters to “Rinse your boat, trailer and equipment … thoroughly with a hard spray of hot (104 degrees) water, like that found at a self-serve carwash.” Focus on the bunks, rollers, leaf springs, and hubs, where mud and plant material collect.
Washing day is a good time to check your tie-down straps and trailer lights, two pre-trip steps the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources recommends.
Can You Wash a Boat or Personal Watercraft at Hurricane Carwash’s Truck Bay?
Yes. The same bay doubles as a boat wash, with room for a Sea-Doo, Jet Ski, or other personal watercraft on its trailer. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks tells personal watercraft owners to remove plants, animals, and mud from the hull, intake grate, and steering nozzle.
That routine follows the “Clean, drain and dry” method the Missouri Department of Conservation promotes to keep zebra mussels from spreading between lakes. Keep high-pressure spray away from decals, seals, and electronics, and flush the engine as your owner’s manual directs.
When Should You Give Your Truck, Trailer and Boat an End-of-Season Wash?
Schedule a thorough cleaning after your last lake trip. Mud left on a stored boat or trailer sits for months, so give both a full boat wash before parking them.
Next, book a detailed truck wash with undercarriage cleaning, then add a carnauba wax or ceramic wax to protect the paint before fall.
Visit Hurricane Car Wash Today
Don’t let lake season leave its mark on your truck, trailer, or boat. Hurricane Car Wash is open 24 hours in Carthage and Webb City. Choose a soft-touch or touch-free package with undercarriage cleaning, upgrade with a carnauba or ceramic wax add-on, and bring your trailer and personal watercraft to the truck/RV bay at our Carthage location on the north side of town. Stop by today and finish the summer with a clean ride.