Job one was to scrub down the battered and beaten test boat. All hull restorers and waxes require the surface to be free of dirt, grime, stains and streaks.

Remember what a complete pigsty Oscar Madison’s room was? With a banana peel hanging from the bedpost, neckties caught in the ceiling fan, and a half-eaten salami sandwich under the pillow, the place was synonymous with the word “trashed.”

Well, our 21-foot test boat, a Neptune 212 Walkaround, was fast becoming the floating version of Oscar’s hovel. Fish blood and rust stains, grease, grime and dirt covered the cockpit from gunwale to gunwale. Scuffs and stains grubbed up the gelcoat, which was also chalking and fading fast. …