Are there any special things you should do once your boat gets rained on? I know we haven't had to worry about this for a while but in was out this morning and it came a terd floater and my boat and I got soaked. Just wanted to know what all to do before I put the cover back on (I know it needs to completely dry before putting the cover back on).

make sure you let it sit out with all compartments open before you put that cover back on. It will allow the sides of the lids to dry and air out.

agree with lsu

boats are pretty much waterproof. so as long as it airs out you should be fine.

Must air it out

make sure the plug is out

Only if built correctly and maintained correctly. Transoms rot, flotation foam soaks up water, stringers rot, floors rot.

Bottom line, get that thing as dry as you can. Vacuum out as much water from the carpet as you can. Jack up the tongue as high as you can to allow all the water to drain through the bilge. Standing water left in the bilge area for long periods of time can wreck havoc. The floatation foam will slowly soak up the water, which can then slowly pass through to the stringers or transom (depending on the state of the fiberglass), which will then produce rot. Granted, a single rain storm soaking isn't going to destroy a boat, but better to be safe than sorry.

Look inside a Ranger some time. The whole interior of the hull is gel coated. This is the reason I bought mine. I am sure that others have similar construction too.

And gelcoat can still crack; especially if stringers weren't floated from the hull, or fillets weren't properly made, or any other 'glassing shortcuts were taken by the OEM, or if the gelcoat spray was missed in a crack/crevice/corner, or if the gelcoat wasn't catalyzed properly or improperly kicked. Also, taking a hit from a solid wave, or running aground, or bouncing around on the trailer, or adding/removing hardware improperly can all compromise the gelcoat skin (and even the fiberglass underneath it!)... all of which can easily invite water in given the chance. Just because something is gelcoated from the factory doesn't mean it is waterproof for life.

I'm not saying his boat is gone because it got rained on. I'm just saying that he should get as much water out as possible to prevent any problems down the road. If just a little bit of water would ruin a boat, we would all be trashing our boats after every trip we take on rough water. The fact of the matter, though, is that standing water in the boat is not a good thing.

Interior gel coat does not remain completely waterproof forever. Let water sit in the boat for long and it will find it's way into areas that water does not need to be and it will eventually do damage. All you can do is let the boat drain and dry out as quickly as possible and try to minimize standing water in your boat in the future.

I am not advocating that it is OK to let water sit in any boat. There are some that have some pretty shoddy contruction that I would worry if I spit in them and there are others Mine is always covered and the plug is pulled. I also undrstand that you can get cracks in gel coat. One thing I do, and it does matter where the hole is, I seal every screw or bolt on any installation.