NRS Deluxe Boat Sponge

Thanks to the advice of Audrey’s father, Cap’n Jack, we always have a sponge at hand in our boats. Lately we have been impressed by the Deluxe Boat Sponge from Northwest River Supply (NRS) that we began using during the summer of 2025.

We came across NRS when we were shopping for PFDs. The company sells high-performance equipment for human-powered watersports, and it was while scrolling through their website that we spotted the Deluxe Boat Sponge, made to NRS’s own design. The description on the site claims that the sponge can absorb up to 24 oz of water at a time—even though it is only 8″ long × 4 1⁄2″ wide × 2″ thick—that it can lift out moisture and sand, and that its covering of terrycloth increases its water absorption. It seemed like a lot for a small sponge, and we bought one to test.

Photographs by the authors

The terry-cloth covering of the NRS Deluxe Boat Sponge makes it the perfect tool for wiping down wet and dirty decks. It is soft enough to be used on most materials and is effective at picking up dirt.

For years we have had general-purpose cellulose sponges bumping around in our boat bilges, as well as old hand towels stowed in various lockers. It seemed possible that the NRS Deluxe Boat Sponge might combine the properties of a good sponge with those of a decent hand towel.

First we proved that indeed, the sponge can soak up to 24 oz of water. When fully charged, it doesn’t leak water, and will also float. While testing its absorption, we also found that it’s pleasant to use. The sponge is very pliable and its tapered shape and smaller size, together with the soft terrycloth covering, fits comfortably in our hands. It is small enough to get into tight spaces, but large enough to make sponging-out a quick process. When there’s a lot of water in the bilge, we use a pump—our Paddle Pump—for most of it, and finish off with the NRS sponge.

The sponge soaks up the last of the bilge water after pumping (left), and the terry-cloth cover picks up sand and grit (right).

The cloth cover adds significant benefits to the sponge: first, it greatly enhances the sponge’s ability to pick up the last bit of grit, sand, twigs, and other small stuff; second, after being rinsed of any debris and squeezed out, it can be used to swab down the decks and thwarts so that they dry faster. The terrycloth is gentle enough to be used on varnish, paint, metal, and gelcoat, and is more effective than a normal sponge at removing those last few drops from a flat surface. The sponge is easily wrung out and dries in a surprisingly short period of time.

On one end of the sponge, a small loop sewn into the cloth cover allows it to be secured to the boat with a lanyard or clip, so that it is always to hand, and stays with the boat in the event of a capsize.

The sponge’s hourglass shape and soft terry-cloth cover are comfortable in the hand; the sewn-in loop at left simplifies tying the sponge to the boat.

The combination of these thoughtful design features creates a product that helps keep our boats in fighting trim, minimizing moisture and debris that can damage a finish or cause mildew and mold if left in a confined space.

Audrey and Kent Lewis sponge out their armada of 16 small boats in the Tidewater Region of Virginia. Their adventures are logged at smallboatrestoration.blogspot.com.

Priced between $13.95 and $14.95, the NRS Deluxe Boat Sponge is available at major retailers. As of October 2025, it is on backorder on NRS’s own website.  

For reviews of other NRS products see “NRS Float Bags” and “Waterproof Duffels.”

 Is there a product that might be useful for boatbuilding, cruising, or shore-side camping that you’d like us to review? Please email your suggestions.