[sel1005]

Lots of threads on this but with spring coming, here are the things that have kept my boats looking like new and IMHO, saved lots of $$ in repair costs; there are tons of products out there but I have tried to simplify what I have to use / buy (less thana dozen items in my total kit) to keep up with life on the Gulf Coast:

Basic wash: Power Pine from West Marine, easy to use and cleans most dirt and grime easily; don't use household cleaners or skimp here, this is the basic set up for everything else on the list to work

Stains / Problem areas: Mr Clean Super Magic Eraser used with Aurora BoatClean Plusor Bar Keepers Friend

Stainless Steel, Rails, Rod Holders, etc: Woody Wax, hands down, nothing else comes close; Flitz is good but takes more work

Non-Skid surfaces, cockpit, bow, etc: I like Aurora Sure Step; some folks use Woody Wax but Aurora is my choice here

Vinyl: Aurora Boat Clean Pluswith a stiff brush, maybe some Starbright Vinyl Cleaner or Soft Scrub for real problem areas; the key is to keep mold out and at the same time not be so abrasive as to destroy the vinyl surface resistance

Eisenglass and Windshields: Serious Shine, nothing else

Polish / Waxes: Aurora Boat Shine for above rub rail, VS721 below rub rail, or Shurhold Pro Polish work well

Zippers and snaps: Shurhold Snap Stick

Equipment: I love the Shurhold Dual Action Polisher,prevents issuesvs regular orbital equipment; a blue brush and a yellow brush, extendable pole (Shurhold or one from HD or Lowes), clean 5 gal bucket and lots of micro fiber towels like the blue ones you get at Sams.

With the above, you can likely get 98% results on anything you may run into with your boat. Things like Starbright Black Streak remover may be helpful (great for cleaning the gutters on your house too...) but I find the above with a little elbow grease will handle just about anything nature is going to toss at you

 

[oldflathead]

Thanks for sharing. Good tips!

I have found to protect and keep molded fiberglass non-skid decks clean:

Clean them real well with a good grade boat soap. If there are rust stains, wet and apply a thick mixture of oxalic acid with an old tooth brush, scrub, rinse and reapply if needed. Scrub again with Tri-sodium phosphate, TSP, available at painter's supply stores, then rinse. When dry, apply several coats of "Mop 'n Glow". It seals the gel coat, provides a dull sheen and will even reject potato chips and fish blood.

YMMV

 

[69Viking]

Sel1005, great post, thanks! One request though, think you couldedit your original postwith locations of where you can easily find most products?

I also need to know what will work best for getting mold off thevinyl and other areas ofmy boat. It seems even though my boat was uncovered for the past few months in the open air it stilldeveloped mold in some areas due to the extremely cold and wet winter we have had. This wasn't a problem last year.

 

[sel1005]

Thanks for the input. I get one type of stain all the time that I have never figured out what it is / where it comes from. It looks sorta like rust but there is no metal nearby,orange-ish spots, maybe fingernail size, that are extremely difficult to remove without a ton of scrubbing and then re-polishing / waxing. They just show up between washings. Anyone have any idea what they are /where they come from and a simple way to remove them?

 

[69Viking]

I think I'm going to try Starbrite Mildew Stain Remover on my mold. I checked on the West Marine website and it has a 5 Star rating after several reviews. Last weekend to hunt and then it will be time to perform the spring cleanup on the boat! Now Mother Nature do us a favor and at least get temperatures back up to normal where we won't freeze our hands off trying to cleanup the boat!

 

[polar21]

69Viking,

On some of the wakeboarding forums I read, they suggest using WD-40 to clean mold/mildew off of the vinyl. I have tried it and it worked ok, but my vinyl on the wakeboard boat is too far gone to bring back to life. Might be worth a try.

 

[SaltAddict]

I use straight bleach on white vinyl, let soak for 1min. then rinse. Mold & mildew disappear. You can dilute the bleach and it still works. If your vinyl is color I would suggest testing a small area. I use hull cleaner (walmart has a biodegradable) for those mysetrious rust spots (don't know what they are).

 

[SaltAddict]

I use straight bleach on white vinyl, let soak for 1min. then rinse. Mold & mildew disappear. You can dilute the bleach and it still works. If your vinyl is color I would suggest testing a small area. I use hull cleaner (walmart has a biodegradable) for those mysetrious rust spots (don't know what they are).

 

[69Viking]

Time to bump this back to the top. Anyone else with more cleaning secrets? FYI - I just got the West Marine Spring Sales Flyerat homeand a lot of cleaning products are on sale with a lot of them buy one get one free starting Mar. 11 and running through early April! Could be a good opportunity to stock up on cleaning supplies and save a bunch of money.

 

[MGuns]

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Not looking forward to it but it?s that time again. Good spring cleaning!!

 

[Play'N Hooky Too]

Anybody else use the Acid Fiberglass Cleaner made by Research Products Inc. over in Theodore, AL.? Works real well on all those rusty brown spots and water stains. You will have to re-wax though and make sure to not get any onyour trailer. I just picked up 2 more gallons last week ($13/ gallon at their warehouse).

 

[sel1005]

Been using Buff Magic the last few days, working really well. My Boat Scrub and Clean seem to have been impacted by freezing weather in my dock box, but the BM seems to be taking the oxidation off really well.

How do you apply products for oxidation? I use a sponge, but have heard people using a paint brush or even by hand. Whats the best way before you rub in and then buff out?

 

[melijack]

Its a good piece of info. Thanks for sharing. It seems that you have a great knowledge in this field.

 

[Pinksnappertrapper]

I use straight bleach on white vinyl, let soak for 1min. then rinse. Mold & mildew disappear. You can dilute the bleach and it still works. If your vinyl is color I would suggest testing a small area. I use hull cleaner (walmart has a biodegradable) for those mysetrious rust spots (don't know what they are).

Bleach on your vinyl will eat the stiching away. Bad bad idea.

 

[Pinksnappertrapper]

I use Starbrite hull cleaner for the outside with a few extra little things, and use starbrite deck cleaner for the inside with some extras, then once you use the starbrite hull cleaner you need to use a good boat wax because it will strip the old wax with the rust spots. On the inside the starbrite non skid deck cleaner has teflon which will make the fiberglass not itch. I would NOT RECOMEND USING BLEACH ON THE INSIDE OF THE BOAT ESPICALLY NEAR COUSIONS IT WILL EAT THE STICHING ON THE SEATS AND CUSHIONS.

 

[Chet88]

That Starbrite Deck cleaner with PTEF is great stuff. Scrub the non skid with a brush and let it sit for a few minutes. Hose off and all grime/blood comes off. Leaves some protection too.