Cleaning your boats

[drewkaree]

I bought but haven’t tried the Star Brite stuff that @biffdotorg mentions in the linked thread. I did try using the vinegar and water solution I use to remove water spots on the hull and that yielded some good results. I spray it on and let it soak then use use a medium stiff brush and the residue on the hull came off.

I wasn't able to clean the lower section on my boat last weekend due to that dog-sitting I mentioned, but I've got all the items needed to mix up the Zep and muriatic acid combo, if you wanna see how it works. Not gonna do it until Sunday though. You may also want to give it a shot after the week up here.

 

[anmut]

Adding to this thread - I recently ran out of my normal degreaser that I use to clean the Marine Mat flooring in my boat. With the Wisconsin River, where we are 99% of the time, the tannic water loves to turn my beautiful light gray Marine Mat to a tea-stained gray-brown. Drives me insane.

Cleaning the boat last time I grabbed some of my wife's Dawn Powerwash and sprayed/brushed against the grain. Immediately the foam became brown as it lifted out the stain from the mats. I rinsed it down and let it dry in the sun and was blown away - the grey is as bright and clean as the extra pieces I purchased from JBP a year ago! Easily the cleanest I've ever seen them - very impressed with the power and simplicity of this product.

Leaves a very nice scent to and seems to get rid of the "wet feet" smell that can sometime be noticed when the mats get wet.

 

[Dixemon]

Another tip from a saltwater guy is to mix salt away and soap in a foamer, or bucket and Use that to clean the boat with. In addition, If you have access to hot water, it is the absolute best thing you can use to dissolve salt off of every part of your boat.

 

[OCMD]

Had my SX 230 since 2013. The Totally Awesome hasn't ruined anything. I dont use it on the upholstery unless I spot a stain, just the crud lines at the waterline and the area by the thrust outputs. On bugs that may have splatted. Or anywhere you need some cleaning oomph that car wash soap won't take off. Nary a problem.

 

[Aqua Adventurer]

I'd be interested to see the source of this. They don't really disclose ANY ingredients, and everything I've ever seen speak of generic ingredients.

I still don't use it on my boat, but my wife uses it around the house and specifically the kitchen, and your post is the first I've ever heard mention of butyl for an ingredient in that stuff

See if you can get a SDS (safety data sheet). SDS lists the ingredients and personal protective equipment required to use the product. I use a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner on the interior of my boat. It's safe and won't damage the surfaces. I buy a concentrate and dilute it into a trigger spray bottle. Hope this helps.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I wasn't able to clean the lower section on my boat last weekend due to that dog-sitting I mentioned, but I've got all the items needed to mix up the Zep and muriatic acid combo, if you wanna see how it works. Not gonna do it until Sunday though. You may also want to give it a shot after the week up here.

Dr Drewkaree’s magic hull cleaning solution is just that, magic. Spray on with the appropriate PPE, nitrile gloves and safety glasses, let it sit a bit then use a brush on a pole and brush the area gently and you can watch the junk come off of the hull. I also had some very tough hard water stuff on my hull from my home area and I just kept brushing at it for a minute or two and it all came right off. A lot of the lighter stuff will just wash off after letting the mix just sit on there. Also there was no etching or damage to any of the boat parts or to the trailer.

Call it a huge win.

 

[drewkaree]

Dr Drewkaree’s magic hull cleaning solution is just that, magic. Spray on with the appropriate PPE, nitrile gloves and safety glasses, let it sit a bit then use a brush on a pole and brush the area gently and you can watch the junk come off of the hull. I also had some very tough hard water stuff on my hull from my home area and I just kept brushing at it for a minute or two and it all came right off. A lot of the lighter stuff will just wash off after letting the mix just sit on there. Also there was no etching or damage to any of the boat parts or to the trailer.

Call it a huge win.

Not mine, just a redoing of the ratio I saw recommended on here. I think it was from @mrclean667.

Here's the amounts I used, poured into a chemical resistant sprayer. Start at one end, and spray around the entire boat. When you're back to the starting point, start agitating it with a soft scrub brush. You should already see it working, but brushing it will finish it off.

5oz muriatic acid
5oz Zep acidic toilet bowl cleaner
15oz water

That ratio was far better than the 50/50 muriatic/toilet bowl cleaner, in regards to the harshness of the smell and fumes. It didn't work as quickly or completely, but letting it sit for a few more minutes produced equal results to the straight 50/50 mix, and there was zero discoloration of the ground after rinsing away everything when we were done.