Hi all, I tried an archive search on the topic, I remember some posts from a few months back, but I couldn't find any. I remember that Simple Green was recommended for washing the 170. I used Simple Green and an auto body brush (very soft brush) I was able to get a lot of dirt off, but it didn't quite come clean either. I guess I have a dingy dinghy. Anyway I am wondering exactly what you all do with the simple green, I didn't want to try a stiffer brush for fear of scratching. Also, last year I tried to pack some stuff in the boat when I traveled, and it left scuff marks on the surface, any ideas about that?? Thanks, John
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What kind of dirt?
John, For scuff marks try "Soft-n-Scrub" with a sponge, gets scuff marks real quick. Black streaks try TileX, if I spelled correctly. You know the stuff spray it on for a few minutes and then use a soft brush or sponge and rinse down. Jim S/V Java
John, For scuff marks try "Soft-n-Scrub" with a sponge, gets scuff marks real quick. Black streaks try TileX, if I spelled correctly. You know the stuff spray it on for a few minutes and then use a soft brush or sponge and rinse down. Jim S/V Java
Cleaner Wax
The boat is now washed, so a cleaner wax will remove any scuffs, scum or streaks and put a protective coat on it. I always use Maguire's 50 - available at the boat store.
The boat is now washed, so a cleaner wax will remove any scuffs, scum or streaks and put a protective coat on it. I always use Maguire's 50 - available at the boat store.
try try again
Well, I got the McGuire's and I waxed the boat, I think it is shinier than it used to be, but the dark streaks are still there. It was getting dark by the time I finished, maybe it will look better in the morning. the soft scrub worked really well on the suffs. Thanks for the advice. John
Well, I got the McGuire's and I waxed the boat, I think it is shinier than it used to be, but the dark streaks are still there. It was getting dark by the time I finished, maybe it will look better in the morning. the soft scrub worked really well on the suffs. Thanks for the advice. John
Another Option
About the Soft Scrub, I use it with a stiff brush on the small tough spots. Even aggresive scrubbing doesn't damage the surface. Especially good on the non-skid floor strips. I wonder about the dark spots you mention. If you have your Owners Manual, see page 20c for sanding & polishing instructions. A professional auto body shop might be an option if the entire hull needs a polish & buffing. Be sure to show them instructions on pg 20c. See attached link Joe
About the Soft Scrub, I use it with a stiff brush on the small tough spots. Even aggresive scrubbing doesn't damage the surface. Especially good on the non-skid floor strips. I wonder about the dark spots you mention. If you have your Owners Manual, see page 20c for sanding & polishing instructions. A professional auto body shop might be an option if the entire hull needs a polish & buffing. Be sure to show them instructions on pg 20c. See attached link Joe
Removing Black Marks and Scuffs
Hello all, Just getting back in tonight from the cabin. What a weird, yet wonderful day in central Wisconsin. Cloudy, overcast and humid all day with very few periods of very light rain. Turned into a tremendous cloudless evening, with perfect sailing breezes. My only problem is that I have not put the boat on the lift yet. I have been getting everythng else ready for summer, yet have not put the Hunter into the drink. Interesting enough, I did spend the entire day last Sunday polishing the hull, inside and out. The boat was filthy. I have not gave it this thorough a going over since I bought it. I had all kinds of black marks on the hull from shoes, shrouds, bike tires and the big one from hitting the pier one day last summer when I got hit by a hard gust just as I was coming up to the pier. I have bumpers along the edges of the pier thank goodness but that one not only marked up the hull but did scratch it also. OUCH... After washing the boat with soap and water on Saturday, I spent all day last Sunday, and I mean 6 hours, polishing by hand and the boat looks brand new. You can still see a few scrathes, but you have to look for them. It shines and ALL the marks are gone!!! I really do not think that the product is what is important to remove the marks, but what is important is that you work them out. I still use Starbrite Premium Marine Polish with Teflon, simply because it is readily available locally. Again, a good marine wax is great, Maguire's (sp), as recommended, is excellent. I used a standard yellow polish cloth as well as cotton towels I picked up in the auto section on WalMart. Nothing special. I would squirt a quarter to half dollar sized circle of the polish onto the rag and scrub the heck out of a small area say 12" x 24" or so. Wipe back and forth, cirular, up/down...whatever, but put some force into it. I did not let the product dry to a haze as they all recommend, but scrubbed until it was all gone. I covered every inch of the boat, inside and out. I guess that you would say I scrubbed it with the compound versus simply rubbing it on. On the real stubborn stuff, my pier scratch, the area that the shrouds have been rubbing against as it trailers as well as the marks that the tie downs leave from trailering, I did the same thing but scrubbed those areas down with 3M Synthetic Steel Wool and the polish. This was supposed to be an equivelent to 0000 Steel Wool. Worked very well. I do not know if I would actually use the real steel wool, but this stuff really worked. When I was done, I was sore and tired. We used the same stuff on the Sea Doos and man it works to get all the water spots off the fiberglass hull. Wax and polishes are mild abrasives and will do the job very well if you put some muscle behind the product. Simply following the directions to swirl on, let dry to a haze and rub off will not give you the results that you want to clean the hull. Once it is clean, follow those directions to put a second coat on to allow for a beautful cover and shine. Hope this works for you. In the future, leave a bottle of your wax or polish near your boat and rub out the marks at the end of the day. I say that but I sure don't follow that either!!! Godspeed, Rusty
Hello all, Just getting back in tonight from the cabin. What a weird, yet wonderful day in central Wisconsin. Cloudy, overcast and humid all day with very few periods of very light rain. Turned into a tremendous cloudless evening, with perfect sailing breezes. My only problem is that I have not put the boat on the lift yet. I have been getting everythng else ready for summer, yet have not put the Hunter into the drink. Interesting enough, I did spend the entire day last Sunday polishing the hull, inside and out. The boat was filthy. I have not gave it this thorough a going over since I bought it. I had all kinds of black marks on the hull from shoes, shrouds, bike tires and the big one from hitting the pier one day last summer when I got hit by a hard gust just as I was coming up to the pier. I have bumpers along the edges of the pier thank goodness but that one not only marked up the hull but did scratch it also. OUCH... After washing the boat with soap and water on Saturday, I spent all day last Sunday, and I mean 6 hours, polishing by hand and the boat looks brand new. You can still see a few scrathes, but you have to look for them. It shines and ALL the marks are gone!!! I really do not think that the product is what is important to remove the marks, but what is important is that you work them out. I still use Starbrite Premium Marine Polish with Teflon, simply because it is readily available locally. Again, a good marine wax is great, Maguire's (sp), as recommended, is excellent. I used a standard yellow polish cloth as well as cotton towels I picked up in the auto section on WalMart. Nothing special. I would squirt a quarter to half dollar sized circle of the polish onto the rag and scrub the heck out of a small area say 12" x 24" or so. Wipe back and forth, cirular, up/down...whatever, but put some force into it. I did not let the product dry to a haze as they all recommend, but scrubbed until it was all gone. I covered every inch of the boat, inside and out. I guess that you would say I scrubbed it with the compound versus simply rubbing it on. On the real stubborn stuff, my pier scratch, the area that the shrouds have been rubbing against as it trailers as well as the marks that the tie downs leave from trailering, I did the same thing but scrubbed those areas down with 3M Synthetic Steel Wool and the polish. This was supposed to be an equivelent to 0000 Steel Wool. Worked very well. I do not know if I would actually use the real steel wool, but this stuff really worked. When I was done, I was sore and tired. We used the same stuff on the Sea Doos and man it works to get all the water spots off the fiberglass hull. Wax and polishes are mild abrasives and will do the job very well if you put some muscle behind the product. Simply following the directions to swirl on, let dry to a haze and rub off will not give you the results that you want to clean the hull. Once it is clean, follow those directions to put a second coat on to allow for a beautful cover and shine. Hope this works for you. In the future, leave a bottle of your wax or polish near your boat and rub out the marks at the end of the day. I say that but I sure don't follow that either!!! Godspeed, Rusty
Shrouds Rub
Jerry, I leave the spreaders installed and pull the shrouds tight when trailering. The shrouds are hung through the forward mast yoke and pulled tight with a bungee that is affixed to the trailer tongue. This is hard to picture, so I will try to get a digital image of this this week. Anyway, previously I cut the forward mast support down so that it not so high, and this is the price I pay. Anyway, with all that being said, they rub on the "hump" just forward of the jib cleats. They are actually hung above this, but as bumps are hit and such, they come into contact with the hull when the mast sways and leave black marks. I tried something this last trip to the lake, which ended up with the boat never being put into the water, but I put a strip of aluminum tape on the "hump" where the shrouds rub and it worked great. The tape shows a slight wear mark, but just take it off and away we go. I'll try to get an image this week. Godspeed, Rusty
Jerry, I leave the spreaders installed and pull the shrouds tight when trailering. The shrouds are hung through the forward mast yoke and pulled tight with a bungee that is affixed to the trailer tongue. This is hard to picture, so I will try to get a digital image of this this week. Anyway, previously I cut the forward mast support down so that it not so high, and this is the price I pay. Anyway, with all that being said, they rub on the "hump" just forward of the jib cleats. They are actually hung above this, but as bumps are hit and such, they come into contact with the hull when the mast sways and leave black marks. I tried something this last trip to the lake, which ended up with the boat never being put into the water, but I put a strip of aluminum tape on the "hump" where the shrouds rub and it worked great. The tape shows a slight wear mark, but just take it off and away we go. I'll try to get an image this week. Godspeed, Rusty
Rigging Support
Rusty, I can see where the rigging would rub as you described. I made some small supports out of plastic to hold mine away from the boat while trailering. I'm not sure they would work for you however since you've shortened the mast support, but maybe the idea will help someone else here. I also made a support pole out of PVC. It goes between the slots for the mast and the mast. One end has a 5/16 shaft to fit in the slot and the other has a v-block for the mast to ride on. It keeps the mast from bouncing. Sorry to hijack this thread, but we all have such great ideas.
Rusty, I can see where the rigging would rub as you described. I made some small supports out of plastic to hold mine away from the boat while trailering. I'm not sure they would work for you however since you've shortened the mast support, but maybe the idea will help someone else here. I also made a support pole out of PVC. It goes between the slots for the mast and the mast. One end has a 5/16 shaft to fit in the slot and the other has a v-block for the mast to ride on. It keeps the mast from bouncing. Sorry to hijack this thread, but we all have such great ideas.
shroud supports
Jerry, That's a clever solution! Do you have to pad the shroud adjusters, or does this setup keep everything taut enough to prevent them from slapping the deck? Is that a webbing-and-buckle arrangement lashing the plastic supports to the mast? And is that a sail wrapped around the mast? Last week I installed vinyl covers on the lower shrouds, mostly for the comfort of my crew, who finds them a handy grip when the boat heels. But for those who have a problem with shrouds marring the hull during trailering, covers might offer some relatively inexpensive protection.
Jerry, That's a clever solution! Do you have to pad the shroud adjusters, or does this setup keep everything taut enough to prevent them from slapping the deck? Is that a webbing-and-buckle arrangement lashing the plastic supports to the mast? And is that a sail wrapped around the mast? Last week I installed vinyl covers on the lower shrouds, mostly for the comfort of my crew, who finds them a handy grip when the boat heels. But for those who have a problem with shrouds marring the hull during trailering, covers might offer some relatively inexpensive protection.
Velcro!
Rick, No, yes & no. I don't need pads for the adjusters with this arrangement. The tension is provided by two rubber tie down straps hooked to the thing the boom connects to on the mast. I'm sure there is a name for that thing, but right now I'm at a loss. The straps are velcro and do very little. You are correct there is a sail in this picture, the jib. I took this picture when I was making these. I don't ordinarily strap them around the sail. When I bought my boat the dealer had everything padded and tywrapped to prevent marring the boat. That's great if you trailer it twice a season. I wanted to trailer to several different destinations and there just had to be a better way. This one is working so far... just wish I could find some navy blue plastic instead of the red.
Rick, No, yes & no. I don't need pads for the adjusters with this arrangement. The tension is provided by two rubber tie down straps hooked to the thing the boom connects to on the mast. I'm sure there is a name for that thing, but right now I'm at a loss. The straps are velcro and do very little. You are correct there is a sail in this picture, the jib. I took this picture when I was making these. I don't ordinarily strap them around the sail. When I bought my boat the dealer had everything padded and tywrapped to prevent marring the boat. That's great if you trailer it twice a season. I wanted to trailer to several different destinations and there just had to be a better way. This one is working so far... just wish I could find some navy blue plastic instead of the red.
formula 409?!?!?!?!?
I asked the another 170 owner (with a gleaming hull) how she keeps it so clean. She said every time they go sailing she scrubs the whole thing from stem to stern with formula 409! It sure does get it clean. I question how safe it is for the hull or for the lake, but I can't argue with the results. She said it drives her husband nuts that she spends 45 minutes cleaning the boat after every sail, he goes and has a beer while she is doing it. I guess we all have different levels of commitment. John
I asked the another 170 owner (with a gleaming hull) how she keeps it so clean. She said every time they go sailing she scrubs the whole thing from stem to stern with formula 409! It sure does get it clean. I question how safe it is for the hull or for the lake, but I can't argue with the results. She said it drives her husband nuts that she spends 45 minutes cleaning the boat after every sail, he goes and has a beer while she is doing it. I guess we all have different levels of commitment. John
Jerry's Mast Support
Great idea! Will also use during the winter to counter snow load when I neglect Roof Raking the cover.
Great idea! Will also use during the winter to counter snow load when I neglect Roof Raking the cover.
could be. . . . .
I am the guy with the mast float on the top. I think my slip is BB16, but I am bad with numbers. Last year I was several Flying Scotts away from the other 17-'s, but Tom said he thought maybe it would be better if he put us together. He thought we would strike up a conversation. Turns out we struck one up on the internet instead! John
I am the guy with the mast float on the top. I think my slip is BB16, but I am bad with numbers. Last year I was several Flying Scotts away from the other 17-'s, but Tom said he thought maybe it would be better if he put us together. He thought we would strike up a conversation. Turns out we struck one up on the internet instead! John
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