All cleaned up...Check this out!

Ron20324 · May 10, 2009

That looks great, Keith. I take it "The Works" is not caustic?.... I'm holding out for "Boat Magic": spray it on, it would foam up, lift the dirt, dry up and blow away in a 5-knot breeze".

Hermit Scott · May 10, 2009

I'm going to try it this weekend. What year boat is that newport? It looks like a nicely designed boat.

Andy1237 · May 10, 2009

Looks great, Taste BAD! While I love magic bullets when it comes to cleaning stuff, "the Works" is for toilet bowl use only and may be too caustic around the lake. Just looked at the bottle: 'Danger: Corrosive-causes skin burns an irreversible eye damage. Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through skin, do not get in eye, on skin, or on clothing. Wear goggles or face shield, protective clothing and rubber gloves..." Since our lake is water source, the DNR, Dept of Sanitation, and Water Board probably would rather you pump the head overboard before you wash this stuff into the water.
On the other hand it does kill staph, salmonella & e. coli

You might have blind bass instead if black bass under you boat now-already cleaned!

sailingdog · May 11, 2009

Be careful not to get this stuff on metal or lines... not good for either.

RAD · May 11, 2009

Now is the time to get some compound and wax on and the the boat will stay looking sharp

sailormanbigd · May 11, 2009

Clean Boat

Nice job. I hope you did'nt breath the works, it will take your breath away. The active ingredient is acid, don't know which one, muriatic, hydrochloric, or phosphoric. Anyway, water nuetralizes it, so not sure how bad for the water it is?
Now you can further glean your boat with some wet sanding with 600 or 800 or even 1200 grit wet sandpaper, buff then wax it. The work will pay off big time. Hell just wet sanding does wonders. Takes out the little discolorations and stains and some scratches and gives a light shine to the surface/gelcoat.

Don S/V ILLusion · May 11, 2009

Sounds like the "dilution is the solution" theory is still alive and practiced. With that attitude, why not dump the holding tank anywhere as well? After all, it's water soluble.

bobtigar · May 11, 2009

Toilet bowl cleaners are toxic and could damage the fibreglass...flush with lots of water. Better idea...Soft Scrub, not toxic, no rubber gloves required, not very abrasive...less than polishing compound and does a better job. Bob

njerrell · May 11, 2009

I use soft scrub on my Chrysler 26 and it seems to work very well,mine sank in her slip about 2 years ago and after we raised her she had mud stains all over her topsides that would not come off with regular cleaners,i picked up some off brand calcium,rust,and lime remover and like magic the mud stains were gone,dont know if its the best stuff for fiberglass but it sure works!
Nathan

luvitt · May 11, 2009

the ingredient is hydrochloric acid. i guess you could call it muriatic acid, which is just diluted hydrochloric (i used to be a brick masons tender in my teens). yes it does clean. its also pretty cool when you blow it up! when i was a kid we use to put the works in a 2-liter coke bottle and drop in a certain household metal, put the cap on, shake, and 10-30 seconds later....BOOM!! sounded like a cannon. the coke bottle would stretch enormously sometimes before it blew up. fun!

Tim R. · May 11, 2009

I have seen muratic acid tear into porcelin if left on for a couple of days. Don't ask how I know this(not boat related)

Ken Honeycutt · May 11, 2009

Tim R. said:
I have seen muratic acid tear into porcelin if left on for a couple of days. Don't ask how I know this(not boat related)

It also rapidly rusts 1970 HD XLCH motorcycle parts if they're left near an open container of the stuff.

sailndive345 · May 11, 2009

When I used to dry-sail my J-22 w/o bottom paint, we used to use Oxalic acid (same as Tidy Bowl) to clean and restore the original color of the fiberglass: It took a very small amount of wiping with a sponge soaked w/ the stuff and subsequent rinse w/ fresh water... Worked great... This looks very similar...

The "fiberglass hull cleaning" materials at boating stores also - I think still - contain Oxalic acid. If it were that bad for the environment, I'd have guessed they would have been banned already.

Happy boat cleaning to all

Sailndive

j_schoenfeld · May 11, 2009

Wait, are you saying the solution to pollution is NOT

j_schoenfeld · May 11, 2009

dilution? hmmmm that changes everything.

sailndive345 · May 11, 2009

j_schoenfeld said:
dilution? hmmmm that changes everything.

Not sure if this was directed at me

I was suggesting that if this stuff was that bad for the environment, it would have been banned from use in a variety of ways; such as, cleaning toilet bowls then flushing the stuff would have been really bad for the treatment plants, using as hull cleaner in -obvious- marine environment would have been prevented, etc, etc...

Remember TBT? When it is proven that a chemical is bad enough, its use is typically controlled or prevented altogether.

I am certainly not an expert chemist or a biologist - perhaps dilution does cause an effective reduction in harmful impact... Perhaps it is dependent on the particular environment you sail in - a lake without much water flow/circulation may be impacted more than the waters with a lot of current or tidal flow.. Just a thought, that's all.... (and I don't own the J-22 anymore anyhow

)

Peace

Sailndive

Jim Kolstoe · May 11, 2009

I remember several years ago when I happened by a sailing friend's place while he was cleaning his boat hull with oxalic acid. Some of it was dripping on his trailer and wasn't promptly washed off. It bubbled his trailer paint. Water soluble does not mean harmless. Keep in mind, water is the "universal solvent" -- most things, good and bad, will dissolve in water.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo