black streaks below ports

[Al]

The fiberglass below all the side ports/windows show black streaks below the ports/windows. It seems they appear over a months time and are due rain washing over the black caulking around the windows/ports. It requires a bit of elbow grease to get these marks off followed by polishing. Does this happen to anyone else? Is there a sealant for the caulking that may prevent it from happening as often? Aside from scrubbing hard and then polishing, is there a better way to get them off?

 

[Paul Akers]

Common Occurrence

Al, this is a common occurrence on all boats, not just your kind. It's also from the grime that accumulates on the boat from the air and washes down the side. It can be difficult to remove without some sort of help. I use a cleaner/wax on mine and it readily helps. You can also spring for "black streak remover" at you local boating store, but I personally think the waxing is better for the hull.

 

[Warren M]

Black Streaks

Sometimes these black streaks are caused by acid rain interacting with aging annodized aluminum (ie, toe rails, window frames, etc). Not much you can do about it although a friend of mine painted his toe rail with black paint to avoid these streaks. That is sort of extreme. I agree that Star-Brite "Black Streak Remover" is a great product to get rid of these things. I've used this product for some time and have not noticed any bad results from it. It gets a thumbs up from me.

 

[Sean Coerse]

Streaks

Once you remove the streaks put two coats of a quality wax product on the hull. This makes getting rid of them when they reappear much easier. I put two coats on every season. During the season I'm able to remove them with soap water and a deck scrub brush. After winter storage I need to use the streak remover before applying two more coats the next season.

 

[Al]

thanks for tips

Thanks for the tips, I'll be using the Starbrite black streak remover tomorrow and then giving it two coats of wax.

 

[Al]

great stuff!

The black streaks (and other marks) just wiped off after spraying with Starbrite black streak remover! I used to assume that all the different cleaners they make were just the same stuff inside but a different label...

 

[Pat]

The cost of streaking

Al- the smell of the boat streak remover seemed familiar. After a little experimentation, I have found that a bathroom cleaner (a "tile-x" type mildew remover) works just as well and costs about 25% of the price of the "boat" variety. Just follow directions about rinsing etc. and you are good to go at a much lower cost. As the other folks indicate, follow up with a coat of wax occasionally to keep it easy to remove the streaks again later. Splash time this weekend!!!