Over the years I've picked up a couple of tricks to solve pesky cleaning problems. The tannin stain that appears at the waterline has always been difficult to remove. When I switched yards I noticed they were scrubbing the waterline areas when they hauled boats with a toilet bowl cleaner called "The Works". The yard bought it at the local WMart for about $1.49 a bottle. Picked some up. Wiped it on and lightly scrubbed with a bristle brush. Immediately rinsed with a hose and Voila! no more waterline stain. Be careful and use gloves and goggles. Pre wet surfaces including the waterline stripe and rinse immediately. I've even cleaned the waterline at the dock with a long handled sponge mop.
Being on the Great Lakes they are times when we have swarms of mayflies also called Canadian soldiers. These bad boys get squashed and leave a green stain on the decks. At the end of May and early June if you see what looks like smoke on the water it is a swarm of Canadian soldiers coming at you. If your boat is docked next to a light at night you will have a nasty surprise in the morning. Once, at Put-in-Bay, we had to clean out our cockpit with a shovel.Non skid deck cleaner will get them off but not until you scrub quite a bit which is time consuming and not much fun. I noticed a guy down the dock using something different. Turns out he was using Westley's Bleche White which is whitewall tire cleaner commonly found in auto parts and discount chain stores. He just sprayed this stuff on the bug stain and it dissolved almost immediately. Wipe off with the brush, rinse and you are good to go. The best part is that a pretty big spray bottle goes for a couple of bucks. Also works pretty well on bird and goose poop.
Always test products before you get crazy and wet the surrounding areas. Good luck.
Being on the Great Lakes they are times when we have swarms of mayflies also called Canadian soldiers. These bad boys get squashed and leave a green stain on the decks. At the end of May and early June if you see what looks like smoke on the water it is a swarm of Canadian soldiers coming at you. If your boat is docked next to a light at night you will have a nasty surprise in the morning. Once, at Put-in-Bay, we had to clean out our cockpit with a shovel.Non skid deck cleaner will get them off but not until you scrub quite a bit which is time consuming and not much fun. I noticed a guy down the dock using something different. Turns out he was using Westley's Bleche White which is whitewall tire cleaner commonly found in auto parts and discount chain stores. He just sprayed this stuff on the bug stain and it dissolved almost immediately. Wipe off with the brush, rinse and you are good to go. The best part is that a pretty big spray bottle goes for a couple of bucks. Also works pretty well on bird and goose poop.
Always test products before you get crazy and wet the surrounding areas. Good luck.
