Hello Curious as to what products everyone uses to clean their boats? I have my boat moored and have minor rust stains near by bow eye and general dirt buildup on the deck. I have tried "roll away" and am not too impressed with the results. Any insight as to what cleaning products I should stay away from would be appreciated! Thanks Bill
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wax
You may get more responses if you post questions about the H216 in the small boat forum. For my H216, I had applied "woody wax" (a non-slip wax) on the deck and cockpit and a general marine wax on the topsides and hull. I also keep my boat trailered with a tarp when not in use. This combination has worked well for me for keeping my boat clean. Perhaps others can comment on what the best cleansers are if your boat is already dirty. You do need to be cautious about products that might dissolve the plastic outer layer of the composite boat material. But once you get it all clean, I would recommend putting some wax on it to help keep it clean. Jeff
You may get more responses if you post questions about the H216 in the small boat forum. For my H216, I had applied "woody wax" (a non-slip wax) on the deck and cockpit and a general marine wax on the topsides and hull. I also keep my boat trailered with a tarp when not in use. This combination has worked well for me for keeping my boat clean. Perhaps others can comment on what the best cleansers are if your boat is already dirty. You do need to be cautious about products that might dissolve the plastic outer layer of the composite boat material. But once you get it all clean, I would recommend putting some wax on it to help keep it clean. Jeff
Comet to clean the H216
Hey Bill - I'm with Jeff on the Woody Wax for the deck/cockpit and regular car wax for the rest...and a boat cover...my boat cover is from Wal-Mart (the biggest size they have) in the summer and UV resistant tarps in the winter. I keep my boat on the trailer. I wash mine with StarBright non-slip cleaner with Teflon (I put the StarBright in a spray bottle and find it is much easier to apply and more conservative on the amount used.) But, you have to get it clean first and you have to get heel marks and fender marks out. I use Comet! The heel marks are a drag. I have a power buffer so I power buff with Comet and, if that fails, with rubbing compound. If I didn't have a power buffer, I's use rubbing compound. Once clean, the wax is a ***must*** to keep it clean. If you need something that is a little abrasive and don't have rubbing compound, try toothpaste. If you need a coarser abrasive, use ground pumice stone from a paint store...apply with a wet rag. Rubbing compounds, toothpaste and pumice will leave minute scratches in the finish. Wax seems to fill these pretty well. I don't mind the fine scratches on the deck/cockpit as it makes it a little less slippery.
Hey Bill - I'm with Jeff on the Woody Wax for the deck/cockpit and regular car wax for the rest...and a boat cover...my boat cover is from Wal-Mart (the biggest size they have) in the summer and UV resistant tarps in the winter. I keep my boat on the trailer. I wash mine with StarBright non-slip cleaner with Teflon (I put the StarBright in a spray bottle and find it is much easier to apply and more conservative on the amount used.) But, you have to get it clean first and you have to get heel marks and fender marks out. I use Comet! The heel marks are a drag. I have a power buffer so I power buff with Comet and, if that fails, with rubbing compound. If I didn't have a power buffer, I's use rubbing compound. Once clean, the wax is a ***must*** to keep it clean. If you need something that is a little abrasive and don't have rubbing compound, try toothpaste. If you need a coarser abrasive, use ground pumice stone from a paint store...apply with a wet rag. Rubbing compounds, toothpaste and pumice will leave minute scratches in the finish. Wax seems to fill these pretty well. I don't mind the fine scratches on the deck/cockpit as it makes it a little less slippery.
216 cleaners
Because of the porousness and softness of the plastic (compared to fiberglass), I stayed away from abrasives when I cleaned my 216. Together with soft towels, I used Simple Green cleaner, and I also used diluted 409. Those products and some elbow grease seemed to get most areas clean. I once tried Clorox cleaner from a spray bottle. That did work well, but it definitely seemed to have an effect on the surfaces I used it on. I wouldn't recommend it. I think part of owning this boat is accepting some permanent grime unless you do want to grind the plastic away. We were also very firm about always wearing white-soled non-marking shoes. Even the black-soled non-marking shoes seemed to mark things up.
Because of the porousness and softness of the plastic (compared to fiberglass), I stayed away from abrasives when I cleaned my 216. Together with soft towels, I used Simple Green cleaner, and I also used diluted 409. Those products and some elbow grease seemed to get most areas clean. I once tried Clorox cleaner from a spray bottle. That did work well, but it definitely seemed to have an effect on the surfaces I used it on. I wouldn't recommend it. I think part of owning this boat is accepting some permanent grime unless you do want to grind the plastic away. We were also very firm about always wearing white-soled non-marking shoes. Even the black-soled non-marking shoes seemed to mark things up.
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