Hi, I have an oday 25, just pulled it out for the year. At my marina we have a problem with spiders and birds, they made such a mess of my hull and topside and I cant seem to get it clean, any suggestions on what to use to remove this stuff. Its hardened on and any amount of scrubbing doesnt seem to affect it. the marina is also right in line with an airport and Ive heard that alot of the discoloration is due to jet fuel from the overhead planes. I really dont want to use a powerwasher on it. Is there a product out there that will take all this crap off, and is there a way to keep the spider off the boat. I solo sailed out to the north manitou passage on lake michigan and while I was underway it got dark out, as soon as it got dark the spiders crawled out from everywhere. I killed 45 befor I quit counting. Thanks for any help on this. Also one more question, Ive scrubbed it to the best of my ability, should I leave the rest for the spring time as I will have to repeat the cleaning anyway or should I detail it now????
Help with Hull cleaning
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Based on a tip in another forum, I bought some "LA Totally Awesome cleaner". It works great on spider and bird poop. I got it at a Dollar general store for$1 plus a quart refill for $3 more. I had power washed the boat and the washer didn't touch the spider droppings. Sprayed some of this cleaner on and they started melting. A little light brushing and a rinse and they were gone. I think it is also environmentally friendly if you are into that.
I would agree about the Totally Awesome. Try it, for $1 what do you have to loose?
I do not know why you don't want to power wash it. It is the best way to get a good start. Just don't get too much pressure against any hardware.
Spiders down below can be a problem. I would place fabric softener sheets under all the cushions and in cabinets. It will help move them out. You can find some products to spray the exterior with to rid the lazarettes and deck areas.
I do not know why you don't want to power wash it. It is the best way to get a good start. Just don't get too much pressure against any hardware.
Spiders down below can be a problem. I would place fabric softener sheets under all the cushions and in cabinets. It will help move them out. You can find some products to spray the exterior with to rid the lazarettes and deck areas.
Almost all 'difficult' stains on gelcoat will be removed by
1. oxalic acid (wood bleach)
2. EZ-OFF oven cleaner (or any strong caustic such as a 'lye' solution)
... and obviously you dont mix the two (unless you dont mind steam-splatters and poisonous gas emissions) and you need to liberally rinse between the application of both of them.
EZ-OFF (caustics) cant be used on 'paint', unless you want the paint off too.
1. oxalic acid (wood bleach)
2. EZ-OFF oven cleaner (or any strong caustic such as a 'lye' solution)
... and obviously you dont mix the two (unless you dont mind steam-splatters and poisonous gas emissions) and you need to liberally rinse between the application of both of them.
EZ-OFF (caustics) cant be used on 'paint', unless you want the paint off too.
Cleaning with Oxalic Acid: The $1 "The Works" Works
$1 Totally Awesome is being recommended. While on the "$ Menu" theme, from the same DollarTree franchise, is a $1 oxalic acid based product which I had mentioned in a thread several weeks ago. (Copied below and also see picture attached). So if you are going to DollarTree, also look for this stuff. Won't set you back much.
Cleaning with Oxalic Acid: The $1 "The Works" Works
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A lot would depend on what type of stains and deterioration you've got. Read Maine Sail's "Tips for a great buff wax" which is posted always on top of the "Ask All Sailors" postings as a sticky. That's sure to get you a good result for the topsides (hull).
Some have mentioned oxalic acid based cleaners. Oxalic acid works very well to remove rust stains, tannin stains and mineral deposits. More than one application is usually necessary. And don't let it remain on painted or metal surfaces. You may not notice immediately, but within just very short time it can dull the surface sheen.
About six months ago, I had great results removing the light brown tannin stains from near the water line on my hull with an oxalic acid based tub and shower cleaner product. See the attached picture of my test section before I proceded with the whole hull. I also noticed that it restored a bit of shine to the gelcoat. It occured to me that over the years, perhaps my whole hull (topsides) might have developed hard mineral deposits. So I applied the product all over with just staturated paper towels. Without any other work, the topsides looked cleaner and whiter than prior efforts with even wet/dry sandpaper and polishing compound. I did a bit of the newly cleaned hull with polishing compound and wax. Then I did a bit with wax only. The wax only section wasn't much different than the polishing compound section, so I just finished the whole thing with wax.
Best yet, the product I used is available at the DollarTree store for yes, $1.00. Primary active ingredient is oxalic acid. One bottle was enough for my hull. But buy two. You can afford it! Here's a link to the product. http://www.dollartree.com/cleaning-s...6065/index.pro
This product works great removing rust and tannin stains from sails as well. Just dab some on the rust stain with a small paint brush. After a few minutes you should notice the rust looking lighter. Repeat until gone. Then rinse off with fresh water. Best to apply on a cool day so the product stays wet longer. My sails are Dacron synthetic. Where I did apply the product, I haven't observed any damage or accelerated deterioration. But get a second opinion.
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$1 Totally Awesome is being recommended. While on the "$ Menu" theme, from the same DollarTree franchise, is a $1 oxalic acid based product which I had mentioned in a thread several weeks ago. (Copied below and also see picture attached). So if you are going to DollarTree, also look for this stuff. Won't set you back much.
Cleaning with Oxalic Acid: The $1 "The Works" Works
TopA lot would depend on what type of stains and deterioration you've got. Read Maine Sail's "Tips for a great buff wax" which is posted always on top of the "Ask All Sailors" postings as a sticky. That's sure to get you a good result for the topsides (hull).
Some have mentioned oxalic acid based cleaners. Oxalic acid works very well to remove rust stains, tannin stains and mineral deposits. More than one application is usually necessary. And don't let it remain on painted or metal surfaces. You may not notice immediately, but within just very short time it can dull the surface sheen.
About six months ago, I had great results removing the light brown tannin stains from near the water line on my hull with an oxalic acid based tub and shower cleaner product. See the attached picture of my test section before I proceded with the whole hull. I also noticed that it restored a bit of shine to the gelcoat. It occured to me that over the years, perhaps my whole hull (topsides) might have developed hard mineral deposits. So I applied the product all over with just staturated paper towels. Without any other work, the topsides looked cleaner and whiter than prior efforts with even wet/dry sandpaper and polishing compound. I did a bit of the newly cleaned hull with polishing compound and wax. Then I did a bit with wax only. The wax only section wasn't much different than the polishing compound section, so I just finished the whole thing with wax.
Best yet, the product I used is available at the DollarTree store for yes, $1.00. Primary active ingredient is oxalic acid. One bottle was enough for my hull. But buy two. You can afford it! Here's a link to the product. http://www.dollartree.com/cleaning-s...6065/index.pro
This product works great removing rust and tannin stains from sails as well. Just dab some on the rust stain with a small paint brush. After a few minutes you should notice the rust looking lighter. Repeat until gone. Then rinse off with fresh water. Best to apply on a cool day so the product stays wet longer. My sails are Dacron synthetic. Where I did apply the product, I haven't observed any damage or accelerated deterioration. But get a second opinion.
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Rardi, the 'Works' I've seen from the dollar store has a high HCl content and is used in backyard bombs (throw some in a screw cap soda bottle with a little tin foil - cap it, shake it and throw it). Is the stuff you're using just oxalic acid?Best yet, the product I used is available at the DollarTree store for yes, $1.00. Primary active ingredient is oxalic acid. One bottle was enough for my hull. But buy two. You can afford it! Here's a link to the product. http://www.dollartree.com/cleaning-s...6065/index.pro
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Berner:
The $1 "Works" that I am using for tanin and rust stain removal is the one for tub and shower. The active ingredients listed on the label are oxalic and sulfamic acids. There is also another variety of the "Works" for toilet bowl cleaning which I've got some in my cleaning arsenal for home use. Looking at the label , its main ingredient is yes Hydrogen Chloride. Confusing.
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