How to remove barnacles from PVC inflatable

All U Get · Sep 9, 2010

Bob S said:
My Zodiac Zoom stays in the water most of the season. This year I removed her for Earl. I pressure washed the growth and barnacles off but they left thin calcium rings all over the bottom. I tried a little scotch bright pad but they're not budging. I bought a quart of Pittit antifouling paint for inflatable. Any suggestions?

Hi Bob,
I think I used a plastic putty knife and either vinegar or On/Off. Hope this helps, mine is out of the water so it's clean for the winter.
All U Get

Stu Jackson · Sep 9, 2010

Bob, don't you use inflatable bottom paint?

Ross · Sep 9, 2010

citric acid will dissolve them without harming the boat.

Ted · Sep 9, 2010

Steve Dion, Could you please check your link and repost it. It doesn't seem to be correct. Thanks.

RichH · Sep 9, 2010

Hydrochloric acid
Buy some 35% "muriatic acid" (non-technical grade of hydrochloric) dilute INTO water at 4-5:1 (4-5parts water, 1part HCl).
Never ever pour water INTO acid ... will boil/splatter.

Wash on the barnacle rings with a brush, let foam, reapply until dissolved. ..... or use acetic/vinegar and wait ten+ times as long.

Ross · Sep 9, 2010

http://www.myspicesage.com/citric-a...e|3628303472&gclid=CJ6Xq4ie-6MCFVw65QoddB-bLA

source for citric acid. A teaspoon full in a glass of water will remove the shell from an egg.

Stu Jackson · Sep 9, 2010

Bob S said:
Stu.....no didn't realize they made it! I left her in last year with minimal growth.
I bought a quart at West Marine and trying to clean/prep the bottom to paint. My bad!

That's why I continue to recommend that folks get a WM catalog and at least leaf through it to see what's on the market. I had a friend on board last week, he couldn't describe what he meant too well, so I pulled out the catalog and went through it and found what he was trying to describe.

One for the home, one for the boat.

Mike B · Sep 9, 2010

I hear that Lime Away works.

Ross · Sep 10, 2010

Stu Jackson said:
That's why I continue to recommend that folks get a WM catalog and at least leaf through it to see what's on the market. I had a friend on board last week, he couldn't describe what he meant too well, so I pulled out the catalog and went through it and found what he was trying to describe.

One for the home, one for the boat.

When I was a kid, we were often told to go look it up in the Sears catalog when we asked what something we had heard about looked like.

rgranger · Sep 10, 2010

Vinegar is 5- - 12% acetic acid. That will do it. Lay a paper towel on the spots and soak the towel with vinegar. Let it sit a while. Hydrochloric acid has the nasty tenancy of attacking metal (which is why it works well on a prop - it actually takes a layer of the metal off as well). But if you are worried about etching any metal fasteners etc. on your Zodiac I'd avoid HCl.

Be patient with the vinegar. I raise quail and pealing a hard boiled quail egg is a pain. So I soak them in vinegar overnight. Shell is gone in the morning And an egg shell has the same chemical composition as sea shells (mostly calcium carbonate). So let the vinegar sit on the spots overnight.

The citric acid suggestion should work (both are carboxylic acids) but vinegar is a lot less expensive than lemon juice.

Ross · Sep 10, 2010

rgranger said:
The citric acid suggestion should work (both are carboxylic acids) but vinegar is a lot less expensive than lemon juice.

Actually citric acid is less expensive. At 4 dollars per pound in 5 pound batches, one pound is equivilant to 10 quarts of 5 percent vinegar. Citric acid as a dry powder has the added advantage of being much easier to store.

rgranger · Sep 13, 2010

Ross said:
Actually citric acid is less expensive. At 4 dollars per pound in 5 pound batches, one pound is equivilant to 10 quarts of 5 percent vinegar. Citric acid as a dry powder has the added advantage of being much easier to store.

True enough ... and I can also buy oxalic acid for $3/pound (I'm a chemist)

but the average joe has to buy oxalic acid as Rit Dye Rust Stain Remover for $3/oz. and citric acid for the average joe is found in the form of lemon juice. If you are just going to remove a few barnacle rings... vinegar is the easiest (cheapest) way to do it. Who wants to go to the trouble of finding a suppler who will sell and ship to you 5 pounds of citric acid ($20). Great Value Vinegar @ Walmar is $1.95/gal. Job done... time to go sailing.

Doug Arey · Nov 11, 2010

Go easy with the power washing! A friend of mine put pinholes in his inflatable by using a power washer on it.
I used a plastic spatula to knock the barnacles off my dinghy. (Next year I'll make sure to use leather gloves as well, given the cuts the barnacles gave me.) I need to look into that dinghy bottom paint, though.
This same friend who put holes in his dinghy with the power washer told me to try Desitin Ointment on the dinghy bottom (the same stuff you use on your kid's bottom!). That's supposed to be better than bottom paint. I haven't tried it myself, so I can't attest to it;s effectiveness.

jcastle · Nov 12, 2010

I would stick with the products that are designed to be effective on the bottom of inflatables. Sea Hawk makes a bottom paint, just like pettit, that is designed to be safe and effective for inflatables. It's called Inflatable Antifouling Paint.

Steve Dion · Nov 12, 2010

Oxalic Acid source

http://cgi.ebay.com/OXALIC-ACID-RUS...938?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3362626a0a

He ships it in a zip lock bag.

This stuff is great as a non-skid deck cleaner. I sometimes mix it with water and put it in a spray bottle. For tough stains, just wet the deck, sprinkle it on and scrub with a deck brush.

This is the main ingredient in your typical non-skid cleaner from the marine stores.

If you want to purchase something that was designed for this purpose you may want to check out this stuff from Auroura.

http://www.auroramarine.com/aurora/catalog/inflatable-boats/inflatable-bottom-spray-01430.htm

How to remove barnacles from PVC inflatable

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