Stains and black marks

[Michael]

With all the chemicals out there what works the best to keep a clean white deck?

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina]

The wonder chemical of all times!

That would be "elbow grease". Seriously, though...it depends on what condition your gelcoat is in. Is it all chalky & dull? Even if it's not, the best way to keep the hull clean is by keeping it waxed & washing it frequently. The waxing helps make it easier to clean & also keeps the gelcoat in good condition. You only need to do it once a year.Using cleaners, be cautious with Soft Scrub type products as they can be abrasive on paint & gelcoat. Boat wash is surprisingly good for general cleaning, as is Simple Green. LaDonna

 

[Todd Osborne]

Having Just done this...

Just finished cleaning the entire cockpit area of my Cat 30 last week. She was quite marked up from a summer of traffic, and lax no black soles policy. Also water stains from principal drain points and drain areas. For the marks, I used 3M cleaner & wax and lots of elbow grease! Don't be shy on using either. when in doubt, more of both! 3M makes three grades of the cleaner/wax stuff, I used the middle one for medium oxidation. For the stains, I used a gell (made by Davis, I think) that looks exactly like blue hair gell. Dab it on, wait a few minutes, then wipe & rinse. Some tough spots took two to three cycles of this. But voila! stains are gone! (this uses less elbow grease than the cleaner/wax. thank goodness, I needed the break)

 

[Dennis Thomas]

Harsh cleansers

Stains that have penetrated beyond the wax into the gel coat of a slightly older boat require a penetrating cleaner. Bleach products like many mildew removers may help. There are also oxalic acid based cleaners like ZUD that do a great job on tough stains. Just be sure to wear gloves!. Having removed the stains, your task is not completed. These harsh cleaners damage the finish an must be used in limited areas. Those areas need to be waxed immediately to put back a protective coating. So, some ebow grease is still going to be needed.

 

[Gary Jensen]

Shinny topsides

To keep my boat up, I use softscrub to remove the "marks" then I wax the boat with turtle wax. I do it once a year and it holds up very well! gary