Boat washing - spot and mark removal - best soap/spray

[big_chief]

I keep having issues random "spots" inside and outside the boat. Things like when a leaf hits the deck and starts to bleed from rain water, to when a passanger steps on with a sneaker and leaves a streak, to a random grease print from a finger that wasnt cleaned well, to a streak on the hull from an old dock bumper, etc. Just random events that leave "marks" and spots. Whats the best product to easily clean these areas... they dont all come off in regular washing.

YES, I clean and wash my boat. I'm just looking for real life suggestions. I use my boat almost every weekend and use it for cruising, fishing, diving, camping trips, etc... it gets used alot so I encounter different people/events and types of cargo. I work a normal job and have kids/family so I can't "detail" the boat every trip. I see a crap load of products on market, just looking for suggestions.

So far I found that a product by starbrite for mildew removal works great at alot of things, but I worry about long term spraying all over the boat. Also, I have been using regular car wash soap for the past year. Something tells me I should be using boat soap... whats the real difference? I use a brush (vs sponge) also.

Boat is 2001 Cape Horn. The deck is self bailing... so it gets flooded often... boat used only in saltwater.

Thanks for any suggestions,

 

[Scott Danforth]

I use 409 a lot.

 

[bajaunderground]

I like Simple Green. Works very well on everything (vinyl, gel coat, bilge) I don't use it on the windshield though...leaves a slight residue that can been seen

 

[oldjeep]

303 cleaner and protectant for the vinyl - once you get a good layer of the protectant on there, nothing sticks to it. For the gel coat, a decent base coat of wax at the beginning of the season (I use Colinite) and then use something like eagle 1 marine wax as you dry when you wipe the boat down with a microfiber towel - again nothing sticks to the boat if you do this. Nothing wrong with using car soap, the problem is if you are not replacing the wax that you are cleaning off.

My boat is mostly black and dark blue gel and that keeps the water spots off of it.

Cleaner
http://www.iboats.com/303-reg-Sup-F...294925--session_id.334477781--view_id.1185112

Protectant
http://www.iboats.com/303-reg-Sup-A...294925--session_id.334477781--view_id.1186221

Wax as you dry
http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-One-825...sr=8-1&keywords=eagle+one+marine+wax-as-u-dry

 

[JimS123]

Car wash and boat soap are the same thing. Green and orange cleaners are crap. Use Boat9 - its basically a stronger version of 409. For calcium spots use CLR. But use it sparingly and test the gelcoat on the bottom first. Don't use it on graphics, and wash it off quickly and wax right after.

 

[dingbat]

Clean boat with colinite fiberglass cleaner. Apply a coat of colinite paste wax, wait two weeks and apply a second coat. Non-skid gets cleaned with marykate deck cleaner then waxed with Woodie wax. Liberal use of the wash down hose and brush through out the day negates the use of any kind of soap. A freshwater rinse is all that is required at the end of the day. Orpine works great for cleaning and deorderizing fish boxes and live wells at the end of the day

 

[big_chief]

Thanks for the replies!

I've been reading more on the forums also... I think I have been going about this wrong by battling the marks and spots as they happen, rather than just prevent them from the start.

Ive had the boat alittle over a year and still have not waxed it... been on my mind, but the hull and deck are in pretty good shape so I have been putting it off. Seems like this is my problem. Let me know if I'm on the right track here...

For the hull: Its not really chalky, but does have a faint waterline... I plan on using a simple hull cleaner (was thinking starbrite would work), then I keep hearing alot of good things about collinite products... was planning on just using thier fiberglass restore, then a coat of wax. For maintaince, I like the idea of just being able to hose it down... I assume the occasional boat wash wont harm the wax that bad?... assuming re-wax 1-2 times a year.

For the deck: This is where I have most of my problems... Nothing inside is smooth except the console. I planned on a deck cleaner (also heard good things about marykate), but then I wasnt sure about what to do for wax. The floor can get flooded with water (1-2 inches - self bailing) at times when fishing and I was concerned about slipping... I guess I can wax the gunnels and top deck areas? Is there something else that could be applied to the floor to help protect and non-slip even with water present?

Thanks again,

 

[oldjeep]

Sounds like you are on the right track - ounce of prevention is worth a lb of cure. I'd definitely wax it after a really good cleaning. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to keep clean after that.

Washing occasionally won't hurt the wax - I never actually "wash" my boat during the season, just wipe it down with a microfiber towel after pulling it out of the water or sometimes hose it off with just water if we had to retrieve in a pile of algae.

 

[triumphrick]

I have been using Roll Off for the past year..

It came recommended to me a while back, and I recently oprdered up a gallon.

The stuff is remarkable. It works just as described. Wet the area, spray on the product using a spray bottle. Let it set up for ten minutes or so and use the deck brush. Everything comes off the deck or our KeyWest. It has the formed in non-skid on it...tiony pockets that trap everything. This stuff does a great job of cleaning all the crap out of those pockets. Over time it will leave a finish that helps repel any dirt.

 

[moosehead]

+1 to proper gel prep, cleaning, wax, then quick wipedown with a spray on wax product. I'll either prep, clean, and wax upon winterization, or upon pull-out, then wipedowns are plenty. 303 is tremendous for vinyl, and would be a requisite in a salt environment or heavy sun. We are also barefoot onboard only, only exception being grandma and she's polite enough to have white soled sneakers. Even the kids know no dirty feet onboard. Once you prep and lay down simple ground rules, it goes a long way to keeping things ship shape.

 

[dingbat]

For the hull: Its not really chalky, but does have a faint waterline... I plan on using a simple hull cleaner (was thinking starbrite would work), then I keep hearing alot of good things about collinite products... was planning on just using thier fiberglass restore, then a coat of wax. For maintaince, I like the idea of just being able to hose it down... I assume the occasional boat wash wont harm the wax that bad?... assuming re-wax 1-2 times a year.

For the deck: This is where I have most of my problems... Nothing inside is smooth except the console. I planned on a deck cleaner (also heard good things about marykate), but then I wasnt sure about what to do for wax. The floor can get flooded with water (1-2 inches - self bailing) at times when fishing and I was concerned about slipping... I guess I can wax the gunnels and top deck areas? Is there something else that could be applied to the floor to help protect and non-slip even with water present?

Putting new wax over old doesn't work. Every other year I strip the wax, clean the surface with Colinite Fiberglas cleaner then apply two new coats of wax.

You might have to do some touch up here and there thru-out the season, but generally speaking, I wax once a year. The trick is cleaning things up as they happen. A washdown hose and a deck brush is your best friend

As stated above, I use Woodie Wax on my decks. Sparingly spray it on the deck, brush it around with a deck brush, wait for it to dry, hose off the excess, let it dry and towel off to polish. A towel and some fancy foot action works great.

Bleeding tuna is common practice so the the back of the boat looks like a murder seen from time to time. Liberal use of the wash down hose cleans things right up.