hull cleaning

[bgiese]

I have a 1985 Chris Craft 186 scorpion which has a nasty build up of scale on the hull from setting in water and not cleaned properly, any Idea how to get this stuff off, it is from fresh water and appears to be like lime deposits but lime away and clr do nothing to it
thanks for any advise
Bgiese

 

[Knot Waiting]

Re: hull cleaning

Iron out and a good degreaser. Rub lightly with a wet SOS pad. Work a small area at a time and dont let it sit without rinsing it off. You will have to give it a good coat of wax afterward though.

 

[grego]

Re: hull cleaning

If it is out of water, put it back in. this will soften the gunk. let it sit for a day. pull it out and take it to a carwash as soon as you can. Buy a pump sprayer "cheap at wal-mart " mix water and your favorite cleaner 1/2 and fill the rest with bleach. use it all. should be able to brush off anything left,with a soft brush. I agree with the coat of wax.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: hull cleaning

many "scrunge" pads and simple green, unless the finish is actually damaged and that is what you are seeing.

 

[cbavier]

Re: hull cleaning

Scotch Brite pads work wonders. I think there are two kinds. Don't get the Heavy Abrasive.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: hull cleaning

.....mix water and your favorite cleaner 1/2 and fill the rest with bleach. use it all...

Wow.

Bleach does not play well with a lot of cleaners! You might not want to do that unless you want a poison chlorine gas cloud. Mixing bleach with stuff is a very poor idea.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: hull cleaning

I use SoftScrub, It works well for me.

 

[stubbsboogie]

Re: hull cleaning

When I bought my boat there was alot of scum and water lines on it, we tried alot of stuff to no avail. Finally a guy told me about On-Off hull cleaner
the stuff is GREAT! Go all of mine off. BE careful though it is really strong and you might want to wear a mask because it will burn you nose but it works really well. ALso when you work with it try to put something between it and the trailer because it can discolor it .
Good luck

 

[grego]

Re: hull cleaning

stubs. Sounds like muiratic acid? Anything that emits a strong oder is NOT! a good thing for the finnish on boats, cars, bikes, the clearcoat will graze and look dull. As far as bleach goes, you can mix with windex,simple green,ajax ,shower cleaner, bath tub and bowl, all washing detergents,cheer, tide, comit, carwash, it is in almost all cleaners to some degree. using a stronger agent is to kill any hydrilla, so as not to take to another lake. Plus it will not damage clearcoat. mixing bleach with about ANY cleaner is NOT! going to make a Mix that will destroy your finnish or damage your boat. DON'T use scotchbright, it WILL! damage clearcoat.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: hull cleaning

........As far as bleach goes, you can mix with windex,simple green,ajax ,shower cleaner, bath tub and bowl, all washing detergents,cheer, tide, comit, carwash, it is in almost all cleaners to some degree....

DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS AMMONIA it makes chlorine gas. Windex contains ammonia!

Don't give advice about stuff you don't know anything about. It can kill people.

 

[Rowroy]

Re: hull cleaning

DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS AMMONIA it makes chlorine gas. Windex contains ammonia!

Don't give advice about stuff you don't know anything about. It can kill people.

This bears repeating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[serrano4657]

Re: hull cleaning

If the boat is a fiberglass hull, use On and Off hull cleaner. This it great stuff.
Our boat was out of the water for about months and it looked nasty. This stuff works great. Wear rubber gloves and a mask. It reminds me of pool chlorine, very strong. Cover up your trailer with plastic. Rinse everything with water when down including the trailer.
Good Luck

 

[AluminumFalcon]

Re: hull cleaning

Spray9 makes a really good cleaner that got rid of the scale on my aluminum.. also 3m makes a marine grade rubbing compound that works really well..

 

[grego]

Re: hull cleaning

forever watching for that death cloud. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: hull cleaning

iboats does not endorse or advise mixing any cleaning products. Muratic acid has been used for quite some time on boat hulls.

The key word is safety. Rubber gloves, eyeprotection (blind boaters have poor docking skills) and even a facemask.

Do not make a homebrew mix.

 

[grego]

Re: hull cleaning

Was a bricklayer for 20 years, "I", have used muratic acid. It dissolves and etches CONCRETE! "Yea use that on your paint job!" All products I said, have been tried and work. on the other hand, muratic acid fumes can do long term damage to your ,lungs, eyes, skin, hair, liver, smell,and taste. YOU DECIDE!! Chlorine is in your drinking water, "more than you think"!! The next time you add water to dilute a chemical, think about it. OH! half emptied a bottle of windex and filled bottle with chlorine bleach, it worked great on all three of buddies trucks windows.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: hull cleaning

This thread is going no place and is only going to become an arguement. My apologies to the original thread starter.

There are no shortcuts or magic chemicals for hull cleaning..... no substitutes for elbow grease.