Clean bott, dirty transom

[timw]

After 3 months on the Thames (no antifoul) I was really pleased to be able to just wipe off the muck on my hull, as I got the boat out of the water for the weekend on the Solent. The hull is now gleaming white except for the transom. I presume this is due to less water movement in this area.

I've got the green off, but the fibre glass feels quite rough, and is slightly yellowed stained.

Does anyone have a remedy for this? I was thinking about T-Cut followed by polish and then wax, but I'm not sure T-Cut will be strong enough.

I'm sure there's been a thread about this before but couldn't find one.

Many thanks,

TimW

[CJL]

I`ve got mine in Shepperton Marina and T Cut/Turtle Wax seems to work fine.
(Halfords are doing Turtle wax on BOGOF)

The scum which builds up on mine is disgusting. Even after an afternoon on the water it looks a real mess. I would of thought there must be some kind of potion which repels the stuff.

Chris

[Matt]

If T-cut works, but is a bit too labour intensive, I use Halfords cutting compound, it's slightly more abrasive than t-cut.

[Nick Hearne]

Don't use a cutting compound, every time you use it you are removing a thin layer of gel-coat!
I have used this stuff it workers very well with very little work!
Star Brite Hull Cleaner

[Bilge Rat]

Try Aerospace 303 industrial cleaner as it seems to work well shifting most things, i managed to clean 2 years worth of hard water scaling of my plastic shower door a few weeks ago, now it looks like its new.

[timboli]

Most chandleries sell a product called y10,great for removing oilstains so may well work on the discolouration,but it is advisable to to seal the gel afterward with a good quality polish or the stains will come back quicker next time.

[polisher]

Hi
If the hull is slightly powdery to look at/feel you would be best to apply a mild compound such as Ferecla G10 or a 3M equivalent to remove the old oxidised fibreglass and marks. If it is only faded or marked in a few places this could be done by hand. I would then recommend buffing in 303 protectant which soaks into the fibreglass and leaves it shiny like new again. Wax will just wear off in a few weeks and it will stain with the dirty water easily. 303 A.Protectant also is a UV protectant which will help prevent fading. reapply once or twice a year to maintain the finish
If you have acces to a buffing machine then just buff in 303 with a lambswool pad at 1500rpm

More details if required e-mail me
Mike

info@thepolishingcompany.com

[swginn]

You could just put in a bit of extra effort and wax the hull with SafeBoatSkin. Fair enough it will take a good day to put on the 3/4 required coats and you will have to wait 8hrs after the last coat before putting the boat in the water, but the results are worth it. After 6 wks in the water the boat came out and the transom looked like it had some nasty staining on it. However I quickly realised this was not the case by simply running my finger through it to reveal the hull sparkling underneath. Took me about 1 min to wipe the transom clean with a cloth. The rest of the hull was easier (more water movement!!). There were no barnicles or weed, just a thin orange/brown layer that simply wiped off in one go!!

Wax will just wear off in a few weeks and it will stain with the dirty water easily.

I know SBS isn't your typical wax but I waxed my hull back in May and the boat has been out of the water once since then, the wax is still holding up and showing no sign of wearing off!!

[MeMe]

Originally Posted by Nick Hearne

Don't use a cutting compound, every time you use it you are removing a thin layer of gel-coat!
I have used this stuff it workers very well with very little work!
Star Brite Hull Cleaner

........I bought some last week (not cheap by the way) but it works very well.

[timw]

Thanks you lot for your replies....

When she comes out of the water in the autumn, I shall experiment with these methods.

By the way the 303 cleaner (neat) for the tubes is fantastic