I’ve been trying to remove some black marks on the hull left from where the hoist straps were placed when BIANKA was pulled for the winter. Suspect they might be some type of bottom paint. I have tried:
SIMPLE GREEN
VINEGAR
MINERAL SPIRITS
ACETONE
None of the above seem to work satisfactory.
Any other suggestions are welcome.
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
Long Island
I’ve had success with cheap toilet bowl cleaner. spray it on, wait 5 minutes and wash it off. BTW, did you complain to the boat yard??
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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[/details]I’ve used the lighter 3M cleaner & wax product for many years, works well for me. But only on felt coat, don’t know if your boat has been painted?Don
… I meant gelcoat not felt.
Don
In my checkered experience with yards, I’m guessing a combination of grease, saltwater, and boatyard dust (an evil concoction from sanding fiberglass, bottom paint, wood, etc.).
Maybe a citrus-based degreaser like Goo-Gone, followed by dishsoap and water, as a first pass? Then escalate from toilet bowl cleaner to light cleaner to buffing compound.
Joe’s got a point about the yard. My yard puts heavy duty wax paper between the slings and the boat to avoid these marks (when they remember, at least).
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U #233
I am with Don on this. I have found that one step cleaner and wax applied by hand works well. I have been using Meguiars 50 .
Mark Powers
Hi Mike -
If the previously mentioned items do not work, I would try Goof-Off (superior to Goo Gone) or Mary Kate’s On Off - get the gel formula as it clings to vertical surfaces much better than the regular liquid - and it is blue so you can see where you are working. I’ve had good success with this where other products didn’t do it.
You will need to re-wax the area if you use the Mary Kate product.
Peter Grabow
S/V CAKE WALK III
1987 30U 430
Jersey City, NJ
I have have had good luck with 3M Cleaner-Wax.
There’s a product called Citri Solv that is excellent but hard to find. Removes grease , paint and organic stains. Think Goo be gone on steroids
I’d turn the problem over to the offending yard, with instructions on acceptable methods to be used. I have had good success with Mary Kate’s ON/OFF, I apply with a rag and plenty of water before it reaches the bottom paint. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection as it is caustic. Then follow with a glazing compound and wax. Good luck.
Sorry my sign off should read: Steve Currier
Nonsuch 36 #41
Caper out of
Old Lyme, Ct.
On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 2:13:49 PM UTC-4 Steve on Caper somewhere wrote:
I agree with Val and Don. Buff it off. But, oh yes, the yard should do it. Frankly, they have messed up your boat for no reason. They should do a full buff job on the hull. A few of us at our boat club (I included) hang chunks of old carpet down from the sling locations and “ask” the lift/crane crew to simply take the THREE seconds to make sure that the carpet pieces (soft side facing the hull) do end up sandwiched between the slings and the hull. THREE lousy seconds. Can a few guys find three seconds, for a good client ??
Launching and hauling out a vessel can (and generally does) take place without the vessel getting all yucked up. There is, honestly, no excuse. I’ve never met you, Mike (though I look forward to it down the road), but I KNOW that you are a truly good egg, a nice guy. That makes it more of a challenge to bawl the u-know-what out of the boss/owner of the yard.
Well, in your nicest way, go and do it !!! Gird your loins. If they didn’t charge you (a GOOD buck) for their services, well … but they DO. The slings get dirty ?? Too bad, guys - keep 'em clean, use a barrier (wax paper) or risk losing a customer or bearing the cost of a PROPER clean up job.
Go get 'em, skipper - it’s their fault and they should work like a REAL yard, not kids in a sandbox, playing with their big sibling’s toys.
(And that’s if you actually feel that, otherwise, it’s a good yard.)
Ernie A. in Toronto
UPDATE:
Thanks for all the great suggestions. Since I don’t wax the boat but, use Protectant 303 which needs to be applied to an unwaxed hull I eliminated any of those products that included a wax component.. I tried Joe’s suggestion and tried some Scrubbing Bubbles toilet bowl cleaner. It worked OK but, not great still had some marks left. Talking today with the yard manager/Lobsterman he suggested to use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Sponge
https://amzn.to/3CgenIV
He had a slightly used one in his truck and came over to the boat wet the sponge and it did a great job removing the marks. So I ordered a box which should make short work of the job going forward.
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
Long Island
Mike,
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Sponge comes with a warning not to use on shiny surfaces. It cleans well but is actually a fine abrasive. If you use it on your gel coat you might have to compound or polish the area. I don’t have a package here so can’t give you the exact wording from the label. I use them on the non skid surface although a mixture of water and baking soda seem to work just as well. I also use them on the rubber rub guard on the deck/hull joint. It does a nice job but whatever chemicals it has in it damages the wax on the hull if it runs down.
Here is a link to the search results I got from searching Is Magic Eraser safe on Gel coat.
Mark Powers
I have found Oile Eater to do a good job of removing the diesel soot off of the transom. I don’t know if it is compatible with 303.
https://oileater.com/household/cleaner-degreaser/
Mark Powers
Mark:
Yeah the Magic Eraser sponge is abrasive and equivalent to 1600 to 3000 grit sandpaper depending on who you believe. That’s pretty mild. I should not have to push to hard to remove the marks. Besides after over 45 years exposed to the elements I don’t consider our hulls exactly “shiny”. But after a waxing or in my case a coating of Protectant 303 it comes back to life pretty good at least from my experience with the 303 product.
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
Long Island
