With about a million things on the market, what is the best thing to (in general) wash a boat with ?
Getting rid of rust stains, water marks, old mildew marks?
Wax / seal / protect the clear coat going forward ?
Thanks in advance.
New (to me) 2005 Sea Pro SV1900
there is definitely more than one way to skin a cat but here is a list of things that work well for me.these aren’t the only products i use but i use these frequently.
rust and water stains-iron out (lowes)save your self some money buy not buying expensive products from boating store. this will work great!
blood stains/leaf/mildew- bleach but rinse good and keep off cushions(there is a million products out there for this. The ones w/o bleach sometimes work.)Try them first and then you may want to dilute some bleach. Then maybe straight bleach if needed.
decks-starbrite deck cleaner w ptef
general-orpine wash and wax or orpine boat soap
wax/polish-3m,Collinite or startbrite w ptef
sealer-rejex (can also be used instead of wax)
plastics,ising glass and windshields-plexus
Non skid-woody wax
metals-flitz metal polish
cushions-Z cleaner works well and leave a protecting finish on cushions and about everything else on a boat. Also there is one really good cushion/vinyl cleaner they have at west marine but i cant remember what it is called. I think its west marine brand heavy duty vinyl cleaner.
oxidation- 3m rubbing compound and good foam and/or wool compounding pad
*Some folks say not to use bleach but if you are putting fish on the deck and getting it bloody you almost have to. It will strip wax and can damage cushion ect but it works. Just keep your boat polished and it wont hurt to carefully use a little bleach
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The best thing to wash your boat with is a pressure washer.
Under 2000psi
Electric from Costco or Sams (great return policies).
After you did that, follow what jimmy said.
After every trip I use the pressure washer and “starbrite” marine soap, (I think that’s the right name). I always put in the nozzle that has the most gentle fan spray. I do use the more aggressive fan nozzle for the trailer.
Once a year I apply a mild rubbing compound with a damp towel. Then go over it with a buffer and wool pad. I keep a light mist of water on the area being worked and then rinse it off with the pressure washer. After the hull dries I apply a good paste wax and polish it off by using the buffer again.
Best thing you can do for your boat is keep it under a building and out of the sun.
218WA Sailfish
The "Penn"sion Plan
For tough spots, I have found a mixture of bleach and baking soda mixed to about mayonnaise thickness works wonders. I use it with a small scrub brush and am constantly amazed.
ZX
Great ideas!
Also, I keep a small bottle of 3m cleaner wax or 3m restorer wax around and if i get tennis shoe scuffs,water hose scuffs, dock marks,etc you can get them out with it and it wont leave the area waxless like soft scrub,magic eraser or other abrasives containing no wax or polish. The plexus i recommended in the first post for windshields, i should have said non glass windshields, which you most likely have. However, out of curiosity, and because it said dont use on glass, i had to try it. I did this on my old truck in a very small spot and it didnt hurt it at all. But, there is a reason they say not to use on glass, so i wouldn’t do it. Also, the z cleaner is recommended for almost all boat surfaces except glass and maybe one or two others.
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