OBTC
05.06.2021 4:14:44
The Products:
See full version: Removing Waterline Hull Staining
The Products:
While oxalic is dirt cheap and works extremely well for this task, I prefer to use a gelled acid for this task. The gel formulation is an attempt to keep the acid off the anti-fouling bottom paint and keep it on the staining, where it belongs. [links]
For Gelcoat, Not Painted Hulls: here
This is also a great step to do before waxing a boat and it will whiten up most any old tannin/rust stained gelcoated hull. more
To clean waterline stains I use MaryKate On & Off Gel pictured here. This is a huge improvement over the regular non-gel On & Off or basic Oxalic crystals from the hardware store. It’s also a lot cheaper and stronger than products like Davis FSR stain remover, but works similarly.
We found that the thicker gels worked best and were the safest to use. They are easier to apply thanks to their easy-to-see color and their consistency. The Spray Nine was as effective as the other top gels, was fast, and also was the cheapest.
The bottom of the boat from the waterline stripe down was divided into 1-foot-wide sections with bright blue 2-inch masking tape. Each section was marked and numbered 1 through 22, and each product was assigned a number to correspond.
We tested 22 products from 15 companies, dividing the playing field into four categories based on the type of stain remover: gel, liquid, spray, and powder. Those tested included products from Boatlife, Davis FSR, Interlux, Marykate, Spray Nine, West Marine, Y-10, Aurora, Nautical Ease, Star brite, Poli-Ox, Boat Brite, MDR Amazon, Sudbury, and Toon Brite. Picking the top products was a tough job considering the minor differences in performance. We found that the thicker gels worked best and were the safest to use. They are easier to apply thanks to their easy-to-see color and their consistency. In the end, all of the Excellent rated products are effective, but to avoid the cleaners with sinus-scorching vapors, go by the individual product descriptions in the review.
West Marine Hull Cleaner is a fairly strong oxalic acid. The concentrated formula “…can cause damage to bottom paint,” so be careful where you use it. It took the stains off immediately. here
MDR Waterline Stain Remover comes as a spray bottle. Although the ingredients are not mentioned, it sprayed on easily, results were excellent and fast, and a little scrubbing with the sponge also removed some barnacles. [links]
Y-10 Original Fiberglass Stain Remover is a thick blue, oxalic acid gel that brushes on easily with a sponge applicator. Testers let it sit for about two minutes. After rinsing, the hull was bright and white. more
There seems to be a brown stain (wasnt there begining of year)..Im new to boating and thought it would come off after a good wash. this is not the case (perhaps this is why you rinse down after each outting. leason learned)..
Re: How do I get the brown stain off transom and waterline?
Re: How do I get the brown stain off transom and waterline? [links]
Re: how to get rid of scum on aluminum boats more
Most toilet bowl cleaners have oxalic acid ace their active ingredient and this works well to remove scum. Sno-Bol or The Works are two that come to mind.
Hello everyone! I'm new to the site but did experience this problem with my 20' toon after sitting in the Ouachita for several months. The nasty brown river scum was disgusting, to say the least. I used Dawn, Dishwashing Liquid, on the toons and the motor and the scum came off without a problem. I was impressed, to say the least.
Re: how to get rid of scum on aluminum boats here