Boat yellowing

[baaldi]

Hi all.

Got the boat out of the water after being in for 8 days and I have noticed a slight yellowing of the hull in patches below the water line.

Do I need to be worried?

Do I need to do anything about it?

Cheers

[pgullen]

Starbrite hull cleaner- spray it on, rince it off. You should see what my nautique looks like after it has spent 9 months in the lake! You can also get oxalic acid a lot cheaper and mix it with warm water- i think that is the active ingrediant in the starbrite stuff. again spray on, rince off. the yellow grime just falls off.

[Cap'n Jack]

You know I would be very worried about this phenomenon, because your boat was in salt water. This is an old mariners problem which used to occur on some wooden hulls in centuries gone.
It's called Nonuseelbowism and is very rare these days, mainly due to better chemicals and the introduction of cheaper power tools, but mainly because elbow grease has increased in popularity.

[baaldi]

being a moderator I have the power to put your post where it belongs capn........

However...................................

[ogaryo]

Have a look at Chine Shine on Ebay.. Oxalic Acid based I believe and cheap for 2 litres £15), should last you a lifetime of boating, or thereabouts

[Rinker]

My local boat brokerage use oxalic acid which is the active ingredient in all of the branded products. It's easily obtained , cheap to buy and has many usages including removing rust stains.

[SEAMIKE]

I've been using oxalic acid for a while now,cheaper than what you buy from a chandlers, tip is to add a bit of washing up liquid to the mix, it helps the oxalic acid to stick to the hull, I do use starbrite on the water line for the real stubborn staining, with a little bit of old fashion elbow grease.

[mlines]

Cillit Bang Grime and Lime - £2 from Tesco and does a whole hull. Soak a "J" cloth with it and spread over the yellow. Leave a minute and wipe off. Be amazed at the results for such little effort.

However - WEAR GLOVES!

I did my hull last weeked after a week holidaying at Poole. It was distinctly yellow. Tried a number of products. Viakal and Cif were good but needed a small amount of effort. Cillit Bang was brilliant and needed no effort. The downside being that the skin from my hand has been peeling off all week and my hand is sore, hence the gloves warning.

[Argonaut]

Starbrite hull cleaner- spray it on, rince it off. You should see what my nautique looks like after it has spent 9 months in the lake! You can also get oxalic acid a lot cheaper and mix it with warm water- i think that is the active ingrediant in the starbrite stuff. again spray on, rince off. the yellow grime just falls off.

If it helps ..easy source of Oxalic Acid is to buy "Bar Keepers Friend" ... Tesco stock it.

[salamis]

I understand some use wallpaper paste mixed in the oxalic acid water mix to help it stay on the gel coat longer.

I bought my oxalic acid powder off ebay.

[Argonaut]

I would consider looking at Collinite products .... they seem to be the dogs spehroids when it comes to cleaning and protecting Gelcoat ..

Fleetwax 885 is the wax
920 is the Cleaner

http://www.shipshapenorfolkltd.co.uk/ec ... .php?cat=3
:

[blued]

I use Astonish "Oven & Cookware Cleaner" to get the grime off - http://www.astonishcleaners.com/product ... okware.php

Great results, my manager at work recommended it. You can get it in Poundland and the likes.

[Argonaut]

I use Astonish "Oven & Cookware Cleaner" to get the grime off - http://www.astonishcleaners.com/product ... okware.php

Great results, my manager at work recommended it. You can get it in Poundland and the likes.

Don't thinm I would take a 'Poundland oven cleaner to my hull' .....
but your boat, your choice

[blued]

Don't knock it til you've tried it. I think it was recommended by PBO originally and it works very well.

My £1 tub has done 2 seasons and there is still more than half left. Of course if you want to spend 10x that on boat cleaner...

[Argonaut]

As I said ... it's your boat and you can use what you want.
Mine has never been dirty enough to use anything more than a sponge and soap n water ...... with an end & mid season polish, never anything corrosive, caustic or abrasive.


I appreciate the comment 'don't knock it till you use it' .....
I look at it this way, my boat cost the same as a new BMW ....... would I use oven cleaner on the paint work of a BMW ... I think not.


If I used a product designed for cleaning ovens and it ruined my GelCoat ... I would have no come back on product manufacturer, if the purpose designed wax caused a problem ... then I would have come back on manufacturer.

But it's a free world. (apart from America that is)


BTW - Do you wear yellow marigolds when you use it