A good topside cleaner ?

I really wouldn't put Cif on your topsides - far to aggressive. It's expensive, but if you want an excellent product, it has to be the 3M range. Restorer for stubborn poo, cleaner for medium poo and Finesse it for finishing. That lot is about £40 - but you get's what you pay for.
 
Blimey! You're much more brave than I! That sounds like a recipe for removing the gelcoat over a number of seasons worth of polishing!
 
There have been a lot of recommendations in the past for a product called Poliglow. Search the forum for details.

I haven't used it yet, but I'll give it a try this year.
 
Another vote for...

Like others, I use Cif/Jif (actually I use cheap "own brand" creme cleaners). Works fine as long as you use it gently on a sudsy sponge, and doesn't damage the gelcoat. For stubborn yellow stains, oxalic acid is the stuff (that's the ingredient in Y10 gel). Most important thing, once it's clean, is to protect the surface with polish followed by wax. I use Meguiars, which you can get from Fox's in Ipswich.

I'd be cautious of using Poliglow. It's a coating, and the end result is very dependent on the effort put into cleaning and preparing the surface first. It also needs regular re-application, so it's not an instant solution. Probably best to stick with regular polish and see how you get on.
 
we got a yellow bottle of stuff called "Wipeout",
http://www.seamarknunn.co.uk/catalog/items/item1441.htm, cheap enough and it worked wonders on cleaning all sorts of marks on our 20yr old white hull.
gave it a quick rub of farecla G10 (very fine finishing compound), and its clean as a whistle. not a spot of yellow stains or black marks anywhere.
a quick polish with 3M wax next weekend, and its ready to go.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Blimey! You're much more brave than I! That sounds like a recipe for removing the gelcoat over a number of seasons worth of polishing!

[/ QUOTE ]

You must have pretty craaapppy gel-coat if you think CIF will damage it!!! It is a mild cream cleaner designed for cleaning plastic baths etc. without damage.

I use it all the time and then follow up with a quick coat of wax polish.

Paul.
 
I agree.

CIF (still JIF were I live) also seems ok on polyurethane topcoats (although it pays to avoid any abrasive whatsoever on polyurethanes for as long as possible).

John
 
Poliglow requires a good clean hull beforehand, and that can be more work than you thought, but has, so far, aparrently kept a reasonable shine since last August. I'll have a better look over Easter after I've given the whole boat a good clean.

As I understand it the stuff (and there are other brands) makes a coating that partially bonds to the gelcoat, and the cleaner the gelcoat the better the bond, and is transparent thus showing the state of the gelcoat. It certainly shows where I couldn't colour match orange very well, but so did cutting compund, polish and wax:-(

Previously it was a day to give the hull a good clean, a day to cut and polish and half a day to wax, rather weather dependant. I did the lot in a day and a half or so, mostly in the rain, when doig the Poliglow this time.
 
Yep, used Poliglow this year, and very happy with the results...

The £50 kit is more than adequate for a 33'er, and has left enough over for a top up or two throughout the year....

As someone said above, you do need to work hard on getting the hull clean, but it brings back a really really nice shine to the topsides.... for the first time, my boat is glinting in the sun again.... now all I need is lots more sun!
 
I agree that Meguiars is bloody good stuff.

As a pure cleaner then I am using (right now) a product loaned to me by one of the yacht brokers in the marina and for pure cleaning and removal of ingrained dirt then this is the best I have ever used. (and on the topsides)

It is called "HARD SURFACE CLEANER H/P". Claims to clean cars and vehicle bodies, fibreglass, carpets and upholstery, floors, glass, paintwork etc.

The label says:

Supplier is Jewelultra Ltd
3, Downs Court,
Yalding Mill,
Maidstome,
Kent
tel: 01622 815679

I've got cream, leather look upholstery that looks a bit jaded, and I kid you not, it has brought it up like new!

Usual disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the supplier - just an extremely satisfied user. (and I've not paid for it!!)
 
thanks a lot for this info.

I have also looked into the survey report and the surveyor recommended 'Farecla Gel' as a topside cleaner.

anybody heard of it ?

thanks again.
 
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