rafiki_
Well-Known Member
That's the one. 3 for 2 ATM I believe.
Boat cleaning
- Thread starter petem
- Start date
kanajobe48
Well-Known Member
+1 for august race - all their products that I've tried have been excellent
Trundlebug
Well-Known Member
I would steer clear of using magic sponges on vinyl, as they're abrasive and will remove the sheen as well as the shite.
My choices are:-
GRP Topsides - water, elbow grease and either a microfibre cloth or a scrubbing brush to get the black pollution spots out of non slip surfaces. Works so well there's no need to use chemicals
Windows - AutoGlym Fast Glass. Quick, easy, great results
Exterior vinyl - Mer vinyl and rubber care. Great cleaner and protection / polish, also softens the vinyl
Hood windows - Pledge. Haven't found anything to beat it. Quick, cheap, great results
My choices are:-
GRP Topsides - water, elbow grease and either a microfibre cloth or a scrubbing brush to get the black pollution spots out of non slip surfaces. Works so well there's no need to use chemicals
Windows - AutoGlym Fast Glass. Quick, easy, great results
Exterior vinyl - Mer vinyl and rubber care. Great cleaner and protection / polish, also softens the vinyl
Hood windows - Pledge. Haven't found anything to beat it. Quick, cheap, great results
Momac
Well-Known Member
I tried a magic sponge and did not like the outcome - they are deceptively abrasive.
For GRP cleaning do try Silky Cream Cleaner - it seems to be non abrasive, more like a soap. Sold at caravan shops for about £4 -eg the one at Torksey . and very economical . I am pretty sure the tub I have is two years old despite being used regularly.
I will try Pledge for the canopy windows.
Chris H
Well-Known Member
Has anybody tried using car products, machine polishing and nano technology to help the water to run off.
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
Best finish I have found is using Silveryak wax. Recommended by Firefly 625. He sells a lot of cars, and knows his detailing. Very easy to apply and polish up. I only use magic sponges on the hull, not seats. Armour All on vinyl seating. Another vote for pledge on the canopy windows.
rubberduck
Well-Known Member
How odd, I got that idea of magic sponges from this very forum, many recommendations. I only use for stubborn marks but have had no issues.
petem
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the replies. Have purchased Autoglym leather cleaner and Armorall for seating. Also bought some Stardrops (it was only 80p) and can confirm that it's great for UPVC windows, seems to be quite gentle
, non sticky and causes some water beading after application so will try that on seats too.
Incidentally, can anyone recommend a good / cheap boat cleaning service in Hythe? Boats not had a clean for 6 weeks or so and would benefit from a quick professional clean I think.
, non sticky and causes some water beading after application so will try that on seats too.
Incidentally, can anyone recommend a good / cheap boat cleaning service in Hythe? Boats not had a clean for 6 weeks or so and would benefit from a quick professional clean I think.
petem
Well-Known Member
Bit of an update. I tackled the cockpit seating with Rafiki's recommended Armorall and it came up very nicely. I hope that it's left a protective layer that will help to protect it and keep it easy to clean in the future.
I also tackled one of the sofas with the Autoglym leather cleaner recommended above. Seems to have done the job and I will complete the cleaning this weekend and apply the protector Autoglym stuff.
Incidentally, I also bought some Star Drops as it was only 80p in the Supermarket. Also seems to have done a nice job of the interior vinyl surfaces; quite gentle, non sticky and left a slight orange fragrance. I might try it on the bilges next.
As the woodwork is heavily lacquered, I've just used a tiny but of Pledge multi-surface cleaner on a clean microfibre cloth.
I've got some metalwork to do next. Any recommendations for that?
I also tackled one of the sofas with the Autoglym leather cleaner recommended above. Seems to have done the job and I will complete the cleaning this weekend and apply the protector Autoglym stuff.
Incidentally, I also bought some Star Drops as it was only 80p in the Supermarket. Also seems to have done a nice job of the interior vinyl surfaces; quite gentle, non sticky and left a slight orange fragrance. I might try it on the bilges next.
As the woodwork is heavily lacquered, I've just used a tiny but of Pledge multi-surface cleaner on a clean microfibre cloth.
I've got some metalwork to do next. Any recommendations for that?
petem
Well-Known Member
I've found a bloke called Wayne. Charges £40 for an exterior wash - bargain!
petem
Well-Known Member
In addition to my metalwork question above, whats best for removing light stains from Alcantara? Also, removal of rust stains from fibreglass / gel coat.
Last edited:
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
Rust stains is oxalic acid.
You can make your own cheaply, buying it in powder form or buy a pot of Y10 with is a gel.
You can make your own cheaply, buying it in powder form or buy a pot of Y10 with is a gel.
jcwads
Well-Known Member
I use -
3M Boat Wash for most cleaning on deck and gelcoat
Starbrite non skid deck cleaner when its looking pretty dirty
Starbrite Vinyl Cleaner for windows (polishes them up a treat)
303 Aerospace Protectant for my vinyl seats in the cockpit for regular protection
Regular household dettol wipes or equivalent for cleaning inside the cockpit
Simplegreen for engine bay cleaning or cleaning anything greasy or stubborn
Flitz metal polish for all metal works - great stuff, comes up gleaming
And yes I am completely anal when it comes to cleaning.
3M Boat Wash for most cleaning on deck and gelcoat
Starbrite non skid deck cleaner when its looking pretty dirty
Starbrite Vinyl Cleaner for windows (polishes them up a treat)
303 Aerospace Protectant for my vinyl seats in the cockpit for regular protection
Regular household dettol wipes or equivalent for cleaning inside the cockpit
Simplegreen for engine bay cleaning or cleaning anything greasy or stubborn
Flitz metal polish for all metal works - great stuff, comes up gleaming
And yes I am completely anal when it comes to cleaning.
Piers
Well-Known Member
For the first time I have used Rain.x on Play d'eau's glass - inside and out. Simply superb. Gleaming, but even better - the rain runs off so well and the wiper blades work far better.
petem
Well-Known Member
Had the covers cleaned today and the guy recommended applying some Fabsil to soften and preserve them. Is this a good thing to do?
Is Fabsil OK or is there anything else that's better / cheaper?
Is Fabsil OK or is there anything else that's better / cheaper?
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
Fabsil is the right stuff Pete. You could use brick sealer from Wickes, or similar but Fabsil is the standard.
petem
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the tip so far. I must confess that Stardrops has become my cleaner of choice for all sort of things. As said earlier, seems to be quite gentle and doesn't seem to have turned my gelcoat orange or anything like that. Under £1 a bottle two.
Anyhow, the metalwork on the boat is the next bit to receive some attention. Anyone got any recommendations (I see Flitz mentioned above)?
Anyhow, the metalwork on the boat is the next bit to receive some attention. Anyone got any recommendations (I see Flitz mentioned above)?
Piers
Well-Known Member
If it's stainless, Maquires NXT All Metal Polish (blue paste) is excellent. To finish, I use a Farecla liquid polish. If needing something for Chrome, make sure it's chrome only so you don't destroy the chrome.
petem
Well-Known Member
Thanks Piers, Halfrauds say that Maquires NXT All Metal Polish is OK for chrome too.
bigwow
Well-Known Member
Super Stainless for effort free cleaning of stainless.
