Cleaning question...

DukeII

DukeII

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Hello all,

Just looking for a bit of advice really, spent most of the weekend polishing the 'above water' bit of hull on the old seamaster 27 (it's not pretty, but we're getting there). I was using Mer and Auto Glym Super resin polish, but can't seem to get rid of old scaley water stains around where the bow wash is.

I seem to remember reading somewhere (and even seeing someone else using) Cillit Bang or similar limescale removers on their hull - is this actually safe or will it do more harm than good to the old GRP gelcoat?

Thank you in advance for any tips,

Emma
 
I use Brillo pads, they don't appear to scratch when used wet, obviously you use them to wear the scale down rather than bring a wonderful shine up, so they barely touch the gelcoat anyway. They are also good at bringing glass up like new too, again, with no visible scratching.

Have done this for years, no ill effects. Buy the real cheap ones in large packets.

They are good for instant scale removal, glass cleaning and they also remove the black soot from around the exhaust, which previously wouldn't come off with anything!!
 
Thames water is' hard' and therefore deposits lime scale at the water/air intface. My son uses basic lime scale remover on out drives he is working on to clean up the crud that appears at the waterline. It fizzes away pleasingly once applied,while he scrubs and washes it off.It does not appear to do any harm as it only reacts with the calcium deposits left on the legs.
The descaler he uses is the same as used for descaling kettles.
I have used it on my outboards to clean off the calcium and it works a treat.
I don't see why it would not work equally well on a GRP substrate without any detriment to the gel coat
 
Citric Acid also works, or even a bag of overage/cheap Lemons cut in half and wiped around!

The brillos are far faster, and clean more things for a lot less £££'s :D
 
Patio cleaner

I am sure kettle descaler would work just as well but Patio cleaner, diluted 50/50 with water and just wiped over the affected area (I do the whole hull) then washed off with copious quantities of water. Available from builders merchants at approx' £10 per 4.5 litres.
I usually do about 4 to 6 foot of hull length at a time and leave each for around 2 minutes before rinsing off.
Works a treat an no boats have yet disintegrated on me!!
 
miket said:
I am sure kettle descaler would work just as well but Patio cleaner, diluted 50/50 with water and just wiped over the affected area (I do the whole hull) then washed off with copious quantities of water. Available from builders merchants at approx' £10 per 4.5 litres.
I usually do about 4 to 6 foot of hull length at a time and leave each for around 2 minutes before rinsing off.
Works a treat an no boats have yet disintegrated on me!!
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Thats because you have never had the same boat long enough for it to disintegrate Mike :D
As we have been afloat for almost 2 years now, I may try your idea of patio cleaner out shortly, and of course, its usually fully bio-degardeable, worth checking!
As my mentor on boat purchases and such like , I will of course follow your example to the letter
 
Thank you all for the suggestions...I can see I'm going to have a busy weekend coming up testing out the various methods!

Emma
 
Does the job really well ....... Tesco's own WHITE Vinegar
safe and cheap as chips
and cleans in just a few seconds
 
I use cheapo malt vinegar for descaling at home - taps, plugs, showerheads (although you must be sure to rinse the latter properly if you don't want to go to work smelling like a chip shop the next morning :D). No elbow grease required just slosh it on, leave it to fizz for a few minutes, wipe it off. Job done.
 
teddington_lock said:
Patio cleaner is hydrofluoric acid isn't it ?
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I hope not:confused:

Health & safety

HF burns, not evident until a day after
Hydrofluoric acid is a highly corrosive liquid and is a contact poison. It should be handled with extreme care, beyond that accorded to other mineral acids. Owing to its low dissociation constant, HF as a neutral lipid-soluble molecule penetrates tissue more rapidly than typical mineral acids. Because of the ability of hydrofluoric acid to penetrate tissue, poisoning can occur readily through exposure of skin or eyes, or when inhaled or swallowed. Symptoms of exposure to hydrofluoric acid may not be immediately evident. HF interferes with nerve function, meaning that burns may not initially be painful. Accidental exposures can go unnoticed, delaying treatment and increasing the extent and seriousness of the injury.[8]

Once absorbed into blood through the skin, it reacts with blood calcium and may cause cardiac arrest. Burns with areas larger than 25 square inches (160 cm2) have the potential to cause serious systemic toxicity from interference with blood and tissue calcium levels.[9] In the body, hydrofluoric acid reacts with the ubiquitous biologically important ions Ca2+ and Mg2+. Formation of insoluble calcium fluoride is proposed as the etiology for both precipitous fall in serum calcium and the severe pain associated with tissue toxicity.[10] In some cases, exposures can lead to hypocalcemia. Thus, hydrofluoric acid exposure is often treated with calcium gluconate, a source of Ca2+ that sequesters the fluoride ions. HF chemical burns can be treated with a water wash and 2.5% calcium gluconate gel.[11][12][13] or special rinsing solutions.[14][15] However, because it is absorbed, medical treatment is necessary;[9] rinsing off is not enough. Intra-arterial infusions of calcium chloride have also shown great effectiveness in treating burns.[16]
:eek:
 
Hellooooo!

It's OK! I'm still here, just been down the marina all day!! :D :D :D

Found some cillit bang lime and grime in the back of the kitchen cupboard and that seems to have been the stuff to use round the waterline....wish I'd had it last weekend as I did 50% of it with T-Cut which was useless. The remaining bits today done with the Cillit have come up brilliantly.

I gave the remainder of the bottle to the chap next door to us on the hard standing who'd tried about 3 different things on his (dark blue) hull to try and get all the limey water marks off and had virtually given up. He is now my new best mate!!

Thanks again for the suggestions, we are finally getting there now...Just got to put the antifoul on next weekend and we should be good to get lifted back in then....

Emma
 
Alpha22 said:
Cilt bang Lime and grime - Highly recommended. Squirt it on, wait 5 then rinse off... no damage to paint or GRP.
Click to expand...

Yes, works really well and cheaply compared to expensive boat cleaners but......when the bottle says wear gloves, it means it!

Whilst a bit on the hands cleaning the kitchen sink is of no consequence, a morning of boat bottom cleaning means a week with the skin peeling from your red hands (lesson learnt the hard way!)
 
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