Water line staining

campbell

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Having tried rubbing compound / fine wet and dry / fibreglass colour restorer still have light brown marks arround water line .

How do you get it off ???

Regards

A
 

Shanty

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I use some stuff called Y10 - available at vast expense from chandlers. It only works at temperatures above 10 degrees C, but at these temperatures is very effective on brown waterline stains, and on rust stains.

As a cheaper alternative, I've seen mention of oxalic acid mixed with shower gel. I don't know if this works - think there may be a thread about it somewhere on ybw.
 
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Peegee

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Yep ! Y10 is great. brush on and leave for a mo. and then rinse off, works a treat. However ! my stains re-appeared by the end of the season, it could be that I did not use enough coats of polish afterwards so this seaon we will try again using a better polish. I would be interested to know where your sailing ground is , as I dont remember having the same degree of problem before moving round to the Thames area ? or is it just that the channel waters in general are getting dirtier
Peegee
 

Shanty

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Don't know about Channel waters - I sail in the North of Scotland. Don't think the waters around our moorings are particularly clean, as the main sewage outlet for Inverness points directly at them.

When I use Y10, I tend to leave it on for anything up to a week, as I've found it goes on working long after the initial 20 minute period. It won't prevent fresh staining however, so its a routine winter maintenance job.
 

Trevor_swfyc

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Yes here on the East Coast, river Crouch at Hullbridge which is down tide from a Sewage plant we have the same water line brown stain, not very attractive. Y10 removes the stain but within one month its back. Several years ago I had put my tender out onto the mooring expecting to launch the same week but was delayed. The tender had a slow leak and sunk to the water line it collected some very unpleasant material which I suspect is causing or contributing to the brown stain. During the summer children swim in this water ?.
I only leave Y10 on long enough to remove the stain and wash it off with copious water as its a strong acid, I would be concerned if it penetrated the gel coat.
Oxalic acid 10% solution as mentioned removes rust stains, I removed several stains from a sail with gentle rubbing with a soft cloth on the affected area again washing off with copious water.

Trevor
 

chippie

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Amazing! Doesnt England have any environmental laws,local or national that prohibit foul matter being released into waterways?
I sympathise with your staining and floater problems ,but cant help thinking this sort of problem needs sorting at the source. And no, I'm not a rabid greenie.

Cheers
 

vyv_cox

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Some of these correspondents have been misled. The staining is nothing to do with sewage, it is caused by natural components of water and is particularly prevalent in fresh water. Many Dutch boats, sailing on waters that are as clean as it is possible to get, and definitely no sewage, have badly stained and yellowed hulls. Catamarans on Bala Lake, also pure water, become very yellow. Cause here may well be tannins from peat.

Stains are very easily removed by oxalic acid (see thread on Scuttlebutt).
 

oldharry

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Ive not tried Oxalic acid, but do find Y10 is usually very effective. However, if the rest of the hull is discoloured you will end up with a 'tide line', as someone in our yard did! Not a problem however, as a second application to all exposed surfaces sorted it.
 

Trevor_swfyc

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I did not want to mislead or cause mischief I only report what I saw. I chose my words carefully and did say "I suspect is causing or contributing to the brown stain". I have no evidence that it is the cause or contributing to it. In Britain we have improved considerable with regard to outfall and its control, have you heard of the SAS this is an action group Surfers Against Sewage. Something to do with he who dares go into the water wins but only if he keeps his mouth shut.

Seriously we all want clean rivers don't we.

Very Secret Agent Trevor.
 
G

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I gave up cleaning or using acids to bleach the hull back to gleaming white but simply use a wider boot top stripe and curve it up at the bows which for some reason seems to add to the aesthetics somehow.
Anyway arn't we in danger of turning into those sad chaps who clean and inspect their mondeo's on a sunday morning, tut tutting and running a thumb over the sacrificial insect collection or (god forbid) a stone chip.
My boat is there to be used and enjoyed by my kids and their mates so I'm not to fussed about the odd stain or battle scar.
 

Mr Cassandra

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Knocking British Water

As you will know I spend most of my sailing in Greece. In the Ionion most of the ports discharge sewrage directly in the harbours . And now that I have sailed around to the Aegean ,it is worst ,we sailed up to a large port Navplion, this bay is a open sewer everything you can think of floats in or on the water, funny thing though most of the places have Blue flag beaches!, remember no tide to take the filth away .If one of the inspectors of the water reported a problem he would end up in Kalamata jail so do not belive all the bad thing about British waters we only report the facts accutarly hope this has not put youoff sailing in Greece because it is wonderful in many other ways cheers bob t

Bob T
 
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