Tips on cleaning a boat that has been uncovered outside for sometime.

K

kraken

Member
The project v20 I just bought has been setting outside for a year uncovered under a tree. The leaves are the easy part of cleaning but there is the usual green molds on all the fiberglass, the woods have dried out, and black molds on all the seats inside and out. I have a power sprayer and was wondering what types of cleaners I can use safely on this boat to get the initial cleaning done.
 
If it's one of the hi-powered sprayers 2500 PSI or so, be careful w/it...don't hold it any closer to the gel-coat than is needed to get the job done...
 
go to lowes buy the gallon simple green house wash it's clear in the pressure washer isle works great and kills mold and mildew too.


couldn't find it on their site but they had this listed now

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=108151-12880-SHS01&lpage=none


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Thats funny as CB was on mky boat this week and was saying how dirty it was, I called him later and asked what he thought house cleaner would be!!
Lots of dry nfish gut and some mold, I told him I had no time to clean! LOL
 
When my buddy purchase a project boat it was nasty. We got all the junk out and then I made up a solution of 1 gallon clorox and 1 gallon water. I put it in one of those weed sprayers and started spraying it down. Took several times but it looked great when it was done and yes we still had to scrub some. I have also taken some soft scrub and mixed it 50/50 clorox to make it stronger and that works good.
 
Any degreaser from an auto parts store will work but may take a couple application or some scrubbing. I would avoid the powerwasher on anything other than the floor and keep it a good distance away from that as well. More than likely any reall bad stains are gonna have to be dealt with a fiberglass cleaner which again means more work. Get yourself some marine spraynine for the seat,worked well for mine with all the algae and such we have down here in the south. Good luck man,your gonna need all ya can get.
 
the simple green is biodegradeable and it works well. It is inexpensive too. Mix it up stronger than they suggest and do a small area at a time so it does not dry on the boat. Any stubborn stains that manage to linger use a solution of hot water and bleach with just a touch of soap like a dish soap in it. Dish tip soaps are strong degreasers.
Simple green will also work to clean the bildge area of molds and smells, pour it in there, turn off the bildge pump and let it sit overnight. will not harm the gel coat or fiberglass.
 
I"ve always used warm water, bleach and a little Dawn. It works really well. I"ve used Spray Nine and it works great but Walmart quit selling it and I cant find it anywhere. Did they stop making it? Oh and good luck with your boat!!
 
The 3-M heavy oxidation formula works great after you are done with the initial cleaning. A 12volt drill motor, a 10" buffer, and this brown liquid that can be purchased from the local ABC store is all you will need..let 'er rip :sly:
 
Like Swampbilly said, 3M fiberglass restorer works great. Use it with a buffer and you'll be happy with the results. If its really oxidized bad it may take a couple of applications.
 
Just be careful not to mix products containing amonia with products containing bleach. Fumes can be downright nasty, even deadly without ventilation.
 
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