Removing film/scum off boat
 

I do most of my wakeboarding in a river close to my house. The only problem I am running into is that the river is a mud bottom and very brown. I have an all white 210 and the river is leaving a brownish film on the boat were it sits in the water. I use liquid glass wash on my cars and tried it on my boat but the film does not come off even with elbow grease. Any suggestions on what to use?

Amazing roll off

On e you get it off, don't forget to wax the bottom portion of the hull. I know, but I do it just for that reason

Put on rubber gloves and put "the works" toilet bowl cleaner on a rag and wipe it down. The scum will come off instantaneously. Then clean it with soap and water immediately after. Does wonders

And what he said ^
Collinite is the cats pajamas for paste wax on boats

Would totally awesome work? I bought some for my interior and it does a great job on the vinyl.

are you cleaning it on a lift above the water, or on land? A lot of these cleaners are really bad for the river.

On and Off by Mary Kate works great. It takes some gnarly stuff off the bottoms of boats. And then make sure to wax after.

Mitch. I am cleaning it on my trailer on my driveway.

Starbrite Hull cleaner (got from Academy sports) works great, Absolutely no elbow grease required.

I would start by trying to clean it off with some vinegar. It's one of the main ingredients in a number of hull cleaners. It's gentle enough to not mess up your gelcoat, but does a great job in getting stuff off. It's also cheap as dirt, so it can't hurt to give it a go.

Slimey grimey is a hull cleaner to get the scum line off without a lot of elbow grease.Works great, we used it on our Nautique with a white hull.

The best way to get slimy scum off your boat is to ask them for gas money.

Any hull cleaner with muratic acid in it will take the stain out. Just follow the instructions for dilution and application.

I found some stuff at my local hardware that is used to take the iron stains off of sidewalks. Add an inch to the bottom of a bucket, take my brush and run down the rub rail, and watch the water stain fall off. Rinse, and your done. Best thing is it's enviromentaly friendly. I have to go pick some up today... (Boat in the Suwannee river all July 4th weekend) I will get the exact name of it and post it up. Works wonders!

NO. I have noticed even getting a bit of totally awesome on my gel leaves drip marks etc. Might just be isolated but id avoid it. I'd go with vinegar mix after each ride and if you are going a few rides use the works. Once you use it though every bit of wax is gone and you will need to rewax.

Receive this question weekly from Boat Bling customers. I wish I would have paid more attention to chemistry in high school because I'd be able to keep up with the chemists we work with LOL

Interior cleaners and soaps such as Totally Awesome, Vinyl Sauce, Malco, etc are usually alkaline (high pH) in nature which helps them create suds when mixed with water. To remove mineral deposits from the hull you need something acidic (low pH)

We stay far away from the harsh chemicals required to accomplish such a deep clean but our suggestion is to acid wash with a dilution of muriatic (pool) acid. Gelcoat is porous so the minerals and sediment embed themselves into the surface and become very difficult to remove. Might as well do the entire hull while you're at it which will remove any old wax residue and grime so you can start fresh. Follow up with liberal amounts of water to remove and neutralize remaining acid from boat and especially trailer. Be careful throughout the process and always use hand/eye protection. Muriatic acid is no joke.

After she's all cleaned up, put on a good coat (or 2, or 3) of polymer wax sealant. Carnuba waxes typically offer great shine with their oil base but offer minimal protection once dunked in water. You want to create a barrier on the hull especially the underside so the minerals never have a chance to get to bare gelcoat. The more time you spend protecting the gel, the less work to remove water spots and stains. Once protected, stay away from vinegar and strong spot removers unless you want to rewax and begin the cycle all over again. (Stop reading if you are offended by shameless plugs lol) Hot Sauce was developed around it's mineral deposit removing abilities while maintaining wax protection so it's safe to use on waxed surfaces and its sealant properties compliment the wax coat.

star brite

Walmart sells hull cleaner in the boating section that is the exact same thing as Starbrite (same bottle even) but costs half as much. That's what I use and it works great. Just be careful with your trailer and keep it hosed off.

Thanks everyone. I used star brite and it cleaned in instantly. Wiped in on with a sponge and the film was gone in seconds. Worked awesome!