hull water spotted

floater212

I'm in the process of getting my boat ready for this season but having no luck in removing last season's water spots. the boat is stored outside with a cover but it doesn't cover boat completely. I have tried #1 washing it with boat soap... still spotty. #2 I tried boat hull cleaner... smelled bad but still spotty.  #3 polishing compound with electric buffer.. after 2 tries it's better but still spotty. looks like it's deep in the paint, but I had it all off last season before storing it. HELP!!!!! how do you guys clean the hull to make it look like new and what do you use? it's driving me crazy... short trip but still a drive.

JoeStang

I'd search for water spot remover on some auto detailing sites. I vaguely remember people using vinegar in a spray bottle, but I'm sure there's a product out there for it.

If the water etched the surface then you'll need to get more aggressive with the cut of polish.

Black_Diamond

You can try dabbing on The Works toilet bowl cleaner too (not the think stuff). 

rinker312

I had the same problem with my black jet ski. No matter what I tried it looked terrible. My neighbor told me about this stuff called awesome that you can get at either the dollar store or dollar general, dollar something. I got some I believe the name is la's totally awesome. It is yellow and is cheap. Let me tell you that this stuff really is awesome. Spray it on and wipe the water spots right off. Worst case if it is bad you might have to go over it twice. I'd recommend a good coat of wax afterwards as I have to imagine that it is removing any wax that was on it. Give it a shot

rinker312

Here is a web site I found on it. Says to dilute it but I don't I just wet the surface with water first then spray on and wipe off http://www.lastotallyawesome.com/html/Products_Degreaser.html

floater212

here's what is going on the boat.... as I said in the first post I tried hull cleaner ( it has 2 acids, chlorine and water.. nasty stuff ), polishing compound and now some cleaner wax, it has a nice shine but it looks very hazy up close. should I go for some rubbing compound and buff it out? I'm afraid of ruining the big pinstripes and decal on the side. the boat is 80% off white with a big stripe of red, and that's where the problem is THE RED IS MAKING ME RED! it's gel coat if that makes a difference. could it be the old wax hazing? I have read that some people don't wax their boats because of that, they just use a marine polish.

Black_Diamond

There are some long, recent posts on waxing/polishing on here worth reading. You've stepped into the chalky colored gelcoat twilight zone. lol

TikiHut2

Red gelcoat is one of the hardest colors to maintain but there's hope. It seems that there are plenty of quick fixes and short cut promises, but in truth the fix usually lays in elbow grease and a tried and true process. Here's the quintessential how-to on colored hull restoration and regular maintenance: Read it all the way through. It's really just a pretty straight forward factory process used after manufacturing.

((LINK TO GELCOAT RESTORATION))


Not a squirt on miracle product, but just a process that factories and professional marine finishers use just about everywhere. I followed it word-for-word on my Navy blue hull that was neglected by a previous owner and it came out show room new after following each step and then following up with regular maintenance.

An additional excellent point that was passed along by a fellow RBOC member is that typical water from a hose is full of minerals that slowly layer and compromise your hard work. Conditioned water(from a water softener) is far less harsh and leaves a sweet shine. Beware harsh soaps that'll also strip off your hard earned shine too. It sounds like filthy rain from nearby power plant/factory/roadway contaminants or reclaimed sprinkler water may have been your etching culprit.

Like politics and religion, this is a topic that gets people going off on the miracle product that they want to believe works for them so do some research, avoid the hype and start some shoulder exercises. The good news is that your 212 is a pretty quick job once you get started.

Good luck, Mike

rinker312

LOL. I know, I know. You guys think I'm crazy. That's what I thought when my neighbor told me. I tried hull cleaner too and some polishing compound and the spots were still there looked terrible. The water spots are minerals just like you said. I don't know what is in that stuff but yes they do wipe off. Go to dollar store and spend a dollar or two on a bottle and then tell me that it doesn't take them off. Whatever mineral is in the water here it takes it off.

TikiHut2

R312, sorry. Didn't mean to imply that your solution wouldn't solve 212s spots. It's certainly worth a try in a safe spot and possibly a great find. Hey if it'll get that Tennessee river stuff off your boat there's something going on .

My reference was regarding the endless pages/store isles of magic shine polishes and sure fire shiny fixes. I especially like the ad where a guy goes to the junk yard and smears some magic shine jive on a mucky car finish and it becomes a showroom shine with one effortless swipe of a shop rag.

 I suspect that during the boats' winter storage 212 got hosed by reclaimed water or splashed by some sort of caustic liquid swill that might come right off with your solution. Sure hope so. Otherwise.......as BD said,  it's the twilight zone of gelcoat fixes to get down to that hazy layer and remove it with the right compound.

floater212

to r312.. we're going there tonight to buy some, hope it works.  I also tried what the pros do and that's working too, but slow and redo.. redo ..redo. it was: as you use polishing compound before it gets dry spray some water so you can buff longer. still a few spots but it SMOOTH, baby!

rinker312

If what you have is waterspots I think you'll be surprised how well it works. No it won't magically restore your finish but it should get the spots off and then you can focus on the finish. Good luck let us know if you think it helps your situation.

floater212

awesome did not work, closer look, it's the paint being hazy so back to polishing compound and water spritz. the one side I had to do the polishing 2 times to get the haze off so the next days i'll be doing the other side and then ready for wax... which I haven't got yet......another thing to do! the first hull cleaner I used was 2 kinds of acid and chlorine, good thing there was a breeze..... ooooooooo that smell.