On and Off for hull cleaning?

jerkalert

New Member
I searched some old threads, but found no info. Anyone ever use On and Off to clean their hull? I'm just worried about it being too aggressive and damaging hull finish.

Thanks
 
OMG, unless you have metal rusting or 3 years worth of barnacle growth, I wouldn't suggest this stuff. I used it on a private yacht (know a lot about cleaning products if anyone has any more questions) to clean the rust out of a drip pan under leaky valves and it's basically acid. I had to use gloves and if you read the label, it indicates it will burn your throat if you breath it in. As I was in an enclosed place, I was coughing quite a bit - very harsh nasty stuff. Don't recommend it! Try the black-streak remover first if you want commercial stuff, or if you're trying to restore the paint, I recommend Finess-It II - very good stuff but will need a sealer like something with Teflon for overtop. You can buff with a buffer or do it by hand - I've done 130 footers with this stuff and it's a lot by hand but a little laser or similar - will work nicely. Just a reminder to anyone using new products - READ the label well. Or you might just burn a hole through your hull!
 
I hear what you're saying about On and Off, I've used it on big boats before. I sail on the Chesapeake and let's just say I've been a little lax on rinsing my hull after frostbiting this winter. Now I've got a nice "Bay Smile" on my hull (tannin stains) and was looking for the best way to remove it.
 
Try Dekswood to get that stain out. I've found it works quite well for those kinds of stains and getting slight rust stains off gel coat and stainless. Basically it's oxalic acid in a gel so it's not as likely to run or drip and leave different colored streaks and it's no where near as harsh as On & Off. It can really whiten your boat back up again, especially if you use it on a nice sunny day. Of course, you might need to do a couple coats if the staining is really bad. I find this works way better than any of the other similar looking marine products (like the Davis gel). Read the instructions of course and avoid getting any on you cause it might sting a bit but it's highly unlikely to burn through you or your boat.

http://www.flood.com/flood/Products/Exterior/WoodCare/Dekswood_Woodcare.htm
 
Try using Soft Scrub first. Apply it with a sponge and once you've got the hull nice and covered in foam and soap suds, let it sit for a 15 minutes. If you can do this in the sun, even better. Then Rinse off and repeat. Soft Scrub has bleech, so letting the suds sit gives the bleach time to do its job.

I've used On and Off for major rust stains on a steel hulled schooner. The stuff is dangerous. If that is the way you choose, make sure you where gloves.
 
If the 'Bay Smile' is like the Duck Pond stains we sometimes get at our Powerstation Lake something that does work is a glycol based cleaner - sold in Australia under the name of CLR clear. This is promoted for removing oil stains on garage floors, stained electric water jugs (although I wouldn't like to drink any residue) and calcium deposits.

It seems very agressive on the stains and you need to either use two buckets and wipe off with hot soapy water well within 3 minutes (maybe 30 seconds is enough) and then hose off the lot.

Not sure if it has any long-term effect on the gell coat but it doesn't seem to if you are quick (maybe a chemist would know). Just have to be careful if your hull has some scratches patched over with regular paint because it may remove this too - and it removes skin so wear gloves and don't inhale. Some people use hydrachloric acid to clean fiberglass but the glycol based cleaner seems to work in seconds with minimal wipe on-wipe off application.

Would be interested in a chemists view of any likely lon-term effects on the Gell coat though.
 

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