Hull Bleaching

SkipperofVaruna

SkipperofVaruna

New Member
Over the past few years my hull has gotten considerably yellower, according to the previous owner. I intend to bleach the hull to rewhite (not sure of the right term) it. I asked around at my club and got the same general answer, but I thought I'd ask the really experienced guys just to make sure I don't screw up my boat. Is it okay to just use clorox or do I need to buy special boat deck whitener (once again, don't know the proper term)?

Thanks,

Varuna
 
there are a lot of acid jellies on the market, such as y-10, which do an amazing job on yellowed gelcoat. however, they take everything off and tend to let the hull get yellow again sooner. the usual answer to this is to wax the boat right away. since we all know this isn't desirable on a raceboat, you might try one of those teflon polishes to protect it afterwards. also, when it says on the jar to wear gloves and wash it off right away, you should listen. My relief on a boat i used to work on didn't heed this advice and the company had to re=gel the boat a second time 3 seasons after the original gel had been recoated. acid burns. I have also heard that the industrial bathroom cleaner "roll-off"is good at removing the beige. haven't tried it though. Good luck
 
I've had very good luck with oxalic acid. You can buy it in crystal form and mix up what you need cheap but you need to apply it evenly or you can get streaks.

Instead of mixing myself, I usually use a product called Dekswood which is oxalic acid in a gel form -- since it's a gel it doesn't run and cause streaks as easily as the crystals mixed in water. I just paint it on with an old brush, wait a bit in the sun and then rinse it off. It's not so strong that it can eat away your gelcoat but if can sting a little bit if you get a lot on your skin.
 
I use a mixture of 1/3 Simple Green, 1/3 Bleach, 1/3 water. This seems to work pretty well. If it is really bad, cut back on the water. If you are worried about mixing your own soup, StarBrite hull cleaner is great stuff. You can buy it at Boater's World or West. Gloves are a must for both.

You should definitely put some sort of polish/protectant on as soon as the hull is dry. I used StarBrite Boat Polish w/ Teflon® because I saw it mentioned on another Laser thread, and I happened to have a bottle on hand :D.
 
i have to second B-Pete's advice on the GLOVES. use them whenever working with these cleaning acids or cleaners. you will get burned. you may not feel it at first because you're working with a hose or a bucket of water. When you stop and your hands dry - It Burns!! trust me, take the precaution. Goggles too if you have them for splashes.
 
I take Kaboom and spray it on the hull, and then take rubbing compound that you can get at almost any painters store, use a buffer, and then take a polishing wax, and that leaves the hull shiny and white
 
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