Foot Channel Cleaning
- Thread starter etemplet
- Start date
- Status
AKnarrowback
Well-Known Member
Muriatic acid.
Use an old glass cleaner spray bottle. Shoot it on, let it sit for a minute and flush it out really good with the garden hose.
My wife's 94 GTX sat in the river from 94 until two years ago. I scrubbed a small patch for a half hour and barely changed the deep rust color to a lighter shade. I sprayed the acid on and watched the grime slide off the hull in less than five minutes. All I had to do was rinse with the hose, no elbow work needed. I hosed everywhere for a half hour to be extra safe.
As long as you only let it set for a few minutes it won't hurt the gelcoat. Just flush it off really good, don't let it set behind the trim, bumpers, anywhere.
I read marinas use a diluted solution to clean gelcoat hulls when they pull boats out for maintenance. I was skeptical but gave it a shot. It seriously removed over 20 years of river scum in minutes.
Use an old glass cleaner spray bottle. Shoot it on, let it sit for a minute and flush it out really good with the garden hose.
My wife's 94 GTX sat in the river from 94 until two years ago. I scrubbed a small patch for a half hour and barely changed the deep rust color to a lighter shade. I sprayed the acid on and watched the grime slide off the hull in less than five minutes. All I had to do was rinse with the hose, no elbow work needed. I hosed everywhere for a half hour to be extra safe.
As long as you only let it set for a few minutes it won't hurt the gelcoat. Just flush it off really good, don't let it set behind the trim, bumpers, anywhere.
I read marinas use a diluted solution to clean gelcoat hulls when they pull boats out for maintenance. I was skeptical but gave it a shot. It seriously removed over 20 years of river scum in minutes.
Last edited:
Ckrawiec
Well-Known Member
I've always had pretty good luck with toilet bowl cleaner (cheap stuff from the Dollar Store works just as well as any other or you could try "Scubbing Bubbles" too)...just spray it on, leave it alone for a few minutes, then a little hand scrubbing and it comes right off. I cleaned the bottom of my boat this way, neglected for years by previous owner, and it worked really well...took some time but not terrible.
Well, the finish laughed at the muratic acid and the other cleaners so..... Sand, compound, and Polish was the only thing that got r done. Simon says, "come off now." Also included is the 2003 RX I'm working on. I do not like this type of work but am putting together a process that is/will save me a lot of time in the future and produce great results.
I am gonna give the toilet bowl cleaners and such a try though. It laughed at soft scrub and Scotch-brite.
I am gonna give the toilet bowl cleaners and such a try though. It laughed at soft scrub and Scotch-brite.
Last edited:
Ckrawiec
Well-Known Member
The bottom of my boat looked like the brown film in your footwells in your original pictures.....the TB cleaner ate into that and the boat bottom is now an off shade of white (not pristine) but WAY better than what I started with....TB cleaner and a Scotch Brite pad and some elbow grease....boat bottoms suck though working on your back ...BOO! I also tried "acidic" hull cleaner but that stuff was expensive and did no better than the cheap TB cleaner....I tested them side by side. Just gloves regardless.....
AKnarrowback
Well-Known Member
Good to hear it got cleared up.
noviceskier
Active Member
For my HX I had just soaked the footwells with warm water than got at it with a razor blade, any surface scratches from that will be taken away when I buff them and will be covered up by new mats
Thanks it's a lot of work. The red looks bad azz though.
- Status
