Non-skid - black points and/or power washing

jarcher · #1 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008

Well today I went down to the boat, and applied my brand new Starbright non-skid cleaner. I followed the instructions and the results were, well, underwhelming to say the least. Some dirt came off, but my boat is pretty dirty. I did it again. No real improvement.

So, I have two questions...

First, is this dirt? I didn;t get a good picture, but is it possible that the non-skid is just worn through to whatever is under it? I don't know how non-skid is made or how thick it is, so if it's a dumb question I'm sorry.

If it is actual dirt, would power washing harm the non-skid? I know to stay from fittings, deadlights and so on. I'm mostly wondering if the power washer will wear off the non-skid.

Any other ideas for cleaning a super dirty cockpit and deck?

Thanks...

Jim

catamount · #2 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008

It could well be that the surface color coat on your nonskid material has worn down enough to reveal the substrate. A good picture might help.

jarcher · #3 (**permalink**) 10-09-2008

I'll use my wife's high end digital SLR and get a good pic in the sun. But, in order for that to happen, woulden;t the wear have to be clean through the gel coat? I know from looking at chips that my gel coat is pretty thick.

Rockter · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2008

The power washer will work as long as you don't get too close. Set the spray pattern to fan. Try it on an unobtrusive bit somewhere first.

PalmettoSailor · #5 (**permalink**) 10-10-2008

I use the Starbrite product with PFTE(or whatever) and have found it is a better protective coat than cleaner. It will provide some gloss for quite a while and I think it keeps dirt/grime from sticking but it doesn't do a great job of taking the dirt off in the first place.

Our boat develops some black spots on the nonskid in areas of shade. I think is it actually some type of mold, but whatever it is, it is very tenacious and thus far the only thing I've found to remove it is a lot of elbow grease. Our slip neighbors suggested using "Soft Scrub" so I plan to try that.

When/If I find a good cleaning product, I'll continue to use the Starbrite like a wax/protectant coating.

jarcher · #6 (**permalink**) 10-10-2008

Hm, mold... Well I did see several mold removing products at boater's World that are made for use on fiberglass. I'll try one. The worst that can happen is that I'll lose a little time and money. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll also see if i can find a more aggressive soap.