Wax removal on gelcoat

mikehoyt · #1 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Immediately above the waterline is a light browning stain which I believe is basically stained wax. I wish to dewax the hull above waterline, scrub and rewax.

I rememebr on a white car I once had that sat over a winter the same sort of staining. I used something like varsol to remove the wax and then rewaxed and it looked great.

However below te water line I have VC Offshore over Interlux 2000E and I do not wish to use a product that will harm these coatings.

Suggestions?

Mike

Maine Sail · #2 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

it's not wax it's mineral/tanning staining from the water and lack of a good wax. A good wax will drastically minimize this. You need an acid based cleaner such as MaryKate On & Off Gel.

This is easy and is safe for gelcoated hulls. While I have used acids on LPU paints I don't suggest it unless you are really, really, really careful.

To clean waterline stains I use MaryKate On & Off Gel. There are cheaper products that will also achieve the same end result but none come in a gel formula and stay where you put them. This gel is a HUGE improvement over the regular non-gel On & Off. It's also cheaper and stronger than Davis FSR stain remover but works similarly. It also has much less "acid" odor than the regular On & Off. This is a great step to do to the topsides before waxing a boat and it will whiten up most any old tannin/rust stained hull.

Always wear rubber gloves, this stuff is acid, and use cheap chip brushes to apply. This whole process on my inflatable took less than 10 minutes and requires NO rubbing. Simply apply with the chip brush and watch it eat away the stains then dilute and rinse clean with water..

Before:

The Products:

During:

All Finished:

No rubbing, no buffing, no elbow grease just apply with a cheap paint brush and watch the stains disappear..

Just for comparison here's how my hull looked, untouched, coming out of the water. I used three coats of Awlcare Polymer Awlgrip Sealer/Wax. No tannin staining after 5.5 months. My dinghy was un-waxed and that happened in just a few weeks..

mikehoyt · #3 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Main Sail / Halekai

Do you have a first name?

I ask because I would like to say THANK YOU ______ !!!! (fill in name)

Picked up some On and Off on my way home. Took all of 20 minutes and one side of hull is complete. AMAZING difference!!!!!!

Previous boat had same problem and various cleaners, wax etc never did much. Was worse this season on current boat but hull looks new now!!!!!

Will try to remember to take pics of port (not yet cleaned) and stbd (cleaned at waterline) and post tommorrow.

Having boat in front yard certainly has its benefits.

Mike
Nut Case
J27 #150

donradclife · #4 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Go to your local hardware store and buy some oxalic acid powder--dissolve in warm water, apply dilute solution with rag, wait 30 seconds, and rinse well. A couple of dollars worth of powder should last for years. An effective solution is weak enough that you don't need gloves.

As mentioned previously, put on a new coat of wax after the acid bath to fill up the pores of the gelcoat to slow down the reoccurance of the 'mustache'.

Maine Sail · #5 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikehoyt

Main Sail / Halekai

Do you have a first name?

I ask because I would like to say THANK YOU ______ !!!! (fill in name)

Picked up some On and Off on my way home. Took all of 20 minutes and one side of hull is complete. AMAZING difference!!!!!!

Previous boat had same problem and various cleaners, wax etc never did much. Was worse this season on current boat but hull looks new now!!!!!

Will try to remember to take pics of port (not yet cleaned) and stbd (cleaned at waterline) and post tommorrow.

Having boat in front yard certainly has its benefits.

Mike
Nut Case
J27 #150

Don't worry about thanking me just pass on the info if someone else needs it!

A funy story about Acid based cleaners:

About six years ago I watched a guy at the boat yard trying to buff this mustache staining off his boot stripe. I went over and asked if he would like to know what to use and how to remove it and he promptly bit my head off. I went back to working on my boat and let the guy with the "tude" wear his arms out for about 4-5 hours. I was buffing my boat too so I did not feel to bad about it..

When I though his arms would fall out of the sockets I dipped an old paint brush in some On & Off and walked over and painted about three feet of his boot stripe while he wasn't looking.

I then walked back to my boat and watched his face when he discovered it. He immediately began rummaging through his bucket of waxes, cleaners, solvents and chemicals to figure out what it was he's used on that section. I let him search for the magic elixir for another half hour and then walked over and asked him if he'd like to know how that section got clean?

All of a sudden he was my new best friend and all apologetic about being such a jerk... I gave him my On & Off and a brush and he was done in 20 minutes... If he hadn't been such a dick he would have been done hours earlier...

I know, I'm such an evil jerk, but what the heck it was good entertainment for the day..!!

Moral of the story? If someone takes time out of their day to come and offer assistance at the boat yard you should at least be kind enough to listen to the advice. You never know they might actually know how to help you....

mikehoyt · #6 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Having boat on front yard has its down side as well.

Is cold and rainy but cannot stand to have a boat that looks less than perfect with people driving by. Too bad I don't have same attitude about the house....

Nice to sit in Dining Room and look at your boat over morning coffee.

Especially nice with aclean hull

Mike

T37SOLARE · #7 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Maine Sail,

What do you recommend for removing black streaks coming from the scuppers on an AwlGrip'ed Hull, while the boat is still in the water? Tried AwlWash as well as a Black Stain remover, but am leary as I don't want to damage the paint.

BTW, Thanks for all your advice,
s/v SOLARE

pegasus1457 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

I used three coats of Awlcare Polymer Awlgrip Sealer/Wax. No tannin staining after 5.5 months.

Is Awlcare sealer/wax your new replacement for Collinite 885?

Or is it just for painted surfaces?

Maine Sail · #9 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by T37SOLARE

Maine Sail,

What do you recommend for removing black streaks coming from the scuppers on an AwlGrip'ed Hull, while the boat is still in the water? Tried AwlWash as well as a Black Stain remover, but am leary as I don't want to damage the paint.

BTW, Thanks for all your advice,
s/v SOLARE

Awlcare from the dinghy. It's PITA reaching under there, your over hang is similar to mine, but it works. I'm surprised the Black Streak Remover did not cut it?

I like Awlcare because it not only cleans but also leaves protection behind making cleaning next time much easier..

Maine Sail · #10 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pegasus1457

Is Awlcare sealer/wax your new replacement for Collinite 885?

Or is it just for painted surfaces?

I never used Collinite on Awlgrip finishes unless they were already destroyed or on their last legs. I use Awlcare because it has NO abrasives and no silicone. Silicone is bad for Awlgriped finishes and many so called "waxes" or "sealers" contain silicones. While Collinite won't hurt Awlgrip it does not help it either.

Using Awlcare also keeps my warranty on the finish intact. Our paint job was over 10K so I use the proper products.

Collinite #885 is my #1 first choice for gelcoat! I use Awlcare on Awlgrip or Awlcraft 2000 finishes..