Bringing it back

[orlowsks]

I recently got a 1970 cal 21. The cockpit and deck are stained by water sitting. I stepped around the whole boat and didn't feel any spongy areas but my question is this. How would someone clean the deck and cockpit of these stains? Are conventional cleaners okay eg bleach..comet..etc. Or would it be smarter to just paint the deck and cockpit? This is my first boat so just trying to bring it back to its glory days.

Thanks

[drlove]

I have heard (from MaineSail I believe) that Off and On acid wash does wonders. You could also try a power washer knowing that it can take off your sealant around windows, etc if you are not careful. You will probably be resealing those things anyway by the sound of it.

[saurav16]

I used simple green and it worked pretty well to clean stains from my 30 yo boat when I got it.

[arf145]

Paint is your last resort, IMHO. I'd be surprised if some of the better bleaching and cleaning agents, and some elbow grease, don't make things look a whole lot better.

[AllThumbs]

I would agree. Don't paint it unless you have to. It's like painting a brick house. Once you paint it, it will need to be repainted every several years.

Eric

[timebandit]

Comet and a green scrub pad worked for me but Mainsail used something that worked like magic but you will have to look it up.

[zz4gta]

Power washer. You'd be amazed at how fast and well it works. Rent one, barrow one, buy one, whatever. I can powerwash the deck and cockpit of my boat in 20 min. It litterally would've taken a day to do the same work. Don't try anything else until you power wash it.

[timebandit]

Use my power washer wrong and it will eat your fiber glass.

be carefull with power washers.

[lbdavis]

Originally Posted by orlowsks

I recently got a 1970 cal 21. The cockpit and deck are stained by water sitting. I stepped around the whole boat and didn't feel any spongy...

I know this wasn't what you were asking, but on a 38 year old boat that's had some neglect, you might want to investigate the deck core more deeply than just stepping (if it's cored).

Now back to your regularly scheduled paint discussion.

[zz4gta]

Originally Posted by timebandit

Use my power washer wrong and it will eat your fiber glass.

be carefull with power washers.

Good point, use a 45* or a 30* nozzle. And gauge how far away you need to keep it before it start to get to the destruction zone.