Brown mustache

[FlyWright]

I just cleaned my hull with some Shower Patrol at the advice of a friend. Picked up a gallon for ~$14. Once sprayed, the hull practically cleaned itself.

After cleaning, one side just got a test coat of Turtle Ice spray wax, sprayed on, evened out with a brush, no further treatment.

It looked much better than the untreated side when I left the boat last week. We'll see how it looks when I return to the boat later this week.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
IF you're going to paint in the near future, do NOT apply wax!

 

[Larry M]

Star Bright has a product called Instant Hull Cleaner that takes the mustache off and "does not contain harmful acids" (their words not mine). Here's the Safety Data Sheet. The stuff contains 8% oxalic acid.

 

[Heron]

Greetings,
IF you're going to paint in the near future, do NOT apply wax!

Exactly.....I'll be pulling the boat in 6 weeks for the paintwork...

 

[sea hag]

Based on this thread, bought some Works at HD to clean deck boat in lift on TN River. Did a great job, applied with paint brush and rinsed. Very little scrubbing necessary. But, it will eat you up ! Will use small pump sprayer next time.

 

[BruceK]

My great Aunt has no interest in boats but might find this thread helpful.

 

[cardude01]

?

 

[HopCar]

Dude! I wish I could un-see that!

 

[markpierce]

Doubt it would be much of a problem with a dark hull.

 

[Heron]

Doubt it would be much of a problem with a dark hull.

Hence the plan.....

 

[cardude01]

That looks really good

 

[markpierce]

Dark hulls rule!

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Dark hulls, at least the shiny kind, open up a whole nother maintence can of worms.

 

[stubones99]

Every time I see this thread the Jimmy Buffet song invades my ear.
Jimmy Buffettencil-Thin Mustache Lyrics - LyricWikia - song lyrics, music lyrics

OMG, Bruce you brought back a fond memory. Back when I had a 3 year old daughter, she loved to sing, and she sang anything she heard. I happen to be fond of Jimmy Buffett, and she learned the words for that song. She apparently sang it to her day care people who took offense to the off color nature of the song... I had to calm the waters that evening when I picked her up...
Thanks!

 

[Capt.Bill11]

You should have told the day care people " You think that's bad, what till she learns the lyrics to "Why don't we get drunk"!

 

[rwidman]

Second on Barkeepers Friend....works wonders and useful for cleaning anything stainless.
It now comes in liquid or the old powder...try it you'll like it.

Don
'08 MS 34HT
"Bacchus"

Barkeepers Friend is slightly abrasive. I would not use it on gelcoat.
Abrasives will not remove the brown tannic acid stain but mild acids will. The simplest thing to do is use a commercial "hull cleaner" from the marine store (or Walmart).

 

[rwidman]

A gelled acid cleaner, such as Mary Kate On and Off Gel or Davis FSR, is very effective at removing the brown tannin stains and is a lot easier to use on vertical surfaces than liquids.

Yes. Purpose made products remain on the surface being treated while many of the home remedies just run down the hull and leave an uneven surface. Also the purpose made products are safe for your boat while toilet bowl cleaners and such may not be.

 

[rwidman]

Yeah, seems odd you'd go through all the bother of cleaning it off but not do something to keep it from reappearing pronto.

That's why I don't wash my boat. It just gets dirty again.

That brown stain will come back if you boat in certain water. It doesn't really matter what you do.

 

[rwidman]

Star Bright has a product called Instant Hull Cleaner that takes the mustache off and "does not contain harmful acids" (their words not mine). Here's the Safety Data Sheet. The stuff contains 8% oxalic acid.

Oxalic acid is not harmful in normal situations. It's in some foods that we eat.

So you can go down to the hardware store and buy oxalic acid as "wood bleach". You can mix it up and spray it on your hull and it will remove the brown stains. But, as I posted above, your mix will run down and vertical surfaces and leave streaks while the commercial hull cleaners have chemicals in them that allow the acid to spread evenly on the surface and remain in place while treating the stains.

I know, I have used both.

 

[psneeld]

You only get streaks if you don't apply evenly and fully...but yes gel for those with issues.


Cleaning a mustache is as easy as boating maintenance can be....hard to imagine how some can make it so complicated.

 

[FlyWright]

I used oxalic acid when my boat was on the hard. I sprayed it down with a pump sprayer, then just spread it around lightly with a boat brush. No scrubbing needed, I just wanted to ensure good coverage before it dripped off. Then after 5 minutes, I sprayed it down with a freshwater hose. It came out clean and white! I sprayed Turtle Ice wax on it, wiped it lightly and all is well. It works just as well from the dock.

It does a great job with minimal effort and low cost. It was exactly what this cheap and lazy SOB was looking for.

 

[Temptation]

We have used several of the recommended products but now stick to lemon juice. The acid in lemon juice won't hurt you if you get it in / on you.

 

[psneeld]

Any particular brand/source of lemon juice?

My gel was pretty well oxidized the first couple years I had the boat and lemon juice took so long to do anything...I gave up and went with something stronger.

Never did just spray it on and walk away for say, overnight...so I may try lemon juice again but would like to know if there is a source of undiluted juice. The ReaLemon juice from the store says 100% juice but didn't seem all that strong.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. ps. Now, bear with me here. Chem 101 was many lifetimes ago and I'm just guessing...

I suspect the "active" ingredient in lemon juice that effects the cleaning of the "mustache" (tannin) is citric acid. It's available, in powder form, at grocery stores and health food stores, albeit in small amounts and probably for an inflated price BUT it might be worth the purchase of a small amount to confirm my suspicion. IF it does work, you can probably get a better deal on line.

Being a powder, you can easily control the concentration to achieve the desired results.

 

[psneeld]

Greetings,
Mr. ps. Now, bear with me here. Chem 101 was many lifetimes ago and I'm just guessing...

I suspect the "active" ingredient in lemon juice that effects the cleaning of the "mustache" (tannin) is citric acid. It's available, in powder form, at grocery stores and health food stores, albeit in small amounts and probably for an inflated price BUT it might be worth the purchase of a small amount to confirm my suspicion. IF it does work, you can probably get a better deal on line.

Being a powder, you can easily control the concentration to achieve the desired results.

Thanks...with all the work I have to do on my boat....time spent cleaning something I purposefully put back on every year doesn't make a lot of sense so I'll try anything short of gel coat stripper...

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Just go to the Dollar store and by an acid based toilet bowl cleaner. I don't think you can find anything cheaper to use or easier to find.

 

[Bacchus]

Greetings,

I suspect the "active" ingredient in lemon juice that effects the cleaning of the "mustache" (tannin) is citric acid. It's available, in powder form, at grocery stores and health food stores, albeit in small amounts and probably for an inflated price BUT it might be worth the purchase of a small amount to confirm my suspicion. IF it does work, you can probably get a better deal on line.

Being a powder, you can easily control the concentration to achieve the desired results.

Citric avid powder is available in larger quantities in big box stores - it's used as a concrete etcher prior to paint / epoxy coating. I've used it for concrete but not "mustache"

Barkeepers Friend -powder on horizontal (swim platform) or liquid on vertical (mustache) - works as quick as you can spread it around

 

[Baker]

Barkeepers Friend is slightly abrasive. I would not use it on gelcoat.
Abrasives will not remove the brown tannic acid stain but mild acids will. The simplest thing to do is use a commercial "hull cleaner" from the marine store (or Walmart).

Rubbing compound is "slightly abrasive". Barkeeper's Friend works very well in this application. As with any acid treatment like this, it would be wise to compound and wax it afterward to get any residue off and to seal and protect the gelcoat.

 

[FF]

In Many marinas so few boats ever move ,

you might consider leaving it in place as a Badge of Honor.

 

[Baker]

In Many marinas so few boats ever move ,

you might consider leaving it in place as a Badge of Honor.

Now that is pretty damn funny!!!!