Bloody Barnacles!!!
- Thread starter High Time
- Start date
Franko Manini
Well-Known Member
Muriatic acid. Pool supply store or Rona. I fought this battle last summer. Do not use the acid straight up, and don't use it on an aluminum boat. It will also etch zincs and galvanized trailers so be careful. Start at 50% dilution with water. Note... add the acid to the water not the water to the acid! This prevents a potentially violent reaction. Put 250ml of water in a container and add 250ml of acid. If it isn't dissolving the barnacles then add a little acid and try again. Spray or sponge on after pressure washing the whole thing. Then attack the remaining husks. Good luck!
ReelSlim
Crew Member
I ordered a barnacle scale removal product from Aurora Marine Products last year. I think it's basically what Franko described just maybe a little more industrial. It definitely worked but like has been mentioned you need to be careful where you spray it and how long it sits. I put it on my trim tab actuators and it cleaned them right up. It did however take the shine off the actuators and turned them a dull black. It doesn't affect them working properly but pains my obsessive compulsive side when I walk by the boat...lol
trophywife
Crew Member
spray CLR on them, repeat for 2 days.. they will soften and come off with a stiff brush or pressure washer.
Fins -n- Skins
Well-Known Member
Put Penatene or zincofax on the mount and around the tilt and trim. The Guides in Renfrew do it so i tried it and not one barnacle. It doesn't look pretty but it works.
trophywife
Crew Member
High Time
Crew Member
Finally got to work with the CLR for a day and a half,spraying,soaking,scraping but not making much headway. Heard about a product that was stocked locally called Osbourne's Barnacle Dissolver.
This stuff really works!!! Fairly new product and does not appear to be acid based. Still took the better part of 2 hours to complete because of the complex crevices and shape but now clean as a whistle.
AS soon as you spray it on it fizzes up and starts to soften the surface of the barnacle ring. Developed by Osbourne Propellers in North Van for cleaning props,shafts etc. but does not seem overly caustic
with no noticeable odour or fumes. Now have to decide what to coat the motor mount with to avoid a repeat.
This stuff really works!!! Fairly new product and does not appear to be acid based. Still took the better part of 2 hours to complete because of the complex crevices and shape but now clean as a whistle.
AS soon as you spray it on it fizzes up and starts to soften the surface of the barnacle ring. Developed by Osbourne Propellers in North Van for cleaning props,shafts etc. but does not seem overly caustic
with no noticeable odour or fumes. Now have to decide what to coat the motor mount with to avoid a repeat.
Franko Manini
Well-Known Member
Sometimes, the difference between muriatic acid (which is the industrial name for hydrochloric acid) and these commercially available solutions are that the cleaners (like Aurora) contain blends of acids that help modify and buffer each other. This changes the way the react to certain compounds, most notably metals. It also makes them more stable (for example, they won't precipitate as easily), a little more user friendly (safer to dilute and less toxic or slightly less acidic). Ultimately they do the same job. If you are using muriatic acid, wear gloves and eye protection. Use it in a well ventilated area or use a respirator as the reaction products can include a small amount of chlorine gas. And rinse the crap out of everything (including the concrete below your boat) when you're done. In fact these precautions are wise for any of these acidic cleaners.
Franko Manini
Well-Known Member
If it fizzes, it's an acid. It might not have a bad smell or seem particularly nasty, but I promise you it is an acid. As mentioned above, it's probably a blend of acids and salts designed as a buffered solution. These are safer and easier to use than industrial acids for sure. Does the bottle say if it is safe for use on aluminum?
oilslick
Active Member
I went through this last year and I tried acid, barnacle removal, CLR, sandpaper, wire brush everything but the kitchen sink. I would strongly recommend that you go to home depot and buy a long and short handle scraper with about a 10 pack of blades, buy some coveralls and goggles and start scraping, its a pain in the butt but it's the only thing that works, trust me unless you want to bring it in and spend a fortune.
Buy the yellow/green handle scraper with the blade that is on a right angle from the handle. It took me approx. 12 hours to complete a 19' boat that was covered in dried up barnacles.
lordofthesprings
Well-Known Member
friend works at a prop shop and they sell a product in a spray bottle called barnacle buster
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