How to clean your boat???

[dennisb]

So I'm in the market for a good used fiber glass boat and am just amazed on how dirty and beat up some of these boats interiors get. My question is whats the best way to clean the dirty dingy fiber glass floors on these boats and get them back to near perfect white color.
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I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before.

 

[ReelSlim]

Lots of people will have other products but I have found CLR works best. A good scrub...let sit for 10 minutes and hose it off.

 

[Newf]

If you figure this out let me know. I have a white floor and other than spending lots of time and effort there's not much you can do if you want to get and keep that "near perfect white color". Sand, grit etc tracked into the boat will over time scratch the crap out of the finish which makes it near impossible to maintain that pristine finish.

The only option I know of would be to cover it with a matting of some type. If it's going to be a fishing boat, then even with matting, the crap will still get underneath and in many cases will discolour the coating ( I know because that's what I have) and makes it just another thing you have to clean.

If it's going to be a pleasure boat then mats and regular cleaning with many of the good products out there will give you what you are looking for.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Super Easy!
1) Pressure wash and scrub with soap to get the major dirt off!
2) Paint all Gelcoat with FSR GEL leave for a few minutes and hose off
3) Apply your favorite boat wax and buff out!

FSR has never Failed me gets all the stains out!

 

[Fish Camp]

Dawn dish soap,30 seconds soap,and add a little white sugar to the tough spots.

 

[Fisherman Rob]

Much also depends on how oxidized the fiberglass is. Once it starts to oxidize, grease and dirt stick to it pretty quick. You can buff it and wax it, but either way it's a lot of work to keep clean.

 

[SpringVelocity]

FSR is really good.

 

[ab1752]

I'm a fan of the starbrite non skid deck cleaner. Squirt it on, scrub and rinse...easy.

 

[Drink]

I'm a fan of the starbrite non skid deck cleaner. Squirt it on, scrub and rinse...easy.

100% agree for boat interiors with white non skid decks. Tried power washing but didn't do the job as well as Starbrite. This stuff works and also protects from future stains, grit,etc. I use a scotch rite pad, take my shoes and socks off, apply the product and shuffle along the deck with the pad doing the work. No need to get on your hands and knees.

 

[chromatose007]

Starbrite

 

[Trophy21]

Starbrite works well
If you want a cheap solution..dawn soap and bleach...rinse very well...then wax and buff

 

[spring time]

Bar keepers friend Canadian tire like 3 bucks but it on scrub

 

[Buckethead905]

Super Easy!
1) Pressure wash and scrub with soap to get the major dirt off!
2) Paint all Gelcoat with FSR GEL leave for a few minutes and hose off
3) Apply your favorite boat wax and buff out!

FSR has never Failed me gets all the stains out!

This is the absolute best way, forget about all the other products.

 

[Derby]

100% agree for boat interiors with white non skid decks. Tried power washing but didn't do the job as well as Starbrite. This stuff works and also protects from future stains, grit,etc. I use a scotch rite pad, take my shoes and socks off, apply the product and shuffle along the deck with the pad doing the work. No need to get on your hands and knees.

Just need to add some music

 

[Ground Tackle]

I use Vim cream with bleach (green bottle) just squirt it on deck and scrub with brush then after that is rinsed off I finish with starbrite deck cleaner with the uv protection. So far that has worked really well.

 

[profisher]

2 for Vim. green or yellow, they both work. Been using it for over 30 years. Cheap and goes on sale quite often. I buy a dozen of the larger bottles when on sale. I use it for cockpit deck and outer hull and top decks. I just used it on my boat which had a full winters crud and green staining on sections of the roof. Looks like new again. Its in the house hold cleaners section and not in the marine section...so the price isn’t 5 times more expensive.

 

[trophywife]

anything with muriatic aid.. a strong one is called On and Off.. careful with any of these kinds of products. ventilation and gloves, safety glasses etc.
wax after use.. or buy a tinner :}

 

[Ground Tackle]

I have even used the yellow vim cream (the yellow bottle is without bleach and the green bottle has bleach) on white marine upholstery. My daughter came on the boat in a new pair of jeans that got damp and when she got up dye from the jeans was all over the white seat and into the stitching.....ooops sorry Mom! The vim yellow bottle removed all the dye the next day and nothing else I tried worked....on another note it works great on ceramic stove tops no difference to the more expensive ceramic top cleaners and vim cream cleaner is under $3 a bottle.

 

[eriks]

I'm a fan of the starbrite non skid deck cleaner. Squirt it on, scrub and rinse...easy.

The only improvement I could make to this is to use microfibre clothes. They have worked better for me than scrubbing.

 

[Buckethead905]

I have even used the yellow vim cream (the yellow bottle is without bleach and the green bottle has bleach) on white marine upholstery. My daughter came on the boat in a new pair of jeans that got damp and when she got up dye from the jeans was all over the white seat and into the stitching.....ooops sorry Mom! The vim yellow bottle removed all the dye the next day and nothing else I tried worked....on another note it works great on ceramic stove tops no difference to the more expensive ceramic top cleaners and vim cream cleaner is under $3 a bottle.

A friendly reminder that any bleach based cleaners used on any vinyl with degrade the UV protection and overall integrity of the vinyl. They do come out looking new after using a bleach product but don’t expect them to last long. If blue jeans are starting to leave the dye behind that is sign that the vinyl has already started to degrade, the next thing that’ll happen will be the finish on the vinyl with start to become gummy. Speaking from experience.