"How to" questions regarding boat care.

[fu_man]

Just bought a new-to-me boat at the end of last fall. She is in good condition and I’d like to keep her that way. I have looked back at a few threads regarding boat care that have given me a few good leads regarding getting the stickers off and wiping her down with a polish fairly often after use. However a few questions to fill in the gaps:

 

She has a little bit of oxidation on the finish. When I buff and wax, are the decals generally resilient or should I tread lightly? Any tips to avoid torching the decals would be helpful.

 

It seems most people prefer Babes Boat Bright or Boat Bling Hot Sauce. One applies a thin coat of wax each application, the other removes spots without removing the wax coat. Six of one half dozen of the other?

 

The vinyl is in great shape…really supple. The guy I bought it from said he used leather lotion a few times per year. Only problem is that that stuff is really greasy for a while until it dries. Any recommendations for cleaning and conditioning the vinyl?

 

Finally, what can I use for the oxidation on the black pad on the platform. That stuff gets all over and messes up the vinyl.

 

Thanks.

 

[Wish]

If there is oxidation, I highly recommend spending the money for someone that details boats. Knows gel coat. Not a car guy that does boats too. They are harder to find I think. They will use a 4-5 step process with a high speed buffer. It's extremely messy so do it in the yard. They should/will cover trailer and interior. Took the guy that did mine 4hrs. Soooooo worth it. That was 5yrs ago. To maintain; while wet on lift, I spray with turtle wax -"Wax&Dry" or Valveline(cut in half) -"Wax&Dry". The water starts to bead as soon as the spray hits it. Then just towel off. Will look great for yrs and yrs and yrs. I wish I had done this with my first boat. I spent countless hours and lots of cash trying diff products trying to get rid of some oxidaton. Results were ok but never lasted and no where near what a pro can do. On top of which I buffed the sticker in a few places. Just not worth the time hassle or cash.

 

I think the pad is toast. Not sure you can bring that back. Replace.

[inland]

I can't help you on the lack pad on the platform.

 

As for the decals, tread lightly with them. They can be pulled right off when buffing or they can simply be damaged.

 

I used to use boat bling and I still like it. I've since started to used performance boat candy and I like that much better. I also like the performance boat candy polish and wax products. I find that the cutting compound and wax both work very well.

 

For vinyl, I've used the boat bling product, performance boat candy, and 303. All work well and the jury is still out in my mind.

 

Hope it helps.

[A_B]

Peel the pad off and put SeaDek on. Your knees will thank you too.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Can't fix the black rubber pad, strip it and go with new.

[ToddL]

A very talented local boat detailer uses Hula Boat Care products with a lot of success. I can't personally comment, but their before/after pics are amazing... Their spot remover is wax friendly... It seems to me that a great detail followed by a wax-friendly spot remover regimen is the way to go.

[rockdog]

My SN had oxidisation all over when I bought it. Deck was bad so I wet-sanded, polish two coats and wax. Came up perfect, now just needs polish once a year with waxing in between as often as you can manage.

 

Sides need decals removed to do properly, I'm a signwriter so was no problem to redo them but I understand it can be a hassle. However the complete rejuvenation project only needs to be done once and the decals will get scrubbed up when you hit them with the buffer if left on, to fiddle around the edges of them will not result in a good finish. Then a light cutters/colour restorer followed by polish and wax. That dark Green will get a little faded so keep up with polish and wax and should stay looking good. Worth the effort up front, the upkeep is much easier.

[GroovyGrant]

You might test to see if the oxidation isn't just water build up. Last spring I was cleaning some spots on my boat with CLR (the household lime remover; was recommended on Malibu Crew) to remove water deposits and noticed it was making the non-deposit areas look great, too. Ended up cleaning the whole hull with CLR. Made the 12 year old boat look brand new! So, I deduce that the whole boat had a film of hard water build up on it (that could be mistaken for oxidation if there is enough of it). I couldn't believe how much better it looked--and I had always wiped down every use, etc. Now, I do like Wish and do a spray and wipe each time with some wax except I cut mine with distilled water and vinegar just to help cut any hard water that dried before I got back to the dock. This method maintains a fresh-waxed look, feel, and water-beading. It doesn't really take any longer than just a dry wipe down if you keep your wax mixture at the ready in a one gallon garden sprayer. Using this method, I doubt I'll have to do the full clean down with CLR more than once every several years.

 

As for the vinyl, I really like the 303 brand products. They're made for marine vinyl. They have a cleaner product and a protectant. I use those and the vinyl keeps that supple feel without the greasiness. About once a year for the cleaner and 2-3 times per year with the protectant. I bet Wish is right about that sunpad, but you might try the 303 on it before you peel it off. I've had that black rubber oxidation smearing from the windshield gaskets and the 303 seemed to stop that.

 

Good luck with all!

[crashman]

The black factory pads on the Moombas are notorious for deteriorating and getting black stuff all over your feet and boat. Like others have said you can rip it off and get a sea deck pad. They actually make one with the "moombaroo" logo- pop over to the moomba forum to see pictures of them and sometimes you can instigate a group buy in the spring.

[XR6Hurricane]

For oxidation that has progressed deep enough that a regular cleaner wax won't work, I would recommend 3M Imperial rubbing compound and use it with a buffer. It has anti-swirl additives in it that actually work too. $40 for a quart which is more than enough to do a boat. You just burn it in with the buffer and it eventually re-liquifies and polishes off in one step. Then use spray-on wax with carnuba to keep it protected. Any normal liquid or paste wax that dries creates dust when you wipe it off and the dust can actually scratch.