CONTINUOUSWAVE

We just bought a Boston Whaler. I have never owned a boat in my life, and I want to take really good care of it. I have also never joined a forum like this before. This boat is my project so I need to learn everything I can.

What should be used to wash a Boston Whaler boat?

Our boat has some little black specks, likely a kind of lichen.

Would you recommend Simple Green diluted in water?

Any advice you experts have will be appreciated.

Welcome to CW and to the Whaler family.

It would helpful to list your year and model of boat with every thread (not post) so we know what you have.

For cleaning a good start is a general non-toxic cleaner to remove the dirt. Many owners use Simple Green, diluted or full strength and a good medium stiff brush. Most, not all household cleaners should be avoided.

The non-skid takes more work to get clean. Scrub in all directions. Let the cleaners "soak" then scrub.

As for more than that, post photos so we can see what you have and its condition. Like cars, there are dozens of products and each one has its use.

Ditto.

Depends on where you are cleaning it as well. They make a product called boat zoap(yes zoap) which is non-toxic and recommended at marinas, etc. Simple green is fine too. You want to avoid using dawn or anything that removes grease because wax is basically a grease and will be removed. Your husband, if a car buff, will agree. They make boat specific waxes but personally I have never witnessed in 40+ years of waxing boats any difference or benefit like they promised over car wax.

Thank you Phil T and biggfl for the suggestions.

My boat is a 1976 15-footer with a 50hp Yamaha engine. It is a tiller engine- that is the only drawback.

Here is a picture of the boat:



The hull has a few small cracks and spots in the gel coat.

A soap for a fiberglass boat should not be able to wash off oil and wax. A specialty soap like 3M BOAT SOAP is a good choice. It is sold as a concentrate and diluted with water to suitable strength. It does not leave a residue and helps the rinse water shed away.

The gel coat needs to be kept from drying out. And gel coat is usually waxed with a heavy boat wax. Don’t use a soap that takes off wax and the natural gel coat oil. For example, do not use DAWN dish detergent. Mild soaps that just loosen dirt are recommended.

I don’t like to use Simple Green due to it color and smell.

For spot use on tough stains I like to use FANTASTIC or 409 or 3M BOAT SOAP in a stronger concentration.

The human thumb nail is a perfect tool to pry dirt from non-skid patterns. An old toothbrush is also very useful.

The boat seen in an illustration above might have been at one time a SPORT 15, but it is no longer: the side console is missing. The thwart seats are mounted in different positions and are now attached atop the riser instead of sitting on the notch in the inwale.

Thank you all for your replies and helpful information.

Orpine Wash & Wax