Removing Waterline

[Frogman51]

My son has a boat that's kind off white,and it has a mud line around the bottom of the boat. We took it to a place that cleans boats and they got rid of it and the boat looked almost new, it cost 225.00 . Now 6 months later the ring is back and no kind of cleaner that we have bought has worked. Does anyone have any ideas what we can do. It's like the mud has soaked into the gel coat. Any help would be appreciated.

[woody]

I have used Simple Green to get some of the stuborn stains off of my boat before. It's rather inexpensive.

[carolina-rig-01]

i bought some hull cleaner at academy this past spring........i can't remember the name of it but it really works. i fish grand lake in oklahoma a lot and that lake is beyond muddy. my ranger is white and the cleaner takes the scum line off very easily. have you been cleaning the boat after each use or at least every couple times out? it is a lot easier to clean a boat if you don't let it get too bad. i try to wipe mine down with a towel right after pulling it out of the water because it really helps get it clean when i get home and break out the hull cleaner.

also white vinegar and water mixed will clean a boat fairly well as long as it's not too far gone.

[Bender]

I wipe my white boat down after most trips with Bass Boat Saver and it keeps it pretty clean. I did have some bump marks from beaching I wanted to get off so I asked my buddy who owns a fiberglass shop what to use. He gave me a bottle of pure acetone and it took all the marks right off. Once you get it clean wax it and it will make it easier to keep clean in the future. Mine is overdue for a wax.

[Fishnngolfn]

I was just about to suggest acetone. My brother gets it from his work and let's his brother in law use it for his boat. It works great. But as Bender said, wax it afterwards.

[zooker]

as a fisherman of the old mud hole..let me explain how to get rid of it..

wet it then using a clean terry bonnet on a power buffer buff it off..

ok once it is clean and since gel coat is like cement and will suck the mud in.. you need to use a good wax. any non abrasive carnuba wax will work-i use mothers california gold-wax it just like ya would a car apply ,let dry,buff it off..i use a micro fiber bonnet on a 10" power buffer..

now that once you have the boat waxed.. EVERY TIME you are done fishing and load it on the trailer. while it is still wet wipe the boat down with a clean cloth. i would get some lemon pledge .spray and wipe off the boat with this.. a good wax job should last on average 3 months if you fish as much as i do..

i know i have a white boat..

zooker

[carolina-rig-01]

zooker i have heard of guys using lemon pledge before, they all say to be sure and wax the boat even if you use pledge because it offers no uv protection but they say the lemon pledge works well.

so what exactly does the lemon pledge do?

[zooker]

it is basicly a spray wax it touchs up the regular wax job..heres what i mean..a water spot on the top cap will dry out. it then leaves a film on the wax when the sun hits this water spot it will melt the wax underneath. if left unchecked over time it will get under the gel coat and cause hull damage.. the spray wax like pledge covers in these "thinning" areas since we can't avoid the water spots. not sure why lemon scented as any will do -though i guess a flower scented boat would get some odd looks from your fishing buddies..

zooker

[Basscrazie]

I use lemon pledge on mine its quick and easy..It shinea nice and smells good...I got that from one of Zook's old post's.Thanks Zooker

[Jackl]

FROGMAN,
I use a product called "WASH N" GUARD". You can look it up at www.waterless-wash.com . It is kind of expensive, last I bought was about $30 a quart. You don't need to wash your boat, just spray a fine mist and wipe it with a rag. The gunk comes right off and it leaves a wax finish, then just let it dry and wipe with a clean cloth. Shines like a new dime in a goats butt!!!
JackL

[Frogman51]

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

i bought some hull cleaner at academy this past spring........i can't remember the name of it but it really works. i fish grand lake in oklahoma a lot and that lake is beyond muddy. my ranger is white and the cleaner takes the scum line off very easily. have you been cleaning the boat after each use or at least every couple times out? it is a lot easier to clean a boat if you don't let it get too bad. i try to wipe mine down with a towel right after pulling it out of the water because it really helps get it clean when i get home and break out the hull cleaner.

also white vinegar and water mixed will clean a boat fairly well as long as it's not too far gone.

He wipes it down at the landing every trip. We tried vinegar and water it didn't touch it also other cleaners we've bought at lowe's did'n remove any of it. I will try the other's and your advice and will let you know. Thanks

[Frogman51]

we have tried vinegar and water that didn't touch it. I will try some of the things you all suggested and will let you know. He wipes it down every time he put's it in the water,at the landing.

[zooker]

wipe it down AFTER you use it..

zooker

i have one of those shammy type rags that you use on cars and i wipe my boat at the landing area every trip.no waterline yet.

[boater]

I have heard that pledge actual removes the uv protection in the fiberglass.

[Tall]

I have a water line on my boat form setting in the water for a few years. The guy I bought it from said he called Ranger and they said to use a very very fine sand paper to buff the water marks out. I have not called Ranger to confirm but I was just wondering if any of you have seen this used before.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by Tall

I have a water line on my boat form setting in the water for a few years. The guy I bought it from said he called Ranger and they said to use a very very fine sand paper to buff the water marks out. I have not called Ranger to confirm but I was just wondering if any of you have seen this used before.

i have my doubts about sandpaper. it might work but i really would want rangers guarentee on it before i tried it. i know a guy who bought a used bass cat at a good price. but the gel coat was starting to oxidize and the previous owner actually took steal wool to it. i really messed up the boat pretty bad.

[zooker]

yeah it will work. i used 1500-2000 grit wet sand paper to get the bad spots out of my hull when my spare went under the trailer.. if you have a large area walmart has scratch out which is an abrasive liquid..

zooker

[Tall]

C rig that is what I was worried about. It really don't look that bad and when it is in the water well you can't see it. This boat was won and set under a boat slip for six or so years and the owner all he ever used was the trolling motor. When I got the boat the State Trooper I bought it from said the motor (200 Mercury Opitmax) probably had 40 or so hours on it is all and that he had put most of those on it. I will probably just leave it like it is. He showed me a panal he had done and it looks good, but I know if BIG BUBBA (me) gets a hold of it I am probably going to make it look worse then it is. So I will be thankful for a great deal and the water line want bother me to bad. It really is not that noticable unless you are close to the boat. You may can see in it in my boat profile picture but is is not that bad. It would be nice to spray something on it and make it look like new, but I can live with it like it is.

[Tall]

Thanks ZOOKER. How did, are what did you use for the cloth are buffer material. It is not that bad so I want to be carful and not screw up as I am prone to do alot of with best intentions, like Tim the tool man. OOOOOH NO is way to often said by me trying to do something myself to save a buck. No what I mean.

[Frogman51]

Wouldn't sand paper ruin your gel coat?

[Bob Smith]

If the mud line is fairly recent, go to the grocery store and buy the new Mr. Clean "Erasers", wet them down (keep them wet) and it should scrub the mud right off of it. Worked on my 1997 Astro a couple of times this fall already. The Mudline came off pretty easy with the eraser. Zooker is right though, once you get it clean, keep the waterline area waxed and it won't penetrate the gel coat as easily.


Another thing that I found that works really great is the soft scrub powder called "Barkeeper's friend". Wet the water line down and sprinkle this stuff on liberally, then scrub it with wet rag (adding more to the rag). That line will come off in minutes!

[t1365]

Depending on how deep the mud is in the gelcoat you could probably use a buffer and Maguiers Cleaner Wax to get it out. It has tiny abrasives and is real good for oxidation, stains, etc. Once its clean, I use a 50/50 solution of tap water and white vinegar to wipe mine down every time I take it out of the water. The vinegar will take off any mud or scum line you got through the day and it doesn't leave any water spots.

[zooker]

when i remove the water line with my buffer i use terry cloth..when i buff the wax i use a micro fiber cloth..

when i used the scratch out stuff i used a plain white cloth..

zooker