Spotless Stainless

[Bristol14]

I recently read about Spotless Stainless in the latest issue of Practical Sailor. They tested a variety of treatments to remove rust from stainless hardware and rated products with citric acid to be the most effective. Spotless Stainless was rated a Best Buy so after years of trying a variety of non-effective removers, polishes, etc, I thought I?d give it a try. My first attempt on a spare piece of hardware failed because I didn?t follow the directions and chose a cool day to try it. My second try was much better (90 degree day) so I slathered the gel-like substance on the worst hardware on my ?87 23-2, my stanchion bases and left it on overnight. When I checked them the next day, I was happy with the results. The bases were pretty much free of the brown rust and gleamed in the sun. There were a few residual spots of rust, but I?m guessing another treatment will help.

The product is said to not harm fiberglass and the results are supposedly long-lasting as the citric acid causes a chemical reaction with the metal. Time will tell, but it?s better than anything I?ve previously tried, so I give it a thumbs up.

[wes]

Good to know; please keep us updated!

I'm so disappointed with Practical Sailor these days. Virtually every article is written by Drew Frye. He's knowledgeable about some subject areas; less so about others. But in my book a magazine entirely written by one guy is a "blog," not a magazine. Especially for $40 a year. Miss the old days when they had multiple writers and did some truly in-depth reviews.

Oddly, I'm liking the free BoatUS mag these days. They are doing an excellent job.

Small Craft Advisor is outstanding, but I've concluded it's not targeted at me - I need something closer to "Medium Craft Advisor."

Wes

[Andre]

In addition to those 2 I also subscribe to Good Old Boat which I really like.  They're offering a free issue now via PDF download.  You may want to check it out if you haven't yet.

Andre

[wes]

Agree! I've subscribed to Good Old Boat for years. They've done a great job of transitioning to new leadership after the retirement of Karen and Jerry, the founders. Love it that they have brought in new, younger writers. The *opposite* of Practical Sailor.

Wes

[Bristol14]

Been a subscriber to Good Old Boat since its inception. The old tag line ?the  sailing magazine for the rest of us? is the best description!

[bruce]

I don't have a problem with Drew, he actually tries to apply some rigor to the PS reviews, as previous editors did. I too wish there were additional editors writing in the PS tradition.

The new owners of GOB are trying, but Michael Robertson in particular, whose articles I used to enjoy, is spending a lot of time arguing with his readers. Meanwhile, Drew had two articles in the March/April edition.