Cleaning a CP16, what to use...

[Mike H.]

Hello All...

I was hoping to have my boat in the water by now but will shortly...  In the meantime I started cleaning my boat the other day prepping for launch. The deck had some unsightly black marks & stains from the winters storage.  I first tried soapy water & a good sponge & that didn't work so great. I had heard you could use Soft Scrub on a boat to clean it so I tried this with a nylon bristle brush & it worked GREAT!!!  I only did a small part of the deck as I wasn't sure Soft Scrub was the best product and I don't wish to damage the boat finish, especially since my boat is in pretty good shape for being 22 years old (1987).  I asked a co-worker/friend who also owns a CP16 and whos opinion I highly trust, he didn't think there was any problem using this product as he uses it himself. I spoke with another person experienced in boats & he didn't recommend it, thought it would scratch the finish...   Anyone have any thoughts on this subject???  This is only my second year of owning this boat and I love it & hope to have it around in great shape for a number of years to come.

[Steve Ullrich]

Soft scrub is better than Comet or anything like that... Soft scrub is mildly abrasive but so is pretty much any boat cleaner that will cut oxydation. The bleach in Soft Scrub probably did as much good as the brush.  Myself, I like Tilex for cleaning up the topsides.  Same stuff you use to clean the show without damaging the fiberglass.  If you have mildew stains/issues after winter storage Tilex will pretty much erase them without any scrubbing at all.  Now all I need to find is any easy to appy finish/sealer to help me keep her cleaned up.  A lot of bathroom cleaners work just as well on a sailboat.  If you have hard water stains at the water line try toilet bowl cleaner.  I like Lysol for that.  Cleans it up quickly and it smells good too! Just brush it on and wash it off.  Don't leave it on too long...

[Craig Weis]

MEGUIAR`S #49 FIBERGLASS CLEANER

"Removes heavy to extreme oxidation, scratches and water spots from all fiberglass, high tech paint or gelcoat surfaces. Safe alternative to rubbing compounds."

Wash the boat with a regular car soap
Nylon soft scrub brush on non-slip surfaces and deck in general
May have to break out the cleaner-rubbing compound for chrome and sometimes 'brush scrub' with Clorox
I usually 'chrome compound' the cockpit by hand when the rudder and sheets are locked down while sailing along
while on the trailer, square inch by square inch rub and scrub and "Meguiars # 49" rub on~rub off
I do not use any power buffer as this misses too much~I do a better job by hand
Takes about two days for my Com-Pac 19 XL
Every tiny little 'dirt dot' or dock smudge can be clean off or clean up so it can't be seen, even if it's a deep scratch
Once spotless and shiny wax her up
Skip uses "Mother's wax"
I wax the boat three times, removing wax each application by hand
From the boot stripe down, I wax on, wax on, wax on.
I do not take the wax off below the water line
Just wax right over the ablative bottom paint, looks like heck on the trailer but "you can't see it from Brussels" in the water
I don't even think my bottom ever 'sees' the water with this wax barrier.

There is no easy way to de-nude fiberglass of unsightly dull oxidation.
I don't use SoftScrub or similar materials 'cause this kills the gloss with billions of unseen scratches that won't reflect sunlight
skip.

[Mike H.]

Thanks Skip and Steve for your replies...

I'll try the products mentioned...  luckily my boat has very little (if any?) oxidation, the hull still reflects a shine quite nicely for a 1987 hull. The deck is also in very good conditions from an oxidation standpoint. My goal is to keep it a nice shiny hull & deck for years to come.  With your help I might just be able to do that...  thanks again,  Mike