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Thread: hull cleaner for aluminum painted hull??

  1. #1
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    Feb 2011
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    Default hull cleaner for aluminum painted hull??


    Hey All.

    I just spent 3 plus hours trying to get all the gunk off the aluminum painted hull of my 16' Lund. I used Purple Power mixed 5-1 per the directions and power washed the snot out of her at a local Smithville car wash. In some places she looks pretty good. In others she has a nasty 5 oclock shadow from the remaining gunk. I've seen Starbrite recommended on other sites. I'm thinking about giving it a try.

    The stuff I'm talking about trying to remove is the green hairy algae, etc that cakes on the hull after 9 months of sitting in her slip. Not only is it ugly, but I don't think we're supposed to be going from lake to lake with that crud on there.

    Anyway.

    Any ideas on how to make this crud removal relatively painless? I'm going to be one super sore old man the next week or so, and the damn hull still doesn't look that great.

    Thanks in advance for your ideas!!!

  2. #2
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    If you're talking about the unpainted aluminum part, that could be a problem. Crud can be removed from the aluminum surface by buffing with a very fine buffing compound. This is very labor intensive and sometimes the results vary, depending on the experience of the person doing it. The crud is imbedded in the aluminum oxide on the surface . You could try aluminum wheel cleaner from the auto parts store in a small test spot to see how it works. The painted part can most likely be cleaned up with automotive wax and elbow grease.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Willsjwills.

    Have you ever tried Starbrite? I've had enough of the elbow grease method!! BTW, my hull is painted.

  4. #4
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    Go to Oreilly auto parts and get a bottle of Zing hull cleaner.Spray it on and let sit 5 min. wash off.DO NOT get the stuff on your skin it will burn like crazy. I use it on my fiberglass hull and it will make one look new.Just have to wax good after it dries. It will work on painted Aluminum also but i would still put a coat of wax on afterwards. A boat detailer told me about the stuff and it is worth every penny.I mix mine 50/50 with water but the bottle states for heavy grime to use full strength
    There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home.

  5. #5
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    Have not used Starbrite. It could be some good stuff. Your paint is an oven baked urethane finish. Before I would put a lot of any chemical on it, I would try to find an out of the way place to do a small test. Gel coat on glass boats and urethane are two different animals.
    Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

  6. #6
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    Seen a add for BBJs best cleaners looked too good to be true but have not tried them. Several marine dealers sell it. I am interested in what you find as mine needs cleaning but not that bad.

  7. #7
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    Yeah, let us know what works for you....I need to clean mine, too. It's not too crudded up from sitting in the water, but it sure is scarred up from me crashing through trees and brush.

  8. #8
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    I use deck wash on my white boat, I think it's the same stuff thats in the hull cleaner bottle that contains bleach but you get more for your money.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Try some toilet bowl cleaner---works on fiberglass. You might try it where it wont show, but I dont think it will hurt the paint.
    Good luck--

  10. #10
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    I used some starbright many years ago, it seems to be just a little more abrasive than car polish, it works,,but gives you a work out in the application, removal.

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