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I am reconditioning a 1992 2550 Pursuit and have some stained gelcoat adjacent to the boot stripe which is the entire length of the boat.
I have tried wetsanding with #800 grip paper and compounding the stain but it still appears a light gray rather than an off white which is the original color. Can anyone offer a cure for this problem or do I have to live with this. I don`t want to repaint the boat.
FSR (Fiberglass stain remover) available from boat US or West Marine will do the job. Brush it on, let it stand for about 5 minutes to do its thing, and wash off.
If On & Off doesn't do it, nothing will. That stuff is amazing. It's the only thing that seems effective at removing the bow mustache after running in nasty water (the Charles River comes to mind). Be careful with it.
Try using snow-bowl toilet cleaner. The old hands around the marina's in Morehead City and Atlantic Beach use it and I have had good results. The best part is the cost, a fraction of hull cleaners from Boater's World or West Marine.
Muriatic acid will remove it in a flash. Be careful using it, immediately wash it off your trailer. About $3.00/gal. It won't hurt the fiberglass at all but keep it off bright metal finishes also.
All of the above remidies are valid unless the stain is a result of a chemical reaction in the gelcoat. If you find that is the case, none of the above will work. Hope that is not the case. Been there done that.
You can get On/Off at any West marine etc. Works great, I brush it on w/ a chip brush wait a few seconds and work it in. Rinse well and cover your trailer.
I used On & Off on my boat and I got it on the bottom paint which it promptly stained or took off. Be really careful with bottom paint, paint stripes, etc. that it may attack. It is very acid like.
Dry
On/Off works great, but as everyone says, is very potent. Something I have always used you can find in your local walmarts laundry detergent isle. It is in a brown bottle called "whink". It is a rust stain remover, and works excellent on brown stains on gelcoat. Just wipe it on all the way around the boat, then go around again, and maybe a third time, and stains vanish...easy to use
FSR!!!!
Safe on GelCoat, no hard rubbing needed, no need to cover the trailer.
The port side of my boat was so badly rust stained from the next door neighbors' well/sprinkler system. Scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail. 2 seasons later I tried FSR - amazing. The boat looked like new and it showed so well I was able to sell the boat in a heartbeat - in winter too!
Tried on/off and FSR, stains are still there. I am trying to wet sand a little deeper but it looks like I will be stuck with these stains. Thanks for all the help.
I've used deck cleaner with great success for years. Behr brand wood cleaner and brightener. Also I think Home Depot brand may work. Make sure it contains "Oxalic acid". If I remember correctly this is the same active ingredient in FSR but a lot cheaper and stronger. I spray it on with squirt bottle, wipe and rinse well. Be careful with all this stuff. Hope this helps you. Rob
What makes On & Off so effective is that it is a blend of 3 acids - hydrochloric acid (which is the exact same thing as muriatic acid), phosphoric acid, and oxalic acid. Both On & Off and FSR are great products, and both can be nasty to deal with. Their limitation is that they tned to be effective only on organic stains. If they don't do the job, I don't think there is any non abrasive cleaner out there that will.
I've asked a couple times in a couple places regarding use of these acid-based cleaners... What will they do to vinyl boot stripe decals? I get a brown stain every year and could always clean it up pretty well with bleach on my old boat (aluminum) provided I did it immediately after pulling it for the season. This season -new boat with light colored hull and boot stripe decals that I'd like to keep in place. Can I use the acid base cleaners or will they trash the decals?
removing stains from fiberglass
