how do I remove oxidation on top of the hulls on a non skid surface??

You can remove oxidation from gellcoat using an Oxalic acid solution. It's cheap and effective, get Oxalic in powder form as 10% strength either as Bar Keepers Friend at your supermarket

it's also available sold as "wood bleach" in tubs at your hardware store.

Need a bucket, scrub brush, and dish-washing gloves. Mix up a strong solution of the powder and water and lightly scrub it into the deck with the brush. Do a three foot section at a time and leave the wet brushed surface to soak for 20 minutes (don't let it dry) then rinse it off with a strong blast from a hose.

If your deck non-skid is really bad you may need to repeat or scrub harder.

Important! Now your deck is clean as a whistle, just beautiful, but it is also porous and ready to get stained again. You'll need to seal it with a fiberglass sealant or wax.

Rocco,
Here's the stuff I mentioned this past weekend. I think west marine still carries it as well. Go slow and work small areas at a time. It'll take a fairly significant amount of elbow grease but it's an amazing product for removing oxidation.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=4756417

Thank you for all your input..

So, lets review this topic one more time. I just picked up a P-16 with white hulls and faded yellow non-skid tops. What are the products recommended to clean the oxidation off these surfaces. The hulls themselves seem like an easy answer.

I used and recommended cleaners containing Oxalic acid to remove oxidation for years. I always used Barkeepers friend but others used various types of toilet bowl cleaners that also contain 10% Oxalic acid.

These do work, but there are problems. These do nothing to keep the boat clean, in fact the opposite.

These work best on white boats, and after you finish scrubbing with them your boat will be very clean and white. Unfortunately it is also even more prone to staining by tannin's or simply dirt in the water, leaving a "bathtub ring", and the oxidation returns very soon even if the boat never hit the water. I would clean my boat before going to a regatta so it would look good on the trailer but by the end of the weekend it looked nasty for the trip home.

Also using these to strip oxidation does nothing to return the shine, it just gives a dull white finish.

So that means that after you clean with Oxalic you need to wax or seal the boat somehow which can be a lot of work. Once I cleaned with Oxalic and then brought the boat to a detailer and had it waxed with boat wax for $100, it turned out shiny and lasted most of one summer without stains but really didn't "pop".

Two years ago I finally got around to trying one of the "miracle" fiberglass chemical restorers. I got the kit from Poliglow that includes a powerful oxication/stain stripper and a chemical sealer/finish, it was actually quite a bit of work (more time than hard labor) because there are a lot of steps to do it right and the finish requires many coats (at least five, maybe more on a really deteriorated gel-coat).

The results were spectacular and the boat finally was not only really white, but shined like a new boat. the product has been on for nearly two years and still has a shine, the boat does not pickup any stains when sailed in muddy or contaminated water.

I've recently seen a certain older red Nacra 20 that I knew to be heavily oxidized and even after cleaning/polishing had kind of a murky/splotchy look. It was treated wtih Poliglow and I didn't recognize it as the same boat, now has a beautiful deep shiny red finish.

The Poliglow kit is expensive $69.95, because it is packaged to handle much larger boats than our beachcats. If you have a buddy in the same area you could split it, there is plenty for two beachcats.

http://www.amazon.com/Poli-Glow-Products-Inc-Kit/dp/B00409S8AG

my best was with sno bol (acid) to remove stains, 800 grit for tough spots... and New Glass2 to seal the gelcoat and it build up (after many coats) like clear coat and shines shines shines...

now 75 days in the Florida sun, and about 15 sails... its holding up pretty well.. time for a little touch up but sooooo glad to not have to sno bol / seal it every month

Yeah, the top brands of this type chemical approach seem to be New Glass, Poliglow, and Vertglass. There are probably others being marketed.

Here's an old 1999 Practical Sailor article that does a pretty good job of explaining what it takes to make gel-coat shiny and why.
http://www.myboatstore.com/article.htm

Also, if you happen to be really good with a high-speed buffer lots of people still prefer the old

[list]

DamonLinkous wrote: Yeah, the top brands of this type chemical approach seem to be New Glass, Poliglow, and Vertglass. There are probably others being marketed.

they all seem to work the same way and are probaby the same product (or close)
just to be clear i used newglass2. it was about $40 and i used about 1/3rd of the bottle. It requires about 5 coats (but the more the coats, the more the shine and protective layers it builds up)

it couildn't be easier to use... clean boat.. apply 1 coat to an area... wait to dry (about 30 seconds here in the fl/africa sun) and re-apply another coat. Getting under the boat, around the catbox and trying to avoid getting product all overmyself wasn't very fun. next time i would take the boat off the trailer

gonna have to look into this. The lake was up this year and now there is lots of rotting vegetation making the shoreline a mucky. In one weekend sailing I developed pretty noticeable ring on grime on the Prindle.

DamonLinkous wrote: Yeah, the top brands of this type chemical approach seem to be New Glass, Poliglow, and Vertglass. There are probably others being marketed. [/url]

Does this stuff make the hulls slippery?

A 2nd vote for Poligo. Damon informed me of it and I purchased it. I had started polishing and just about needed elbow surgery after getting through one foot of one side of one hull. I think polishing actually makes the surface a bit slicker than the Poliglo, but not by much. But the application and results make it a pretty darn good trade-off, to me. My 1980 Nacra 5.2 had a TON of oxidation and hull stains. The Polyprep made quick work of removing most of the stains (a few go all the way into the gel coat), and ALL of the oxidation. The polyglo went on easy and still looks great after 6 months. When I was at the Mug Race in May, several sailors had a hard time believing that the boat was over 30 years old. It shines like it is new. I put 6 coats on this Spring; took me the better part of one afternoon to do it all. Think I'll put another coat on in the next few weeks to keep it fresh. It's so easy to apply, it should only take me an hour to "touch up" the entirety of both hulls. No regrets.

I 3rd that motion, have been using Poliglo for a number of years now, used to wax and polish but would acquire "mudstain", that line down entire length of hull from the mudpools around here. Switched to Poliglo and no more problems, Poliprep will remove light-medium oxidization, 800/1000 grit wet sandpaper removes heavy oxidization, it's a clearcoat that seals, protects and makes hulls shine like new, used the poliprep with a hard bristle brush for the non-slip areas, worked great.

Turbo

What did you use to apply the Poliglo on the non-slip areas and how many coats did you apply to same area?

Okay, I see they also make Poli Grit for non skid surfaces......is this the same product and just repackaged with a roller to apply it?

dewitt492492 wrote: What did you use to apply the Poliglo on the non-slip areas and how many coats did you apply to same area?

I put the poliglow on everything including the "non-skid" deck pattern. I took a lot of time cleaning the non-skid with PoliPrep and a stiff brush until it was perfectly clean. You must do this because the PoliGlow sealer will seal in any dirt specs in the pattern.

The decks did indeed become very slippery when the Poliglow was fresh but that was temporary as the areas that you have contact with get rubbed a little less glossy.

Decks on a beachcat aren't the same as decks on a a power boat or yacht, you aren't strolling around (I hope) on the decks of a beachcat where you need strong non-skid for footing.

Hey Damon, I just got a H16 ( sails great -hulls are very solid ) I'm signing up at DSC, arkabuttla lake. Heard about you from the Rooke crew here in Memphis. I really need to clean/polish/protect my hulls so this info here is great!
Plan on heading down this weekend with my GF, prob sunday, but will be glad to meet ya soon i hope!
Tim

fxloop wrote: Hey Damon, I just got a H16 ( sails great -hulls are very solid ) I'm signing up at DSC, arkabuttla lake. Heard about you from the Rooke crew here in Memphis. I really need to clean/polish/protect my hulls so this info here is great!
Plan on heading down this weekend with my GF, prob sunday, but will be glad to meet ya soon i hope!
Tim

Hey that's great. I've yet to sail at Arkabutla this year due to a combination of weather and flood water levels. I think the water is still so high there is no beach at Hernando Point where Delta Sailing Association is located.

There is a floating dock but it's not ideal for launching our beachcats.

It's been a crazy year, especially when the water level went up 25 feet in less than a week.
http://deltasailing.com/index.php?module=page&func=display&pageid=2

A lot of people do not like poliglow, do you have to keep reapplying? That is what I hear. I know that wet sand paper and a good rubbing compoud work wonders.

golfdad75 wrote: A lot of people do not like poliglow, do you have to keep reapplying? That is what I hear. I know that wet sand paper and a good rubbing compoud work wonders.

I really think it's either people who have never tried it, professionals who have a vested interest in labor intensive ways, or folks that bought the Poliglow and didn't follow instructions and do the prep work. It's not really magic, there is quite a bit of work involved to apply correctly the first time.

It's recommended by Poliglow to add one or two additional coats a year, I still haven't done that after two years and it's still shining, I still have a 1/2 bottle and intend to recoat, just kind of hot right now.

fxloop wrote: Hey Damon, I just got a H16 ( sails great -hulls are very solid ) I'm signing up at DSC, arkabuttla lake. Heard about you from the Rooke crew here in Memphis. I really need to clean/polish/protect my hulls so this info here is great!
Plan on heading down this weekend with my GF, prob sunday, but will be glad to meet ya soon i hope!
Tim

Hey, Tim....If you're going to sail on Arkabutla, don't waste time cleaning and polishing, just go ahead and paint your hulls that burnt orange/brown color! Just kidding...it's almost as bad here on Ross Barnett! Come visit our club (Reservoir Sailing Association) if you're down in the Jackson MS area.

rattlenhum wrote:
Hey, Tim....If you're going to sail on Arkabutla, don't waste time cleaning and polishing, just go ahead and paint your hulls that burnt orange/brown color!

That would work, but the boat would be a little hard to see. :rofl2:

But the mud colored water of Arkabutla was a successful test for the Poliglow, so there's that.

fxloop wrote: Hey Damon, I just got a H16 ( sails great -hulls are very solid ) I'm signing up at DSC, arkabuttla lake. Heard about you from the Rooke crew here in Memphis. I really need to clean/polish/protect my hulls so this info here is great!
Plan on heading down this weekend with my GF, prob sunday, but will be glad to meet ya soon i hope!
Tim

Hey Tim,

I am in Collierville and would love to get out sometime with you and Damon. Have been looking for others to sail with. Arkabuttla is a decent spot but like Damon was saying it can be muddy and the water is still high. Ive sailed there several times.

I found a good spot to launch at Sardis - Teckville Landing. It has a beach, ramp and larger sailing area than "The Butt". From Collierville its 1:15. Damon and I were there a few weeks ago. DSC is handy though it you want to store your boat there mast up.

If you go tomorrow you may want to have a paddle, the winds look very light and coming in and out of Hernando Point the wind can die easily.

Hope to see you on the lake sometime.

David

Edited by sailinagin on Jul 23, 2011 - 04:06 PM.

Hey guys, give me a call sometime 647-9699, email is grovertim@gmail.com
Sardis sounds like a great idea, i'm free every weekend. Im in Cordova 🙂
Tim

Newbie looking for more info....... I tried the poliglow and I did the top front of my hulls. The tops are yellow in color. Put on 3 coats and it looks great. Now here are 2 more questions

1). Put Poli Prep (diluted 3:1 water to poli prep) on the side of the hulls, which are white, and could swear it caused some staining of the hulls. It was like it went through the white gelcoat and pulled back some yellowish coloring from the fiberglass. I stopped right away, but wondering if anyone else experienced. My hulls are near perfect so this was really concerning.

2). how difficult is it to remove enough of the tramp to clean the top portion of the pontoons covered by the tramp. Estimate the time to do and explain how to do. Yes I am a newbie.

Thanks to all. This Wednesday is my maiden voyage on this Prindle.......can't wait.

Are you sure the hull sides are the original color? Maybe someone here knows if they made Prindle 16's in two-tone. It could be that your hull sides have been painted and it's the original yellow underneath you are seeing.

If you haven't seen a Prindle 16 assembly manual, it shows how to install/lace the tramp. Would be good for you to remove and replace to inspect and clean the hulls.
http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=75669
Tramp install is on pages 4-5-6.

Also, please, it's hulls, not pontoons.

Just wanted to jump in here and say thanks...I'm getting ready to sell a little fishing boat I have to make room for the cat...the finish on the old boat had really lost it's shine and oxidation had set in. I got the poli prep/poli glow kit and finally got around to the chore today. I am amazed. I don't think the boat looked this good new. Almost hate to get rid of it. It's just a 15 footer so it didn't take long....probably 2.5 hours of light work. I have plenty of product left over so I plan to put it on the Nacra. I read about poliglow here so thanks for the info!!!

All early P-16 hulls were two color; changed in '75 or '76. Pete

Edited by pbegle on Oct 10, 2011 - 07:41 PM.

Anyone here got before and after pics?