Home Made Hull Cleaner

DaveJ

DaveJ

Well-Known Member
Anyone with a boat they've kept in a boat slip in a marina for the summer has to face the dreaded hull cleanup after pulling the boat out for storage. My hull was a grimy mess that even my high pressure power washer didnt make a dent in. Ive used a bunch of different products like Starbrite Instant Hull Clean, Zing, etc. They work well, but are pricey for a 22' walk around like my Trophy Pro ..
I did some Googling and came up with this recipe..... you need

1 quart spray bottle
toilet bowl cleaner (cheap Dollar store stuff works great)
ammonia
hydrogen peroxide

Put on safety stuff..mask, goggles, rubber gloves.

Take a 1 quart spray bottle, fill it halfway with the toilet bowl cleaner.
Add 1.5 cups ammonia
fill up with peroxide

Thats it. Spray on, leave for 5 mins, power wash off. Tough spots may need a bit of scrubbing with a brush, but I found only light scrubbing was necessary.
I mixed up enough for a gallon garden sprayer with a wand and used it...so easy.

Total cost was less than $20 and it worked just as well as commercial products costing 5X as much.


trophy2002.jpg
 
Looks like Crestliner and I were typing the same thing.

Your boat looks super nice... can't argue with that result!

Safest bet is to stick with 1 chemical at a time, and often you do have to cycle through more than one (i.e. first a detergent, then chlorine etc). It is more steps and rinses but you can be sure not to make a bad reaction.

I haven't tried it on a boat, but I sometimes use the pool chlorine full strength for cleaning/bleaching things like the bathtub grout. I think its twice the concentration of ordinary bleach like Javex. It works great, and you can get a bottle at Canadian tire cheap or the pool place is like $10/ 20L (but you need your own special jug).
 
Yes good points...no bleach and ammonia for sure.
We have a pool and I also use the straight chlorine on the decks to wash stains...but I wet the decks first, wear an N95 mask and rubber boots..and rinse well... its strong.
I also used a bit of the $ Store toilet cleaner on its own on a couple spots...it did as well as the mix !!
 
I have been using Captain Phab which is a diluted muriatic acid wash and works perfectly. Always figured I should go buy muriatic acid and dilute myself. Anyone ever tried to make home made Captain Phab? Would like a general recipe. Thanks.
 
I tried a few different products last year with not much luck. I ended up buying muriatic acid from Canadian Tire and mixed it 50/50 with water and it worked really good. Sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes and sprayed off with the pressure washer.
 
Corey06 said:
I tried a few different products last year with not much luck. I ended up buying muriatic acid from Canadian Tire and mixed it 50/50 with water and it worked really good. Sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes and sprayed off with the pressure washer.
Click to expand...
I've heard that's what marine shops use for cleaning customers boats..way cheaper than what they sell
 
DaveJ said:
Yes good points...no bleach and ammonia for sure.
We have a pool and I also use the straight chlorine on the decks to wash stains...but I wet the decks first, wear an N95 mask and rubber boots..and rinse well... its strong.
I also used a bit of the $ Store toilet cleaner on its own on a couple spots...it did as well as the mix !!
Click to expand...

Not to be 'that guy' again but the N95 won't protect at all against chemical gases/vapours - those flow through the mask the same as the air you breathe. You'd need an appropriate chem. cartridge respirator if there's enough concentration to pose a risk.

I'm not a chemist but from my hack google search - ammonia solution is basic (high pH) and toilet bowl cleaner is usually acidic. So when mixed, they will at least partly neutralize each other (plus any other ingredient reactions i.e. bleach that may create harmful byproducts). Perhaps not surprising then that the acidic toilet bowl cleaner on its own works as well, or maybe better than the mixture! Seems other hull cleaners are acid solutions as well.
 
Way back in the day when my brothers and I were the manual labour that cleaned the hulls of my dad's fibreglass boats after they sat all season long down at the Sandboy Marina, old man Boychuck used to sell my dad bottles of industrial 🚽cleaner and we applied it with one of those lambs wool-like applicators. The hull scum used to run off almost by itself with little to know scrubbing involved. So much so, that the old man thought we saved enough time🕝 to put 3 coats of wax on the hull instead of the usual 2.💪

I'm not to sure how bad the stuff was for the environment but it sure took the goop off the boat like nothing I ever saw before or since.
 
The only issue with any of the products is if you have anti foul paint on the lower haul. It get discolored and looks like crap
 
Crestliner16 said:
Not to be 'that guy' again but the N95 won't protect at all against chemical gases/vapours - those flow through the mask the same as the air you breathe. You'd need an appropriate chem. cartridge respirator if there's enough concentration to pose a risk.

I'm not a chemist but from my hack google search - ammonia solution is basic (high pH) and toilet bowl cleaner is usually acidic. So when mixed, they will at least partly neutralize each other (plus any other ingredient reactions i.e. bleach that may create harmful byproducts). Perhaps not surprising then that the acidic toilet bowl cleaner on its own works as well, or maybe better than the mixture! Seems other hull cleaners are acid solutions as well.
Click to expand...
You're absolutely correct. I said an N95 but I was using my full cannister respirator. Even the commercial acid based cleaners are nasty!!!
 
I didnt think you could put a fiberglass hull in the water for extended periods of time without bottom paint? I thought the gelcoat would blister or something to that effect. I could be totally wrong so correct my thinking if need be.

I had my boat in a slip at Hoovers for a couple weeks dealing with trailer repair. Was totally gross when i recovered it. Pressure washer did nothing. I sprayed it with Starbrite hull cleaner and the crap just melted right off. Pressure washed it off. Not a cheap solution and sure smelled like muriatic acid to me.
 
Elmerfudd said:
I didnt think you could put a fiberglass hull in the water for extended periods of time without bottom paint? I thought the gelcoat would blister or something to that effect. I could be totally wrong so correct my thinking if need be.

I had my boat in a slip at Hoovers for a couple weeks dealing with trailer repair. Was totally gross when i recovered it. Pressure washer did nothing. I sprayed it with Starbrite hull cleaner and the crap just melted right off. Pressure washed it off. Not a cheap solution and sure smelled like muriatic acid to me.
Click to expand...
Antiquing wont stop blistering. That's from crappy gel coat. I know people that have kept their boats in a slip for years with no paint and no issues other than filthy hulls after. Really, antifouling is just that..preventing growth. Saying that, if I was to dock my boat for a season again, I'd paint it..but that's not happening again.
 
Pulled mine out today and had the normal marina stinky green stuck to it. Drove straight to the farm and power washed with a 3000psi Hotsy
with 190 degree water. Completley clean in 45 minutes. Hot water is the key.
It's been two seasons since I applied anti fouling paint.
 
GPS said:
Pulled mine out today and had the normal marina stinky green stuck to it. Drove straight to the farm and power washed with a 3000psi Hotsy
with 190 degree water. Completley clean in 45 minutes. Hot water is the key.
It's been two seasons since I applied anti fouling paint.
Click to expand...
I did the same with my gas power washer..3000 psi..but not hot water. Soaked it with the soap first. Honestly it only took a little bit off the surface. The acid wash removed it fast. Hot water must be the key
 
Here's a list of common products you shouldn't combine.
  • Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
  • Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar. ...
  • Ammonia and Bleach. ...
  • Vinegar and Bleach. ...
  • Bleach and Rubbing Alcohol. ...
  • Different Drain Cleaners. ...
  • Mildew Stain Remover and Bleach. ...
  • Bleach and Toilet Bowl Cleaner.
Number 3 on the list
 
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