Best boat wash

[GUMPY]

9 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

You did, but if one is not very fast onto duck droppings in summer, some kind of detergent to help rehydrate them for scrubbing off.

I use Greased Lightning Showroom Shine  https://amzn.eu/d/39fQmTc

to remove Shitehawk mess. It works well on a gloss paint surface.

I also do the whole boat once or twice a year to keep my membership of the SBC.

 

 

 

 

 

Shiny Boat Club. 🤭

[Momac]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

You did, but if one is not very fast onto duck droppings in summer, some kind of detergent to help rehydrate them for scrubbing off.

Seagull is the worst. Closely followed by Canada Goose.

[IanD]

37 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Seagull is the worst. Closely followed by Canada Goose.

Surely elephant (think Dumbo...) is the worst? 😉

[Peanut]

I had a courtesy car, with a penalty charge if it needed any cleaning on return.  The car was sea-gulled on the bonnet on a hot day while I was at work.  I tried everything available and succeeded in removing it.  Standing back, to my horror I had abraded the paint and it looked awful. Mindful of the impending charge for damage to the car, I dropped in at a local car valet.  They put a mop on the bonnet for beer money, and advised that in future I should put a wet sponge on it, keep it wet, and leave it to soften.  When it comes off without a problem.  If left, it is likely to mark the paint.

[Amphibian Man]

How unlucky would you have to be, to be bombarded from above by Dumbo. I mean the fact that there is only one Dumbo in the whole wide world 🤣

[gatekrash]

On 17/02/2023 at 17:27, Peanut said:

I had a courtesy car, with a penalty charge if it needed any cleaning on return.  The car was sea-gulled on the bonnet on a hot day while I was at work.  I tried everything available and succeeded in removing it.  Standing back, to my horror I had abraded the paint and it looked awful. Mindful of the impending charge for damage to the car, I dropped in at a local car valet.  They put a mop on the bonnet for beer money, and advised that in future I should put a wet sponge on it, keep it wet, and leave it to soften.  When it comes off without a problem.  If left, it is likely to mark the paint.

My Mrs uses that technique too.

 

I use an alternative method which is to cover the bird poo with spit and leave it for a bit. Something in the enzymes in your spit dissolves the bird poo away.

I learned that one from the National Trust, apparently they use the same technique for cleaning furniture etc if they've had a bird get into a property and poo all over it.

[Daltonn]

Meguiar's wash is the friendliest boat wash that I've used. It works well without stripping away the boat’s nutrients and wax protection. I don’t need to go through the hassle of buffing and waxing since it does that in just one easy step.

[tree monkey]

On 17/02/2023 at 17:38, Amphibian Man said:

How unlucky would you have to be, to be bombarded from above by Dumbo. I mean the fact that there is only one Dumbo in the whole wide world 🤣

Never mind the elephant,  think of the damage when the whale let's loose

 

Beluga plane

 

[LadyG]

Agree with the deck scrubber with long handle, also old fashioned cotton mops but with plastic fittings, they are available in markets, or proper ironmongers,  about £7.00 for both.

I use dilute washing up liquid for most jobs, I think Ecover is as good as one can get for use on the cut.

Edited March 7, 2023 by LadyG

[Hudds Lad]

20 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I think Ecover is as good as one can get for use on the cut.

It just has better marketing, not as green as they’d have you believe, from what i recall it still has bad stuff but its sustainably sourced or some such waffle.

[LadyG]

17 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

It just has better marketing, not as green as they’d have you believe, from what i recall it still has bad stuff but its sustainably sourced or some such waffle.

I expect you are correct, the best thing is to use as little detergent as possible.

[haggis]

56 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Agree with the deck scrubber with long handle, also old fashioned cotton mops but with plastic fittings, they are available in markets, or proper ironmongers,  about £7.00 for both.

I use dilute washing up liquid for most jobs, I think Ecover is as good as one can get for use on the cut.

I always thought that washing up liquid was not good for paintwork. I know it isn't good for cars and I would have thought boats were similar. 

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, haggis said:

I always thought that washing up liquid was not good for paintwork. I know it isn't good for cars and I would have thought boats were similar. 

 

I think that is because they use salt to thicken it, probably fine as long as you rinse it all off with lots off fresh water.

[Nightwatch]

On 17/02/2023 at 17:38, Amphibian Man said:

How unlucky would you have to be, to be bombarded from above by Dumbo. I mean the fact that there is only one Dumbo in the whole wide world 🤣

There’s a farm shop not far from where we are that sells Jumbo Eggs. Just saying.

[Hudds Lad]

1 hour ago, Nightwatch said:

There’s a farm shop not far from where we are that sells Jumbo Eggs. Just saying.

hopefully not dog eggs, laid by Digby the biggest dog in the world

[Tim Lewis]

On 16/02/2023 at 12:16, Amphibian Man said:

Hi folks,

Thanks for all your helpful comments 🤔. It's just that the boat roof is covered in a yellowish greenish sort of lichen, moss like stuff. I just want to get rid of it and then continue afterwards just using canal water. BTW MtB, I like the idea of a cruise by boatwash where you sit inside while the boat gets a once over 🤣. I am human.....well I was the last time I checked 🤪

 

Have just removed a lot of lichen from the roof of a boat using a cheap pressure washer without having to use detergent.

 

[ditchcrawler]

44 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

Have just removed a lot of lichen from the roof of a boat using a cheap pressure washer without having to use detergent.

 

Witnessed a chap doing that on the Ashby Canal using a battery pressure washer and canal water, quite impressive on a textured roof  

[magnetman]

Some of the best boat washes I have seen have been Thames tugs on the tideway with the handles down. 

 

This sort of thing (stolen image)

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

Have just removed a lot of lichen from the roof of a boat using a cheap pressure washer without having to use detergent.

 

 

We could do this on our mooring at Pollington. Connect the Karcher to the (luckily) close by water tap, fire up the engine then the Karcher.

 

Job done. 

[cuthound]

On 07/03/2023 at 08:29, Hudds Lad said:

It just has better marketing, not as green as they’d have you believe, from what i recall it still has bad stuff but its sustainably sourced or some such waffle.

 

On my first shareboat one of the co-owners was an industrial chemist and said chemically, Ecover washing up liquid is no different from any other. 

 

At the time Ecover claimed their's was phosphate free, but no washing up liquid has phosphates in it.

Edited March 8, 2023 by cuthound
Ecover, nor Recover; bluddy autowrong

[Hudds Lad]

15 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

Have just removed a lot of lichen from the roof of a boat using a cheap pressure washer without having to use detergent.

 

How cheap?   I'm not lugging the Karcher down to the marina just to get some green off the gunwhales, but anything has to be better than going toe to toe with the stiff brush  

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

On my first shareboat one of the co-owners was an industrial chemist and said chemically, Ecover washing up liquid is no different from any other. 

 

At the time Ecover claimed their's was phosphate free, but no washing up liquid has phosphates in it.

A bit like saying there are no wild tigers in your back garden so its safer than next door

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

On my first shareboat one of the co-owners was an industrial chemist and said chemically, Ecover washing up liquid is no different from any other. 

 

At the time Ecover claimed their's was phosphate free, but no washing up liquid has phosphates in it.

When I was on the Broads Forum I had the same discussion with the rep from the Blue/Green initiative saying hire boats should supply Ecover to be able to fly the flag

[haggis]

One of our owners on Copperkins left some Ecover washing up liquid on board  but I found it didn't clean dishes properly and I  reverted to using good old Fairy Liquid . 

 

[Daltonn]

Like Meguiar's, Star Brite is also a popular boat wash brand. It works effectively on both interior and exterior surfaces, including vinyl. Decks, hulls, fittings, and chromes shall be left spotless with just one application.