keeping the cockpit/cabin clean

[tomcat rio]

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness."
as far as i concerned, its also next to impossible.

it seems no matter what i do on the boat, i always make a mess on the fiberglass. other boats look like you could eat off the decks all the time. what am i doing wrong?
i kind of like 'scrubbing bubbles'. is there a magic 'one step does it all cleaner' that i don't know about?
thx.

[DougSea]

I use Tilex and a good brush. Great stuff!

Doug

[chiefrcd]

I use the scrubbing bubbles inside on the fiberglass and the padded vinyl liner, but on the cockpit sole I use the new softscrub with bleach about every other time I scrub the cockpit ( have a white boat ). On the remainder of the outside I use Zip Car wash with wax...works great, but won't clean off the tough stuff that shows up on the cockpit floor...that where the softscrub with bleach comes in. About twice a year I do the entire boat topsides with Woody Wax, this seems to help keep the tough stuff from taking hold so bad. I also use the Woody Wax on all the aluminum and stainless steel.

[Elizabeth Ann]

I stay away from NON-biodegradeable stuff. Scrubbing Bubbles and Soft Scrub will not be found on my boat. Mary Kate's hull and deck cleaner is an excellent non-slip cleaner, biodegradeable, and fairly inexpensive.

Although I really like a clean, sexy looking boat. I think those that are meticulous have owners who spend more time washing and prepping than using the damn thing.

[chiefrcd]

EA, both of those cleaners are bio-degradable. In fact the small amount of chlorine is almost instantly degraded by the sun. Keep in mind this is what is used in most pools and drinking water in the country. I've used many Mary Kate products and nothing they have comes close to getting white....WHITE like soft scrub.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Hey Chief,

Since I had to go to the grocery store last night I figured I'd wait to reply in case I said the wrong thing and then had to put my foot in my mouth (something I usually do often).

Anyway, I picked up two different types of SS (the green gel and the lemon) - the only ones on the shelf. I also looked at the SB brand. Neither product said biodegradable. Moreover, none of them listed their chemical contents - listing them as proprietary solvents, detergents, and surfactants. One exception by SB, they list a hydrocarbon propellent and 15% phosphates (which is kind of bad - but we'll let that slide).

Chlorine isn't that much of an issue compared to other things. However, it is chlorine gas which is degraded by sun. The chlorine in the cleaner is probably sodium hypochlorite....the same stuff found in bleach. I am unsure of the chemical transformation between that and chlorine gas. I do know pool owners in NY can be fined for backwashing thier system into marine waters (again this has to do w/ more than just chlorine). My father does this routinely and now (if I'm home in NY) he doesn't do it in from of me b/c I give him crap about it.

For me personally, it is ethically and morally wrong, and considering my type of employment I may be viewed as a hypocrite. My only real solace (outside of a chemical analysis of each product) is the fact that the Mary Kate product states that it is biodegradable. You and others can do what you want - I bear no judgement. Afterall, I'm am a boat owner and I drive an SUV too. Some of the more liberal people I work with accuse me as being a cause for the war in Iraq b/c I chew through oil. It provides hours of entertaining debates at Friday afternoon happy hour events.

[jcollins]

EA and others,
The raft up I was at last week had boats that were spotless. In talking to the owners it was obvious they do spend 2-3 days a week at the boat scrubbing because of gas prices. We on the other hand are fortunate to run diesel engines. Nothing is cheap anymore but I USE my boat. I like to keep it clean (I use Soft-Scrub) but I don't spend my time cleaning. I spend my time cruising and enjoying boating. If there's any extra time, then I clean. <smile>