Cleaning my Hull

[westr212]

My boat sat in the water this summer for a month. Now I've got algae or calcium built up on the hull to the water line. What can I use to help get it scrubbed back to clean aluminum? My neighbor said to acid wash but that seems to be a job I might want to hire done. Is there a good cleaning agent you have used?
Thanks, Paul

 

[hosstyle]

this will sound weird but the best cleaner I have used for water scum in the cheapest blue toilet bowl cleaner. put it in a spray bottle, spray it on, give it a couple mins, scrub and rinse

 

[westr212]

Thanks Hosstyle, I should have mentioned that I tried that and my better half chastised me for getting the cheap stuff and she was right it didn't break down the build up. I also should have mentioned that it is aluminum only, no paint of any kind, actually pontoon tubes.
I really think this topic should be a stickey, a fairly common problem for boaters.

 

[DaleH]

I need to use anti-fouling paint, so I don’t get any build-up and all my tin surfaces are painted, by factory or me. I do use white vinegar to clean tin though, but it MUST be rinsed.

That's the basis of a DIY formula in this post, link = https://boateasyblog.com/2019/10/16/the-best-homemade-cleaner-for-your-aluminum-boat/

Not sure where I’d rate the products on this list ...

The Best Aluminum Boat Cleaners for 2020 link = https://www.marinetalk.com/best-aluminum-boat-cleaners/#5_BioKleen_Aluma-Kleen_Cleaner

 

[Oliver305]

For Aluminum boat, you can consider Star Brite Ultimate. Star Brite is an extremely well-known brand among aluminum boat owners. cover the entire aluminum hull with a whole coating of aluminum cleaner and let it stay there for around 10 minutes (or more depending on the amount of oxidation). Let it foam up after ten minutes, and then, rinse off the cleaner completely with your hose.

 

[LDUBS]

For Aluminum boat, you can consider Star Brite Ultimate. Star Brite is an extremely well-known brand among aluminum boat owners. cover the entire aluminum hull with a whole coating of aluminum cleaner and let it stay there for around 10 minutes (or more depending on the amount of oxidation). Let it foam up after ten minutes, and then, rinse off the cleaner completely with your hose.

I've used the Star Brite stuff a couple of times on my boat and agree it works well. I found I had to be pretty diligent to avoid blotchiness (is that a word?). But to be fair, I was just removing oxidation and the the ring-around-the-boat from freshwater lakes. I didn't have any heavy build up of algae.

 

[lily2020]

For Aluminum boat, you can consider Star Brite Ultimate. Star Brite is an extremely well-known brand among aluminum boat owners. cover the entire aluminum hull with a whole coating of aluminum cleaner and let it stay there for around 10 minutes (or more depending on the amount of oxidation). Let it foam up after ten minutes, and then, rinse off the cleaner completely with your hose.

I've used the Star Brite stuff a couple of times on my boat and agree it works well. I found I had to be pretty diligent to avoid blotchiness (is that a word?). But to be fair, I was just removing oxidation and the the ring-around-the-boat from freshwater lakes. I didn't have any heavy build up of algae.

will it hurt painted aluminum hull

 

[LDUBS]

For Aluminum boat, you can consider Star Brite Ultimate. Star Brite is an extremely well-known brand among aluminum boat owners. cover the entire aluminum hull with a whole coating of aluminum cleaner and let it stay there for around 10 minutes (or more depending on the amount of oxidation). Let it foam up after ten minutes, and then, rinse off the cleaner completely with your hose.

I've used the Star Brite stuff a couple of times on my boat and agree it works well. I found I had to be pretty diligent to avoid blotchiness (is that a word?). But to be fair, I was just removing oxidation and the the ring-around-the-boat from freshwater lakes. I didn't have any heavy build up of algae.

will it hurt painted aluminum hull

The Star Brite bottle I have says to use only for bare aluminum. Looks like they have another hull cleaner for painted surfaces. I don't know anything about that product.

 

[DaleH]

… will it hurt painted aluminum hull

Just use any good cleaner on a painted surface, plain ol’ water, Fantastic, Windex, Formula 209, whatever …