Remove Barnacles

[windcree]

SOOOO I launched a new inflatable last season. Unfortunately I forgot to paint the bottom.. Yea.. stupid mistake.. I have the barnacles off but the bottoms are still there. I've heard of using Citric Acid to clean them off. Has anyone tried this. Any suggestions on how to use it??

[a64pilot]

Most any kind of acid will work, just pour it on and watch it bubble, rinse off when done.
Weaker acids like citric would be safer than acids like sulphuric etc.

[JPA Cate]

If you live in an area afflicted by acid rain, leave it out in the rain, upside down. We've had regular rain clean growth off on passages. Weak HCl will get rid of them pretty fast. It's sort of fun to watch the chemical reaction, then rinse off with fresh water. I've never done this, but I bet you could do it with vinegar, soak a towel in cheap white vinegar, and place it on the upturned dinghy, let sit, come back and wipe them off. Repeat till dinghy is done.

Next season, hoist the dinghy out of the water at night, that will keep growth down. Let us know if you find effective bottom paint for inflatables. We sort of gave up on that.

Ann

[sailorboy1]

I tried acid to remove the glur circles from my dinghy. It didn't work.