what type of shampoo

[turkish6]

hello, I was wondering what kind of soap is best to use on the deck and hull. We have a fiberglass boat with non-skid patterns on the deck. The hull is blue and the shine is very dull. I plan on doing a polish when we take it out for the season. But in the mean time I was to clean it with somethhing to get all the salt off. The hull actually has some shiny parts but mostly dull. The pervious owner left some 'zip" car wash and wax. I am not sure if i should use that. Should I get scrubber and scrub down the entire boat both hull and deck?

[Sunspot Baby]

A good fresh water rinse will frequently remove the salt but if soap is needed, I find dish washing liquid (we sue Joy) works as well as the most expensive boat soaps.

If you have stains to remove, Sno Bol works better than anything on the shelf at West Marine.

George

[bvimatelot]

Oh yes, JOY washing-up liquid!! As good an invention as WD40. Not only does it foam in sea-water so you can wash your hair on passage and do a quick fresh water rinse, it washes clothes (after you have towed your oily shorts for 12 hours behind the boat, dump them in a bucket of joy-ed fresh water for 6 hours - you'll be amazed!) and you only need an infinitesimal amount to do the dishes. Comes in all sorts of aromas (Lemon is nice for hair-wash!) and also anti-bacterial. I'm sure that if you could find a way to drink it, it would cure all ills and maybe even act as well as Viagra?? Tony

[turkish6]

thanks for the replies. I actually had left the house before the posts. so i went to west marine and bought a starbrite wash and wax. i soaped and cleaned the whole boat. the decks is 100times better. very pleased with the outcome. the hull on the other hand is still dull. i figured it was not going to shine up cause i did not wax it yet. but even after the wash it has spots of hazing on it. it almost lookes like dried water. like a white film. but if you rub it, it doesn't come off. what do i do for this? is this oxidation? do i just need to wax it.

[Ex-Calif]

We use something very similar to Joy - from dishes, to hull, to bilge grease to crew, Joy cleans it all.

turkish6 - it could be oxidation or it could be the paint/coating wearing away. Try waxing it if it doesn't imporve it is likely the latter...

[mickmul]

We use a product called Y10 which is great for removing staining on gelcoat - the Starbrite range is also available here - cleaning with a soft sponge while at anchor seems to yirld the best results . . .