Best experience cleaning dinghy

[stevev]

I have been trying to get my RIB dinghy clean to no avail. Have tried the standard soaps and water, but nothing works very well.
When I looked at RIB dinghy cleaner, there are dozens to choose from.
Has anybody had success with any specific products?

[skipmac]

We used Home Armor 2X Mold & Mildew Stain Remover on our Avon and it did a great job. The dink had been stored under a cover in FL for several years and was really bad. Not quite like new but pretty good for a 10 year old dink.

Get it at Home Depot or probably most similar stores.

Wear old clothes when you use it.

[SailFastTri]

Standard household bleach diluted, with a soft scrub brush on a pole. That takes care of heavy grime and mold/mildew.

For deeper cleaning and to get rid of the chalking: Follow that up with Nautical Ease inflatable boat cleaner - best stuff I ever used https://www.yachtingessentials.com/p...at-Cleaner%20/

Spray it on, spread it around and let it sit 5 mins (best in the shade so it doesn't evaporate as fast) hose it off. Repeat if needed. If you have chalking you will see it run off in the rinse water.

Follow up with 303 UV protectant.

PS - wear protective gloves with all this stuff.

[stevev]

thanks,

Going to buy a bottle today and try it this weekend.

[Pete7]

We believe the local rib shop buys in commercial quantities of Traffic Film Remover (TFR) and then re-bottles it in fancy spray bottles with a huge mark up. Its profitable but annoys the rib owners who feel they are being ripped off.

So TFR sold in auto factors across the UK as a cheap strong cleaning fuild. Originally you used it neat from 20 litre drums, now to cut costs you have to dilute it first.

Pete

[savoir]

Acetone.

Buy 2 quarts and do the work outdoors (fumes) and in low light (it evaporates really fast in direct sun).

[Sea Dreaming]

Might be worth it to try krud kutter. I swear it cleans anything!

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by savoir

Acetone.

Buy 2 quarts and do the work outdoors (fumes) and in low light (it evaporates really fast in direct sun).

Acetone softens rubber. Not sure about Hypalon, but unless somebody has proof it won't damage it, I wouldn't use it.

[Guimaras]

Is it Hypalon or PVC?
Have you tried Simple Green? It works wonders for just normal cleaning jobs. Other stains need special solvents.
If its PVC, here's a chart to start with:
https://www.spilltech.com/wcsstore/S.../ccg/CBOOM.pdf

[savoir]

I have been cleaning my RIBs with acetone once a year for ages without issue. Nothing else works. I do it every April before launch.

You certainly wouldn't do it once a week.

[zeehag]

scraper and fresh water. must scrape the crud off before cleaning the boat itself. funny how that works. no it is not easy. the best product for this is elbow grease. cannot be bought in stores.