Boat Cleaning

[bob_bra]

I have used Lacquer Thinner after it was recommended by a dealer to remone stains around the decals which soap and water could not remove. I feel that this solvent would work well on tar or any other oil based material. It has a long work time and is clear.

Bob

[cagrove]

Originally Posted by woodNfish

>>The only thing you don't want to put on your boat is any petroleum based cleaner.

As far as I know your boat is inert and even petroleum-based cleaners don't harm it. I use acetone to wash down areas I want to stick registration stickers and the like. And gasoline spills around the fill cap don't soften the plastic. Polyethelene is pretty tough stuff.

woodNfish

It's your boat, do as you wish. I will stick to what is recommended by the manufacturer...they should know.

[NCangler]

Here is the word from the Triumph factory service folks on cleaners:

Soft scrub or bleach works well, but I have used bug and tar remover before on the boats and it took the road tar off the boat pretty easily. A pretty good rule of thumb is to look at the container that the cleaner comes in. Although most materials won't hurt the Roplene and you can even use mild acid based cleaners to clean your boat, if the product comes in a plastic bottle and doesn't have a color dye in it, then you are pretty much good to go to clean your Triumph boat with it.

[rscott]

Cagrove,
The plaquard says right on it what to use for "ACYRLIC". That sticker is on the console and they are refering to the windshield. The windshield is the only Acyrlic on the boats.

[cagrove]

Originally Posted by rscott

Cagrove,
The plaquard says right on it what to use for "ACYRLIC". That sticker is on the console and they are refering to the windshield. The windshield is the only Acyrlic on the boats.

The sticker on my boat is on the starboard transom, just behind the seat. But you may be correct in that it is referring to the windshield.

[woodNfish]

My boat does not have that sticker on it, but the boat is made of polyethylene (Ropolene is a tradename and is a fusion of "rotomolded" and polyethylene), not acrylic. You will not find any plastic named Ropolene. The only acrylic on your boat is the windshield and any other optically clear plastic you may have.

Anyway, polyethylene is pretty close to indesructable by any cleaner or solvent you might try to use on it. This is what http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Pol...ene-Family.htm has to say about polyethelyne:

"A waxy, translucent, somewhat flexible thermoplastic, prepared by polymerizing ethylene at high pressure (1,000 to 4,000 atm) and high temperature (180 to 190 deg. C.) in the presence of a trace of oxygen. It is one of the lightest of the plastics, having a specific gravity of 0.92 to 0.93. Below 60 deg. C., polyethylene is insoluble in all solvents and is resistant to the action o f most reagents, other than strong oxidizing acids. Above 115 deg. C., the polymer changes from a clear solid to a relatively low-viscosity melt. At this temperature and above, exposure to air causes relatively extensive oxidative degradation, unless antioxidants are included with the polymer."

Most likely Triumph has added antioxodants to the plastic because you can weld it without any oxidation ocurring.

[fridaysoff]

I have found that the most important thing that I do after cleaning my boat and before storing it under the cover that I have for it is to dry out all the compartments and put an empty 20 oz. water bottle between the hatches, seat, and leave an opening in the console so air can move around. I've never had mildew or any ugly growth anywhere in the hull. I live in Southeast NC and the humidity will reek havoc on anything that does not have a vent for air to move into and out of.
John D.

[NCangler]

After cleaning my 215 Chaos I prop open all the fishbox and storage hatches and the cooler then I put the cover on. This allows all the storage areas to dry out and stay dry. A good cover is one of the best investments I've made in the boat.

[mtty]

If I have a splash while I'm refueling or a few drips from the nozzel after fueling they invaribly end up on the transom where they leave a residue that soap and water won't remove. Periodically, I'll spray some WD-40 on a rag and it comes off.

[sidwolf2]

I use a pressure washer and some Simple Green. It works great and it's biodegradable and nontoxic---just incase you maintain any residue on your boat or even inside your baitwell.