On & Off Hull Cleaner
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=26617
Printed Date: November-18-2024 at 11:40pm
Topic: On & Off Hull Cleaner
Posted By: NCH20SKIER
Subject: On & Off Hull Cleaner
Date Posted: June-24-2012 at 1:07pm
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I have heard good things about this product - has any on this site have any experience with it and if so, what are your thoughts? ------------- '05 206 Limited '88 BFN |
Replies:
Posted By: lakedog55
Date Posted: June-24-2012 at 1:37pm
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Yeah me too! What is it? Mike ------------- Lakedog55 |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: June-24-2012 at 5:33pm
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It goes on & off so easy, it is like it is not there! ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: harddock
Date Posted: June-24-2012 at 7:17pm
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I used to sell Slimy Grimy and people seemed to love it. It is a powder and usually mixed into a pump sprayer. Works best when boat is first removed and yuck is still wet. For the coffee color water stain people have used FSR (fiberglas stain remover) or Y10 which is similar but a different brand. Naval jelly also works and is problably very similar ( all have some acid base) ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=4487" rel="nofollow - 1998 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-24-2012 at 10:47pm
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On/off works awesome but be very careful with it- it'll eat anything with paint FAST, so rinse things off quickly (trailer, etc). Also be careful not to get it on you, especially if you're spraying it on the hull. It's a very strong acid, nasty stuff. Extremely effective though! ------------- |
Posted By: NEDLUTZ
Date Posted: June-25-2012 at 10:39pm
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1:1 mix of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner and hydrogen peroxide (yea, the stuff you sterilize cuts with). Our boat sits in a lake all summer and has a nasty scum line. That mix takes it right off. Re-wax after [ toilet bowl cleaner with no chlorine] mix them together it will be somewhat thick just put on with a brush,let it sit a few mins. and then wash it off. |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 1:53am
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If you're used to the effectiveness of Lysol+hydrogen peroxide and then were to one day try On/Off, it would be analogous to waking up one morning and deciding to brush your teeth with gasoline. Totally new experience. ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 8:35am
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Mark (LLS) has been doing some testing on the acid based hull cleaners and got the same results I've noticed. Yes, the stuff works great but then the staining comes back even quicker. The thought is the acid opens up the pores in the gel. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Waterdog
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 9:27am
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Where can one buy On & Off hull cleaner? ------------- - waterdog - http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=3896&sort=&pagenum=2&yrstart=1978&yrend=1978" rel="nofollow - 78 Ski Tique |
Posted By: DrStevens
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 9:30am
I would agree with Pete about his above post, acid does micro etch things so re-stain is a problem. If one brushes their teeth with gasoline, make sure there is no ethanol in it. 
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Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 11:14am
Come on now, Pete- I figured you'd give us a more scientific explanation than that! The acid etching seems plausible- how does it open up the pores? It should go without saying that when using a caustic cleaner on your hull, that it *probably* wont leave any wax behind. Best to give it a fresh coat to keep the staining down (and easier to clean). ------------- |
8122pbrainard wrote:Posted By: Foot_Fungus
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 11:45am
| To expand on Pete's post, he is correct the acide removes the sealing layer that "clogs/seals" up the pores. Similar to what an etching agent does. Basically the opposite of wax. Where wax fills in microholes and other 'divets' to produce a smooth uniform sealed surface, acid cleaners 'eat' any soft organic based matter, leaving what would resemble a coral under a microscope. If you're going to use an acid cleaner you need to use a sealer wax afterwards to seal everything back up, othewise you're right it will actually get dirty faster as the organics no longer have a barrier to penetrate. |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 11:51am
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Maybe its a terminology thing... by "opening up the pores" youre really saying that the acid roughs the surface up slightly, right? Same effect as a very fine grit sand paper? That I buy. Im not aware of gelcoat having a "sealing layer" on it other than whatever wax you choose to apply though. ------------- |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:00pm
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Tim, I have no scientific evidence to back up any of these claims but I agree the acid cleaners are harsh. With my old 81 I used acids to clean the bottom once a year and I did notice a surface change after the cleaning and the boat seemed to get dirty very quickly if it was not waxed before going back in the water. I don't know if it was opening pores or just removing wax and leaving a rougher surface for dirt to cling too but my practice after a cleaning was to hit as much of the hull as I could with finnese and a buffer then a collonite wax job. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:06pm
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Totally agree Alan. Ive never gotten the impression it does anything harmful to the gel (paint is another story!). ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:13pm
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Tim, I didn't realize you needed a scientific explanation for everything!  I don't have a detailed answer except the acid will etch the surface. It's the same principle when you acid etch concrete for a coating prep. Polyester certainly isn't impervious to all chemicals. Keep in mind that gel also has an organic pigment. I'd say it's very susceptible to the acid.------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:21pm
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http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/chemical-resistance-polyester-d_784.html" rel="nofollow - Chemical resistance of polyester resin ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:30pm
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Remember this is the same acid you clean toilet bowls with, my wife once left some sitting in the toilet bowl for a "deep" cleaning and when she rinsed it a while later it had etched the ceramic surface to the point where the bowl has to be replaced. So be careful, work quickly, rinse thoroughly and seal the surface back up with a good wax before the boat goes back in the water. ps. Don't bitch when your wife ruins a toilet bowl or you may inherit the bathroom cleaning duties for life.  ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:32pm
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LOL, good advice, Alan. ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 12:48pm
When I get home today, I guess I'm going to have to wax my toilet bowl!  ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Bri892001
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 1:19pm
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On and Off works very well, you definitely want to use gloves when using it too. West Marine used to sell this stuff called "Roll Off". I haven't noticed it stocked recently though. It seemed to work almost as well as the On and Off, but a lot less harsh on the skin. |
Posted By: TX Foilhead
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 1:54pm
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If the acid has to eat something away, even slightly, to etch the surface then of course the pores are opened because the acid etched them a little which made them bigger. Not science, just common sense. I'm really liking the Colonite used after the fiberglass cleaner. I got busy and put 15 hrs on the boat before I wiped it down last time and was still able to remove almost all spots with a dry towel. I'm intrested in trying BTS (Bow to Stern) which has gotten a lot of talk this spring on PN, supposed to good an any surface and shed stuff off the gel coat so well there is no wiping required. Hope to have some on before the Drag Boat race in August. That should be a good test, the slip catches a lot of oily residue which I guess comes from the drag boats. For photogenic purposes I have to give the boat a quick scrub with a sponge just before we go out everytime. |
Posted By: Foot_Fungus
Date Posted: June-26-2012 at 4:52pm
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Oxalic acid is the worst, but all acids especially after repeated use will indeed open up the pores(not make bigger, just open back to original size when the gelcoat was applied/cured), some believe they will even make new ones similar to how etching works, but I've not seen firm proof on that when acid cleaners are used properly. I guess I need to go back and first explain that gelcoats have pores,granted its at the mircoscopic level, but that is how stains and algae get a foothold on the surface. Infact all hard surfaces have pores. Waxes help prevent this by sealing(filling in) these holes making the surface smooth at the molecular level. Since this is merely a filling and not a chemical bond it isn't permanent, which is one of the reasons you have to reapply wax every so often. Just do a google search for gelcoat porous or pores and there are a gazillion sites probably doing a better job at explaining it. The Hull Truth usually has a thread once a month on it. this site is also a decent explanation (see the cleaner section at the bottom). http://www.captaingarysproducts.com/faqsandtips/faq1.html%20%20" rel="nofollow - Gelcoat Pores Another on the meguiars site, see the meguiar's tech 1st post on gelcoats: http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41654-Gel-Coat-Restoration" rel="nofollow - Gelcoats vs. Automotive I'm by not means an expert so more than likely I'm not explaining it clearly. By "open up" i mean removing any foreign matter that filled in the pore to start with. Not making the pore physically bigger than it was originally. |
Posted By: Waterdog
Date Posted: June-27-2012 at 10:20am
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Cleaning the gel coat with alkaline soap or acid or, or... strips away the oxides and leaves a high energy surface suitable for painting, bonding or microbial growth. Seal the gel coat with wax after cleaning the scum off and go over it with a detail "wax" when you wipe the boat down and you put it up. You'll be ok. ------------- - waterdog - http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=3896&sort=&pagenum=2&yrstart=1978&yrend=1978" rel="nofollow - 78 Ski Tique |