Cleaning Oxidized HullsBy Gary WillcoxSee if you can find a toilet bowl cleaner with hydrochloric acid in it. Scrub the hulls and non-skid with a medium stiff brush and the cleaner. Rinse well with water. After it is clean, wet sand the hulls with a 600 grit paper, changing the paper about every 5 feet of hull. Rinse hulls and repeat with 1000 grit wet paper. Go over each hull with a low grit polishing compond, or a fiberglass color restorer. Then repeat with 2 coats of marine wax with good UV protection. Sounds like a lot of work -- it is. I did the above on a yellow '82 H16 and it went from chalk to yellow with a shine. It will help if the boat is in the yard and you have it proped up or completely upside down rather than being on the trailer. Also if you can use an orbital polisher it will save your arms doing the polishing and waxing. Be careful to not get wax or polish in the non-skid. Gary Willcox |
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