Using Gumption to Clean Boat

[Bilopete]

Hi everyone,

Just while giving the boat a quick clean over I grabbed the gumption to get fid of a few "marks"...low and behold there was an instant shine and the surface felt as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Photo 1 is what the surface of the boat currently looks like.

Photo 2 is a test area I tried (top right hand corner)

Photo 3 shows the gunk that came off when clesning with gumption.

When I first got the boat I used a aluminium cleaner. While it brought back a shine, it didn't remove any of the dots seen in photo 1

My questions are:

1. The current surface of the boat - is this normal for a boat that is 11 years old?
2. Can I realisticlly expect to be able to a cleaner to restore the surface back to normal (i.e. polished clear surface like a fairly new boat)?
3. Am I wasting my time with gumption? Or should I use a different product i.e. CT18.

Are there any other suggestions on how/if I can restore the surface or just accept that this is what happens to aluminium after 11 years of inadequate cleaning???

Cheers

Bilopete

[FNQCairns]

That first pic looks to like corrosion pure and simple (have noticed the same look from T tops with electrical wiring through them), no way to wipe away those marks, the boat may have been cleaned with a caustic solution or even any of the aluminum cleaners, they accelerate the problem, just as your gumption will.

The trick is to neutralise the cleaned area with a lot of water and some elbow grease then the application of a wax or polish over all surfaces (i use nufinish), you can use lanoline as i have found this last 9 months, just spray and wipe, it gets grimy but when wiped away the alum underneath is still virgin.

Others may know better/different but this is where I have found myself dealing with the problem.

[Bilopete]

Thansks FNQ

If gumption is only accelerating the problem should I just leave the boat alone and just hose/wipe it down after every trip in the salt water?

Ok, from what you have said, If I do use gumption then I need to neutralize the suface with a wax or polish. Will there be a marked improvement in the presentation of the aluminium surface?

Cheers

[FNQCairns]

My understanding is that when aluminium is cleaned you take away it's the self sacrificed oxidised protective layer, alkaline substances are good at this and also promote extra corrosion again. A cover of wax or polish will exclude air to stop/slow the oxidation formation and hence the corrosion if it goes further.

If Gumption worked well then use it just dont wait a few days before protecting the surface you applied it to.

But yeah if you would like to keep the boat looking the same forever then only polish or another coating etc can do it.

My boat is grimy and rough looking but with my thumb I can rub almost any spot straight back to that new tinny mirror shine.

cheers fnq

[PinHead]

the white "powder" look you get on Al is aluminium oxide..ugly but the best thing for the longevity of the aluminium. I used to work on a lot of aluminium cased air conditioners in marine environments...told never to clean them..leave them looking ugly and they will be there a lot longer due to the coating on them.

[bigjimg]

Gidday Bilopete
Give the areas a good scrub with a firm bristol brush then a rinse. Follow up with a wash down of Alubrite following the manufacturers directions giving the boat a thorough rinse out if inside the hull as this product is corrosive if left unchecked.Having said that you will have no probs if DONE correctly.Note that it will not remove any pitting that may have occured.If you want polished surface AUTOSOL is a good product for ally.And remember always disconnect battery or isolate at least with ally boats.Jim