Washed my boat today but had a tough time getting the yellow scum line off of the boat. I was able to fade it some with simple green and some elbow grease but it took a decent amount of effort. Anybody have any miracle products that are easy to use and melt my face off? Personally I can live with the line as is but if I ever decide to sell it id like to remove it as much as I can.
Maybe you can find out what these guys use.
He’s posted on IDO before
I used Bar Keeps Friend with good results.
Scrubs in a bucket worked well for me last time I cleaned my hull.
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I use 505 cleaner from menards.
Bet this will get’er done!
Macuric Acid. You can buy it at a local hardware or big box store like Menards, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Fleet Farm, etc. Wear gloves when using it and use it sparingly but it will work. You must have left your boat sitting in the water for a while in order to get a skum line that won’t come off. Either that or you just never cleaned it after use.
Macuric Acid. You can buy it at a local hardware or big box store like Menards, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Fleet Farm, etc. Wear gloves when using it and use it sparingly but it will work. You must have left your boat sitting in the water for a while in order to get a skum line that won’t come off. Either that or you just never cleaned it after use.
I’m guessing you mean muriatic acid. It’s basically the commercial name for a less pure grade of hydrochloric acid. Definitely wear protective gloves and eye protection if using it and you may want to wear old clothes. It’ll eat through them if you get some on clothing.
If you do use mercuric acid (aka muriatic acid, aka hydrochloric acid) be very careful as it can cause severe burns. Be sure to rinse off the cleaned area right away as the acid will attack the metal if left in contact too long.
Before going the acid route, I’d try JJV Best, or similar. I just took a pretty good scum line off my boat with it.
Try vinegar on an old terry cloth towel/wash cloth/dish cloth. If that doesn’t work use Lime Away and be sure to rinse it thoroughly afterward.
mix vinegar with water and scrub.
I’ve mentioned it before but if you want professional results with no scrubbing and not as strong as straight acid… try “The Works” toilet bowl cleaner. It’s absolute magic! I wash my boat with it every spring.
It will clean fiberglass or aluminum boats without issue. I use it on my trailer and exterior only… discolored hulls, waterlines, calcium build up and so on. I try to wear gloves and I should, but I don’t. This stuff will take years of neglect and make the boat new again. I just cleaned a pontoon that spent it’s life on the Mississippi sitting in the water for 15 summers. The motor had a severe water line and there was calcium build up that was pretty impressive. It took me less than 10 min to make it sparkle like NEW.
After using the cleaner just spray with water to neutralize the cleaner. I recommend being outside and on the grass or driveway to prevent fumes and possibly discoloring your cement? Also spray the rags, then throw them in a plastic bag. The stuff has a vapor and it will continue to “clean” as it evaporates from the rag.
Every friend that has tried this has said “why didn’t you tell me this years ago”!
X2 I spray this on my boat whenever I come off the rivers and have a scum line. Spray from end to end, than take a towel and wipe right off. Allot easier than letting it dry. I have tried going straight to the car wash, it will not come off with the pressure. I believe I use the Works Bathroom cleaner, definitely does the job.
I’ve mentioned it before but if you want professional results with no scrubbing and not as strong as straight acid… try “The Works” toilet bowl cleaner.
The stuff works well, never used it on a boat. Might have to try that!
Heck of an idea on the works stuff. have seen that clean toilets that looked out of order forever.
JJV’s Best Scum Remover works awesome.
Try vinegar on an old terry cloth towel/wash cloth/dish cloth. If that doesn’t work use Lime Away and be sure to rinse it thoroughly afterward.
I’ve had good luck with vinegar, or Windex if you want to spend money on it.
FYI: Vinegar and JJV’s works very well (I use it) for general cleaning but a severe cleaning requires more power. It will take a lot of work and time to clean a boat with a lot of water spot build up, dirty water line or calcium build up.
With the “The Works” results like this take minutes. This just wouldn’t be possible with a more mild cleaner.
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Starbrite hull cleaner from walmart or fleet farm. No scrubbing required. Spray it on, wait a few minutes and rinse it off.
But if you want a professional cleaning you cannot got wrong with Marinecleanllc. Ryan did Fantastic job on my boat!!!!!
Scrubbing Bubbles then wipe with Vinegar on a cloth.
The works toilet cleaners active ingredient is Hydrochloric Acid, 9.5%. Works like a charm on EVERYTHING and diluted enough to “safely” handle without gloves.
The works toilet cleaners active ingredient is Hydrochloric Acid, 9.5%. Works like a charm on EVERYTHING and diluted enough to “safely” handle without gloves
Personally, I would use gloves and caution. Concentrated HCl is 37%, and a 4X dilution of concentrated HCl still warrants quite a bit of precautionary measures. I’m sure it works well, though! (See what I did there?)
Looking at Joes post the works must be safe on fiberglass?
Looking at Joes post the works must be safe on fiberglass?
Acid is harsher on aluminum, so you should be fine with fiberglass. Rinse well (on anything).
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Aaron Kalberer wrote:</div>
Looking at Joes post the works must be safe on fiberglass?Acid is harsher on aluminum, so you should be fine with fiberglass. Rinse well (on anything).
Correct. If you are worried, just rinse quickly after washing an area. When I first started using The Works I’d do a 2′ area and rinse and so on. I’ve done many aluminum boats as well as fiberglass. The only thing I try to steer clear of is SS items. They turn slightly orange. If you polish them it’s fine but it’s easier just not to get a lot on the SS items. If you have to, just rinse right away.
Right on!
I use CLR….rinse the boat with the power washer, spray CLR on with a spray bottle , let sit for a minute or two and then scrub with soapy brush and rinse it all off. Perfectly clean every time.
Thanks for the tips everyone. I am going to try the works later this week. I will let you know how it goes.
I still think that sand blasting it will for sure get it all off. 
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