www.iFourWinns.com

Looking for some tips on what folks have used for cleaning there hulls while the boat is in the water? Last season was my first keeping my Horizon 180 docked in the water all season and by the end of the season it took Mary Kate on and OFF to get it clean. My new lake has a nice sandbar so I can easily "maintain" the hull. Currently just scrubbing with a brush every week which takes off the crud but the stains are building up every week from algae etc. (Michigan in-land lake)

Thanks.

Using a Magic Eraser will work wonders while in the water where you cant/dont use chemicals to get below the water line.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Thanks. I have some in the cupboard. I'll try it.

I use a telescopic car wash brush every time we're at the sandbar to keep the underside of the boat clean. I also will take advantage of a nice calm day and do a good wax job down to the water line at least twice during the season.

When I pull it out I spray some "Slimy Grimy" on the hull and stop by a local car wash that has a wand and spray it down. Last year I had very little to clean off.

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2010 H190 4.3VP
Tow Vehicle:
2007 F150
Previous boats:
2009 H180 3.0VP
1996 Horizon QX 3.0VP

So just by keeping it waxed up you are able to keep build up off....interesting. Seems that even after wax, I build up quickly at the water line area. Maybe I need to wax better.

I can talk about your concerns first hand. Last year my trailer was tied up with other boats on it for most of the season and my bowrider sat in the creek where I keep it for probably 4 months straight....

here's how it looked when I pulled her out



The worst was the port side which had sun exposure continuously. The starboard side (shaded by the dock) was cleaned using industrial toilet bowl cleaner and then a good scrub with starbrite hull cleaner followed by a wash and wax. the port side and rear were cleaned with the same industrial toilet bowl cleaner, CLR and a pressure washer... The result was the strings of algae and the "blackness" were removed but there was still a cement like residue stuck to the hull. This spring I had to use CLR and a scotchbrite pad to completely scrub the hull down. It was 4 hours of very hard labour! Now I am polishing with my buffer to restore the shine!

My recommendation ---if you are going to let your boat sit in a slip, Have it bottom painted to the water line. They make bottom paint in all different colours (even white) . You will still have to scrub just above the water line but atleast your boat is protected from osmosis.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

I might not be a good example. Newfound lake where my boat is all summer is one, (if not the), cleanest lakes in NH, but in the pictures below.....the first one is of my old QX in 2008 that I never used the car wash brush on and the second is my H180 from 2009 that I used the brush on all year. There's quite a difference.





Both of these pictures were taken just after taking them out of the water in the fall.

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2010 H190 4.3VP
Tow Vehicle:
2007 F150
Previous boats:
2009 H180 3.0VP
1996 Horizon QX 3.0VP

+1 In retrospect I wish I had...

Or invest in a boat bag with a chlorine tablet to keep the growth at bay (if they are allowed in your area) or a boat lift.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

I would think twice about bottom paint. Here in MN, it ends up reducing the value of the boat because it looks like you are either hiding something, or you have had it in salt water. Last year when I took it out, I had the local marina clean the bottom. Cost about 200, but looks like new.

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2008 Four Winns F224
5.0 Volvo Penta
Towing with Audi Q7 4.2 V8