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Powerwashing - DOs and DON'Ts?

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
It's that time of year when the decks have turned a festive green, especially on the parts that don't get even a glimmer of sunshine, yet it's too cold and rainy to put on my shorts and go give the boat a nice scrub.

The past several years, cleaning off the green and making Makana pretty again has been a multi-stage process. A good top-to-bottom scrub with boat-soap, then hands and knees with a scrub-brush and detergent to get the most stubborn spots, then detail cleaning (the edges of the rub-rail and under the "tee" part of each track seem to get particularly gross).

It takes a couple of days before I feel good about letting people see her.

This year, I'm thinking of bringing the home power-washer into play. Not on the blast-the-pebbles-out-of-the-driveway-concrete setting, but on some gentler setting. With the hope of getting rid of the green without losing any gelcoat, or non-skid, or paint, or destroying the bedding under fittings.

Anyone power-wash their decks and have tips for success?

Bruce
 
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Michael Edwards

Member II
Powerwashing

Hey friend, I am a frequent power washer. On the Pamlico Sound we have a lot of spiders and nesting insects that contribute to the algae and mold.The area under the rub rails is especially bad. We use sodium carbonate in a garden sprayer first to pre-soak. Just avoid all ports ,hatches and electronics.
S\V AnnaDor
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Last year, I hand-scrubbed the port side of the deck - it took three grueling daily sessions. There was a lot of black stuff - lichen and tar (crap from forest fires that rained down on the marina for a few weeks) apparently - cemented down in the non-skid. Gel-coat was visibly eroded from all the scrubbing. (But my gel coat is in bad shape anyway.)

The starboard side, I did with the pressure washer. It took ten minutes and did a much better job. Bonus - the pressure washer also stripped all the gray matter off of the weathered teak effortlessly, compared to chemical stripping or sanding. Yeah, it's easy to go full-Homer with this thing...

I notice that the revised marina rules, issued recently, specifically ban pressure-washing. But I assume that to refers to bottom-cleaning.
 

racushman

O34 - Los Angeles
As an alternative to power washing

FWIW I've made a careful study of how to keep decks clean with a minimum of effort (emphasis on the last part).

My formula for 20 years now is: Bucket + hot water + bleach + simple green + long handled brush.

Best brush I have found is: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Unger-Bi-Level-Soft-Wash-Brush-977820/302738013

Buy the screw on handle on the same aisle.

I've found this works really well. The soft brush cleans remarkably well, and is easy on the gel coat and brightwork. Because it's pretty easy to wash the boat, I also actually do it more often. I've not had good luck with power washing.

Rob
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Avoid cracks in the gel coat, as the pressure can either flake the surface off or drive water into the core.

Don't get close to anything which has a seal or bearing. The power washer can drive water into the balls of a bearing and ruin it.
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I don't know much about power washers, except:

1. They are not recommended for teak. Too easy to remove material (dangerously tempting if you have a lot of moldy outdoor teak furniture)

2. Contractors cleaning their mess off concrete decks at my house left tracks of a power-washer that are still there after three years. The stream is powerful and easy to abuse.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Material removal: quite likely. More or less than sanding? IDK. Mine was already beat-up old stuff with low/no intrinsic value.

PW will also strip stripes and decals off faster than you can blink, so make sure you really want to remove them or stay well away.
 

GrandpaSteve

Sustaining Member
FWIW I've made a careful study of how to keep decks clean with a minimum of effort (emphasis on the last part).

My formula for 20 years now is: Bucket + hot water + bleach + simple green + long handled brush.

Best brush I have found is: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Unger-Bi-Level-Soft-Wash-Brush-977820/302738013

Buy the screw on handle on the same aisle.

I've found this works really well. The soft brush cleans remarkably well, and is easy on the gel coat and brightwork. Because it's pretty easy to wash the boat, I also actually do it more often. I've not had good luck with power washing.

Rob

How much bleach do you mix with the simple green?
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Any household detergent will remove wax on gelcoat--which the fellows here charge about $750 to apply.

I maintain the deck gelcoat shiny by hand, using Starbright and paste wax. It repels water and keeps the mildew down and helps the dirt wash off with water only.

So there's that to consider, if wax is involved. "Boat soaps" theoretically don't remove polishes and waxes.
 
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toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
FWIW, the product that (with much elbow grease) removed the old ingrained zombie-boat grunge contained peroxide and detergent. Pretty much the same idea as bleach, but perhaps more "green." "Boat cleaners" did not remove the old black stuff.
 

racushman

O34 - Los Angeles
Any household detergent will remove wax on gelcoat--which the fellows here charge about $750 to apply.

I maintain the deck gelcoat shiny by hand, using Starbright and paste wax. It repels water and keeps the mildew down and helps the dirt wash off with water only.

So there's that to consider, if wax is involved. "Boat soaps" theoretically don't remove polishes and waxes.


Ah, yes, the consideration of wax... now this thread is getting interesting!

My go to for 20+ years is: https://www.collinite.com/product/no-885-fleetwax-paste/

I apply once a year with a buffer, remove with a towel. Durability is very good, even with my cleaning regimen. It's my choice because the directions are to remove BEFORE it dries, so the effort is very low compared to other paste waxes.

Can't say enough good things about.
 

footrope

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
  • Use an electric powered washer that delivers less than 2000 psi.
  • Use a lower pressure tip on the wand, i.e. one that has a larger spray pattern.
  • Don't spray any lines as the concentrated spray will shred the covers.
  • Be careful around cloth (dodgers, sail covers, etc.). Some cloth simply shreds.
  • Sunbrella usually holds up, but be very careful.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
All the right words

  • Use an electric powered washer that delivers less than 2000 psi.
  • Use a lower pressure tip on the wand, i.e. one that has a larger spray pattern.
  • Don't spray any lines as the concentrated spray will shred the covers.
  • Be careful around cloth (dodgers, sail covers, etc.). Some cloth simply shreds.
  • Sunbrella usually holds up, but be very careful.

Print this out, laminate it, and post on the boat!!

Great Advice, and it reflects some experiences I do not care to brag about......
:)
 

hanareddy

Member II
Ah, yes, the consideration of wax... now this thread is getting interesting!

My go to for 20+ years is: https://www.collinite.com/product/no-885-fleetwax-paste/

I apply once a year with a buffer, remove with a towel. Durability is very good, even with my cleaning regimen. It's my choice because the directions are to remove BEFORE it dries, so the effort is very low compared to other paste waxes.

Can't say enough good things about.
Do you use this on your nonskid surfaces? I have to try something on my deck. As I wrote this, I am wondering if you were referring to the topside. Thanks!
 

racushman

O34 - Los Angeles
I use Fleetwax on every inch of the boat, frankly. Including decks and nonskid. Full disclosure it does make the nonskid a little slippery at first, but that goes away one wash and I've never had any calamities from it. That said, I have recently bought a container of Woody Wax, which Practical Sailor appears to rate as the best of the nonskid waxes. My plan is to Fleetwax the deck about once a year, and then use Woody Wax as a "maintenance" coating thru the year. The instructions say you apply woody wax with a wet brush, and then let dry... so it seems like a different kind of product vs a true sealing wax. I'll report back how it goes.
 

Bolo

Contributing Partner
Just a simple observation. If power washing is an option for "spring" cleaning a boat after it's winter nap, why don't professional boat washer/polishers use them? I'm fearful of pushing high pressure water through cracks and deck fittings even if you're careful. I've sometimes have hired pro boat cleaners to wash and polish the deck, cockpit and cabin top for the first cleaning of the season with great results. They never use a power washer.
 

fool

Member III
Bleach and Aluminum are not friends. Rinse with fresh water frequently, be really careful not to eat away at things like your rub rail if you choose to use bleach. This is a powerful oxidizer and should be diluted to not more than 1:10 with water, mixing anything other than H2O with bleach is a bad policy.

A spray bottle containing 50/50 water/Simple Green and a brush on a stick works for me when applied x's 1/month.
 
fullsizeoutput_22c8.jpeg Good old fashioned wash, oxidize remover, polish and wax (thanks for the recommendation @Frank Langer). Took a few days with me completing the topside and my hubby suspending himself from the side of the dock, but she looks great.
 
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