Cleaning the boat

richardjawilson · 11 May 2007, 06:35

I just doing a clean up of my boat at the moment and have bought some Rib Revive for cleaning the tubes which is excellent. However the grp on the consol is quite dirty and dull. Can anyone suggest a cleaner which can clean off oily marks and resore the shine back to the grp??

The boat is now 6 years old, so do you think the white grp could be permanently faded/dulled due age.

thanks richard

havener · 11 May 2007, 08:26

T-Cut !!! Then a good polish...Autoglym is ideal...

richardjawilson · 11 May 2007, 09:58

Good old T-cut. I should have known, my father used to work for that company 15 years ago!!

timw · 11 May 2007, 10:17

I'm doing the same...has the Thames taken a bit of a toll on your Rib?

Mine was filthy, but I bought a highly expensive tin of something from Julie Newens which didn't work, and then went for the t-cut and wax...much better at half the price.

richardjawilson · 14 May 2007, 06:35

Tim, It is a bit dirty , but is quite hard keeping it clean due the the mooings proximity to busy roads and albert bridge.

Alot of the time, it seems that the old tried and tested cleaners are the best. I too have bought expensive wonder products that are rubbish!!!!

richard

Boatcareuk · 14 May 2007, 17:43

If Rib revive is anything like our tube cleaner then it should be safe to use on GRP - probably good and getting the muck off before cutting/polishing.

We do have an abrasive polish which is combined compound and polish in one - it's very easy to use.

Slaphead · 14 May 2007, 18:16

Having used T- cut, Farecla and other stuff for the past couple of years on my faded/oxidized Hardy boat hull, I tried 3M marine fibreglass restorer polish/wax. Highly recommended.

Biggles · 14 May 2007, 18:43

Does it stay that good for a long time. If so it looks like good stuff.

Slaphead · 14 May 2007, 19:20

I don't know. That picture was taken 2 days ago and only after going over it the once using an electric polisher I bought. The second time it came up even better. The oxidized bit you can see is what happens after 1 year and that was originally cut using Farecla G3 and Maguires wax by hand. I tried the 3M by hand and found it so easy to use giving a beautiful finish. I have polished the hull once on one side and twice on the other and have so far used half of a 500ml bottle- £10 + p&p on E Bay. Hardy hulls are notorious for fading but I think if I use this stuff every year I can keep on top of it. Tried T cut but it was hard to use and gave slightly worse result than the Farecla.

Biggles · 14 May 2007, 19:38

I used Mer on an old hull a couple of years ago along with a drill to apply it. I was impressed with the results and although it was never going to look like new it still had an impressive but thin shine that lasted.

Rodan · 15 May 2007, 09:32

I use Mer. It is really good stuff and easy to apply (can be put on when still wet) and buff off. Very impressed - does a good job on the perspex too...

richardjawilson · 18 May 2007, 05:45

Thanks for your info, i'll give the Farecla G3 whirl and see how I get on.

richard