Aluminum Hull Care

[fishbait]

I would like to take a poll as to what all you other aluminum boat owners do with regard to the outside of your hull and oxidation/pitting. How many people us a wax, and if so what works the best. Who does nothing? I have friends that do nothing and one buddie waxes his boat at least twice a year.

[Fuzzybutt & Angel]

FishBait, Mothers Mag wheel polish is the best thing I have found, our Almar doesnt have the nice finish that some sleds do, but the mothers takes care of that. and helps protect as well.

tight lines, Fuzzy
www.silentapproach.com (http://www.silentapproach.com)

[WaterDog]

I use Heavy Metal polish 2x a year. Rub on and rub off. Beads water like wax. After a day on the river I wipe the boat down with a towel and its nice and clean.

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EAT, SLEEP, FISH!
website (http://www.sites.onlinemac.com/rspofford)

[Bait O' Eggs]

Never touch it.

waterdog - is that a sales pitch for your boat for sale. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Bait O' Eggs (edited 02-21-2001).]

[Fish4Fun]

fishbait, I stopped with the polishing when I sold my Duckworth. It always looked like a mirror. My Weldcraft gets washed after every trip, and I keep it indoors. The aluminum has a coating on it from when it was made, when you polish them out this removes this protective coating and your boat will oxidize quicker. The painted part of my boat gets waxed every month with a good car wax. The big key to keeping an aluminum boat nice is to wipe it down when it comes out of the water. This way you don't have the mineral deposits getting built up.

Fish 4 Fun

[WaterDog]

Nuthin' gets by you BOE, does it? http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Gotta plug it when I get a chance. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[boater]

try some dri-wash-n-guard premium metal polish, i tried them all and this stuff is by far the best, i`m glad i dont have to polish my new boat, it was a pain in the a$$.

[Hammer Bob]

Freshwater wash after the salt other than that nothing. Leave the oxidation alone...if you remove the oxidized layer the new exposed surface will oxidize...vicious cycle I decided not to participate in *lol*

[FishinMission]

Forget about polishing it!! I used to do mine, only to find out about 2 trips later it looked like it did before I polished it!! And what a pain in the a$$!! Look into having the aluminum painted a nice bright silver. You may have noticed alot of new boats are coming out with silver paint where you used to see aluminum. I did mine myself, and love it...just wash and dry, and it always looks like new!!

[nwjetboat]

I polished my 21' Northwest to a mirror like shine. Not ging down that road again. On the new boat I just wipe it off with a 10% vinegar/water solution when I come out of the water to keeps the stains off.

[Joe Schwab]

Stay away from that aluminum polish unless you want to do it all the time. The best cleaner for your boat is water and soap and if it is really bad use 409 spray and wipe it off. It cleans all the grime and grease. I use WD40 periodically as a polish and have had great results. None of these things will give you a buildup. I used to detail boats and one customer paid a great deal of money to have me polish his sled to look like a Duckworth. I tried to talk himk out of it but he insisted. Result? a really shiny boat that had to be polished every time he went fishing because he did not want clearcoat. Lesson learned. I own a Duckworth but the entire hull is painted. Very easy to maintain and clean.

[Pete]

My alumaweld turned brown after a few late summer trips in the Columbia. I cleaned it with polishing compound, then prepped the surface with MEK. I put a finish on it called SharkHyde. This stuff is not available locally except by special order. It is sold mainly for pontoon boats, but it works great on the ol' sled. I have no oxidation and no discoloration. I rinse with fresh water after being in the salt and on sunny summer days I wash with a little soap to get the grunge off.

[fishbait]

Thank you all who took time to respond. Gawd I am glad to be part of the I fish community.
Fishbait

[212hjet]

Fishbait: Like nwjetboater (a friend) we use the white vinegar/water but in a 50/50 mix. I took delivery of my boat in August of 96 and it is paint on the top third up through the windshield and sliding windows on the side. We do wipe it down starting from the upper paint down including all glass (so we go clean to dirtiest) every time we take it out of the water. With two of us it takes about 5 minutes and the boat is dry for the cover this way also. You probably wouldn't believe how nice the aluminum looks...never been polished nor waxed. This is just one alternative, but it works for us. Note: you do have to start with a clean boat and do it every time....we have waited a few days a handful fo times, but is best to do it when it is wet before the "scum" or water stains set too much. My opinoin....don't ever start the polish route...it is never ending....just ask nwjetboater!!!

[Nanook]

Next time you clean it, there is a product
called Alumaguard which helps to protect
the bare aluminum from oxidation. So far
it has kept my boats from pitting, etc.
Fresh water EVERY time after salt, even after tide water is a must as well, even
if you are tired after a long day, well
worth the small change to spray it off
and the trailer considering what every
thing costs these days.

[garyk]

Immediately after saltwater use, I use a little dish soap (Dawn, is the best degreaser)in a bucket of hot water and scrub down all exposed surface, the trailer too, using a long handled sponse mop. Then throughly hose off.

Last weekend I used an automotive product that is a combined soap & wax product. Worked ok, although the very thin wax residue will not alleviate the need to clean imediately. I think the grime will just come off a little easier.