Winterizing/cleaning my aluminum boat

[motion]

Hey guys. I'm sorry if this has been discussed before but I'm getting ready to pull the boat out of the water at the cottage soon. I am planning to change the lower unit oil, stabilize the gas and replace the oil/filter on the engine. I also plan on fogging the cylinders before storing.

 

I have never had the boat in the water all season as it was this year. There is a obvious buildup of calcium and algae deposits throughout the aluminum hull and engine. Any tips on cleaning this off safely? I was in the Basspro shops yesterday looking at "boat-bottom" cleaner but I am afraid to use the product. It claims to dis-colour paint. I am assuming it may not be for aluminum hulls???

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

Edited October 13, 2011 by motion

[ld17]

I would also change the plugs at the start of next year after your first outing. Everything else you doing sounds good. What I do to clean my boat is wash it real good maybe get the pressure washer on it and get what you can off. Then I will put a compound and use a buffer to take all the dirt off. Then I will put a coat of wax on it's new again.

[Roy]

My only advice for your boat is the following. Most boats are made using anodized aluminum so if you scrub your hull with any sort of abrasive cleaner, the surface will have lost its protective qualities. The more you clean it the more it will need cleaning. Your best bet will be to wash the hull with a good soap then pressure wash it. Some marks will remain but hey, it just shows character. This is assuming that your hull is unpainted. The painted parts of the boat can be washed as you would wash your car then waxed with marine grade wax.

 

Hope this helps. Someone else may chime in with advice here.

[motion]

I would also change the plugs at the start of next year after your first outing. Everything else you doing sounds good. What I do to clean my boat is wash it real good maybe get the pressure washer on it and get what you can off. Then I will put a compound and use a buffer to take all the dirt off. Then I will put a coat of wax on it's new again.

Thanks. I forgot to mention, I do have a pressure washer available up there as well. I was more concerned with the use of chemicals on the paint.

 

I'll throw a new set of plugs in next year as well.

 

Cheers.

[motion]

My only advice for your boat is the following. Most boats are made using anodized aluminum so if you scrub your hull with any sort of abrasive cleaner, the surface will have lost its protective qualities. The more you clean it the more it will need cleaning. Your best bet will be to wash the hull with a good soap then pressure wash it. Some marks will remain but hey, it just shows character. This is assuming that your hull is unpainted. The painted parts of the boat can be washed as you would wash your car then waxed with marine grade wax.

 

Hope this helps. Someone else may chime in with advice here.

Thanks for the advice Roy. It is a painted hull. I'll try the pressure washer and car/boat wash method first.

 

Cheers.

Edited October 13, 2011 by motion

[mike rousseau]

Wash it immediately after it's out of the water...

 

This way the scum doesnt have a chance to dry...

[spooner_jr]

Wash it immediately after it's out of the water...

 

This way the scum doesnt have a chance to dry...

 

ditto, if it dries it's way harder to get off. I actually try and clean as much of it in the water as possible, before taking it out.

[motion]

Wash it immediately after it's out of the water...

 

This way the scum doesnt have a chance to dry...

 

Thanks for the tip Mike. I plan on cleaning it immediately after it comes out of the water. I hope it comes clean with a light scrub and pressure washer.

[blue pickeral]

Usually after a good spray at the wand wash, I let mine dry and then apply a coat of Nu Finish car wax - apply and wipe off. After a summer of use, the wax is still evident. (they call it the once a year car wax that will survice 50 car washes)

[scugpg]

I use hot water with blue dawn dish soap. The hotter water helps loosen the stubborn dirt etc.

 

It strips any wax off so you would want to re-apply if necessary.

[Cast-Away]

Back in the 80's we used to use Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner on our fiberglass boat. We put it in a bucket and dipped in a broom and scrub a dub dub! I would test it on a small area first and perhaps delude it first.

[motion]

Back in the 80's we used to use Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner on our fiberglass boat. We put it in a bucket and dipped in a broom and scrub a dub dub! I would test it on a small area first and perhaps delude it first.

Ya, I think that is what the Bass pro "boat-bottom" wash is. Unfortunately, it is not meant for painted surfaces (like my aluminum bot is). I'm sure it works fine on fiberglass boat though.

[jedimaster]

If your motor uses pre mix oil. don't leave any fuel in the carb's. Run it empty by running the engine, then pulling the fuel supply line, and choke it when it starts to die so it burns off all the fuel. The fog it manually.

 

If your using an oil injection setup, you can safely use stabil or seafoam to stabilize the fuel and then just fog it.

 

If you have fuel injection, your not supposed to fog them as it wrecks the efi system. Your supposed to pull the plugs spray the fogging oil directly into the cylinders and crankit over a few cranks without starting it.

[jedimaster]

Also leave the drain plugout of the back and throw some moth balls in the back. This will helkp prevent mice from coming in but let any water or snow drain out that slips past your cover. I leave min tipped back on an angle as well to make sure anything that gets in can drain out.