cleaning lake scuzz off of aluminum

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Paul W

Well-known member
best product/technique for removal? Our "new" fishing pontoon has algae/scaly crap all over the toons that a power washer does very little for. There are too many products out there that I'm sure are just hype.... Will be trying vinegar/water mix first. I've never owned a boat that lived on a dock, and so I've never had to deal with it before.




Paul
 
Did you try bleach and water? Never had this problem on a boat but have sprayed bleach and water on to moss on my roof. Let it sit for a while then rinsed it off with a garden hose
 
I can't help on the cleaning, but wonder if after cleaning that some treatment might be helpful? Do the cleaning chemicals etch the aluminum and make it easier for slime and growth? I bet there is a sealer designed for this application.
 
For fiberglass boats we us the stuff that removes rust from inside a toilette tank/bowl. The stuff is absolute magic on a fiberglass hull. Younshake some of the dry powder onto a sponge and just wipe the bottom of the boat. No scrubbing no nothing. I do know I have to make sure to wash it off the trailer immediately per instructions so maybe on an aluminum boat it isn't a great idea.

If you need a product name I can get it later.

Mark W
 
Pickle juice.

Fill a spray jug like you use in the yard with pickle juice, spray the pontoons down soaking wet let sit and dry then come back over with a water and bleach mixture then rinse after that and the aluminum will come out beautiful clean.

To my knowledge the only kind of coating that can be put on aluminum to keep stuff like this from growing on it is paint, but then it grows on the paint.

If the boat lives in the water there is nothing you can do to stop it but to pull the boat out and clean it off.

Hope this helps.
 
Are you could try alumibrite that's what we use on our boats when we are preping for paint it ruff's up the aluminum for paint but also cleans anything off the surface of the aluminum as well.

Might could try that but I know from first hand use the pickle juice wash down then followed with a bleach water rinse and follow that with a pressure washer rinse works great on our boats.
 
I have used toilet bowl cleaner with good results, as was mentioned in your replies. like the pickle juice thing, just wondering how many jars of pickles you have to buy to get enough juice! I used to sail a lot and scum on the big boats that sit in the water is a big issue. there used to be some paints for it, had some added chemicals that helped but I think most of that has been banned due to the leaching.
 
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