water spots

[MAD]

I have owned a couple of boats and water spots seam to be always be a battle. does anyone know a product or secret to removing water spots?

[David]

With a completely black/red boat, we used to have terrible water-spots. We would clean and scrub as hard as we could with the marine cleaner stuff but nothing worked.

We picked up a bottle of ducky and it worked really well but was a bit pricey at marine stores.

We then did the good ol' half vinegar / half water solution and besides the not-so-good smell, its worked great and has left the boat with not one single water-spot.

[smendez]

I go w/ David. We use Ducky - no smell, no mess, no water spots.

I've heard of the water / vinegar solution, though I have never tried it myself.

[TeamAllen]

Water/Vinegar. A gallon of vinegar is about a dollar at the store and will last for years. I have also heard of people using water/CLR. It is more expensive at around $5/qt.

[bfrank]

TeamAllen has the cure!!!! alittle vinegar works wonders!!!! dont waste your time with any thing else!! Pluse it makes your boat smell great

[Ruune]

water/vinegar is acidic and will cause the wax on your boat to separate- thus stripping it off.

CLR is HIGHLY acidic (hydrochloric acid) and can damage your gelcoat w/ frequent use. Dont get this on any metal plating... especially if its already started oxidizing (i.e. your trailer).

Ducky is inert (for the most part), and removes water spots just as well or even better. I've been using it on boats and jet skis for years, and wouldnt use anything else!

[bfrank]

It might be acidic, but I wax my boat every two weeks, as well as take off the water spots. Never had a problem in 15 years of boating.

[TeamAllen]

That's alot of waxing bfrank. I bet the 97 looks great!

[Original Wing Nut]

Persisstence is the key

We polish the boat down after every ride. I have had grumbles shen the bugs are bad a sunset or it's been raining. I am a Ducky fan, two bottles at a time, one for each side of the boat. You can get the bulk gallon and it's not that bad. How much are you paying for the bottled water on the boat?

[bfrank]

Looks like new!!!!

[flackpack]

I have used Ducky for years, and it works well, but sometimes the Vinegar is needed. Some Waterspots are too tough for Ducky.

After wiping it down with the Ducky or Vinegar mix, I have had great success with Protect All sprayed on and wiped down. It is a RV/Marine Light wax. A quick wipe is all it takes, no buffing or wiping off a haze. You can coat the whole boat in 5 minutes or less. I find the Waterspots are then virtually eliminated for a whole season without a complete wax job.

http://www.protectall.com/pawaxlg.htm

[dogbert]

If you wipe your boat down after pulling it out of the water with a damp towel, it also helps. You can avoid having to wax it as often as bfrank. After a while, you'll still need Ducky or vinegar.

[scootc]

I've been using the water/white vinegar solution for years and haven't noticed it breaking down the wax. I don't use a very strong solution (about 20% vinegar) - and it still works great.

[rmarion]

water/vinegar and we completly wipe the boat down 100% after we pull the boat out. Also this way everyone helps to clean her up.

[BrentRR]

My 24V is my first boat. I would appreciate any detailed info on how you keep your boat looking new. Do you use the vinegar/water solution after every outing? Is this effective on glass? Do you then wipe it down with a chamois? Then polish/wax?

Thanks in advance for your time!