A question on streaks of " grime" on side of my 190

[dburne]

Hey gang, me again

Ok so here is what I am talking about - it is faint so I don't think it would show up good on a pic.
I have to store my boat outside behind my garage ( due to garage having two single doors rather than one big door).

So I had cross ties and pea gravel put down, and keep the boat in that spot behind the garage. That area has trouble growing grass, and this keeps the boat from getting mud splashed up on it during a rain, and makes retrieval and parking easier when it is wet back there...

Anyway, I store it with the full cover that came with the boat, really nice cover. And it does a great job keeping the boat dry - I put a cross section of a cross tie under the jack wheel ( it is notched out to keep the wheel from wanting to roll), so it jacks the front up nicely and facilitates draining all of the water out of the bilge nicely.

However, when I retrieve the boat, on the side, it has dark streaks running vertically down the side of the hull, mainly in the area where the Sea Ray logo is, about a 2-3 ft area. Typically it is mostly on the side facing the garage, and that is probably because the area behind the garage slopes down a little, not a lot but a little. The side facing the fence row, is lower than the side facing the garage.
Here is a pic of the boat stowed away earlier this year:

I clean the exterior of the boat at the end of the boating day, with Boat Bling's Hot Sauce. It does a great job, and leaves a nice shine on the hull. However it does not get all of these streaks off, it gets a lot of them but there are just a small few that are faint, that stay on. I suspect they will have to be buffed out, which I intend to give the boat a good buffing and waxing at the end of this season before I park it for the off season.

I am curious where these dark streaks are coming from, is it just dirt or is there something coming off the actual cover? If it was just dirt I would think the Hot Sauce would take it right off.
Anyone else ever experience something like that?

Edit: Btw, there are no tree branches hanging over the boat from that tree/fence line, I had them all cut back when I first got the boat before parking it back there the first time.

 

[JimT]

It's dirt coming off of the cover. I'm not familiar with hot sauce you are using. I get the black streaks off with Meguiiars polish. You might try taking the cover to a laundromat that has large washing machines and run it through on a gentle cycle.

 

[dburne]

Thanks, I will probably wait until the end of the season and then get the cover washed up good. I will try the polish and see if that will get the remainder off. Appreciate the info!

 

[Lazy Daze]

Yup - dirt from the cover. If you wash your cover (long handled brush is another way) once in a while, it will cut down on the "running mascara" look. A better wax (I use Collinite #885) will make it easier to remove, too. As long as I get to it within a week or two of the rain, a damp rag takes it right off. I've yet to personally find any wax that is better when it comes to longevity, nor have I ever seen any reliable "reports/reviews" stating otherwise, as well. Yacht Brite's "Serious Shine" is a great spray-on/wipe-off cleaner (can be used on glass and vinyl, too) that is little more aggressive than plain water, but won't take off the wax. Collinite's #870 would be my next step up - while it might take a little of the wax off (maybe not, though), it's also putting some back on.

Don't buy anything labelled as "Black streak" remover. It will certainly remove the streaks, but it will also remove the wax.

Retreating the cover once or twice a year with a repellent will help, too, since less of the dirt will stick in the first place. 303 Fabric Guard is pretty much the best stuff out there.

Meguiar's makes good stuff, too. I suspect the reason you're having difficulty is probably just due to not having "fresh enough" (or poor quality) wax on there. If the wax is good, it doesn't take much to take it off - even if you can't take it off with a wet rag, it should take very little effort and an un-aggressive product as Jim mentioned.

 

[dburne]

Many thanks for the excellent advice and product recommendations Dennis, much appreciated.
I will certainly do so and check some of those products out as well.

Question on using the long handled brush, so with the cover installed and taught, should I just spray it down with water and brush it, or throw some mild soap in there and wash it with the brush, then rinse with the hose?

Thanks,

 

[Lazy Daze]

I would go light with the soap - but I would still use some (303 does make their own fabric wash, but it's not necessarily necessary). Rinse it off EXTREMELY well. A little known fact is that if there is any soap left in the fabric, it will affect how well the 303 bonds with the fabric.

 

[dburne]

Will do, thanks Dennis!

 

[Lazy Daze]

You got it, Don. For what it's worth, I've done it both ways, but I usually take my cockpit cover (probably the same size as your whole cover) to a "super size" washer (tumbler, not agitator) at a laundromat as Jim mentioned. Although, with my boat, to wash the cover while the boat is on the trailer is not easy since it's so high. I do put the damp cover back on the boat so it dries "stretched out". But I'm not sure how susceptible your material is (mine is Sunbrella, which is different than yours) to stretching. After it's dry, I spread it out on a cheap, plastic dropcloth on the driveway to avoid overspray on the boat.

 

[Tonka Boater]

I would go light with the soap - but I would still use some (303 does make their own fabric wash, but it's not necessarily necessary). Rinse it off EXTREMELY well. A little known fact is that if there is any soap left in the fabric, it will affect how well the 303 bonds with the fabric.

I can second this from experience. Don't wash your cover in a clothes washer -- you will never get the factory-quality repellent back. Do as Dennis says, wash it with a soft bristle brush and very light soap (or no soap at all) while it's on the boat, rinse well and let nature dry it. Retreat a couple times a year with 303 Fabric Guard and it will always work like new.

I washed the cover for my Cobalt in the washing machine and it lost all repellency. I treated it twice so far with 303 and it's pretty good now but nowhere near the way it used to be.

 

[dburne]

Will do , thanks so much guys this has been a very helpful thread. I really appreciate it - I want to take care of that cover and keep it like new as best as I can. I started out mainly wanting advice how to get rid of the black streaks, and now have a good idea on how to properly care for that nice cover.

Edit: We do have a front load tumbler washing machine, but I would be afraid of putting that large a cover in that thing. Think I will try just washing it while it is on the boat as suggested.

 

[Tonka Boater]

Edit: We do have a front load tumbler washing machine, but I would be afraid of putting that large a cover in that thing.

I highly do NOT recommend this at all unless it get unusually dirty. The factory-like repellent is not easy to get back.

 

[JimFromMD]

+1 on NOT using a laundry machine and no soap. Most times you can just lay the cover out and scrub gently with a soft brush. Hang over a line or fence to rinse thoroughly. Then once dry soak it with 303 spray... and as mentioned, be really careful as 303 overspray is not good for plastic windows or many other surfaces.

 

[dburne]

Got it, many thanks guys!

 

[SloBurn]

Try a Magic Eraser sponge, Mr. Clean, or other brands, works great for the marks on my boat, and no detergent needed. Never machine wash a cover, just brush lightly, and then apply waterproofing again.