Leaf stains

brewster16

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2009
1,442
Long Beach Island, N.J.
Boat Info
'07 44 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Cummins QSC 8.3
Does anyone have a method for getting out staining from leaves in the white gel coat? These stains don’t come out with Marine Spray Nine.
 
My apple, oak and maple leaf stains always come off with a small amount of buffing compound. And I wash the first wash of spring with Simple Green. Just to make sure all of winter is gone.
 
They will naturally fade away in the sun. But mix up some bleach and water (10:1 will be plenty). Depending on how much there is, either spray it on or saturate a white rag and lay it on. Should only take a few minutes. If you're spraying, it will work better on a cloudy day. As the shampoo bottle says, rinse well... It always makes laugh that they have to say that...
 
A lot of grout cleaners contain Oxalic acid. It makes those leaf stains disappear immediately. Home Depot, Lowes, True Value, ETC.
 
We left our white 370 express at a marina for a month due to work pressures and when we returned we discovered seagulls, leaves from a nearby tree and spiders have lived on the top of our boat for weeks. There were mounds of oily bird crap, leftover fish and leaves everywhere. After hosing it off, the Arctic White gel coat was mostly brown and black and scrubbing did little to improve the appearance. I resorted a 1/2 gallon of house hold bleach, poured it out on the deck and moved it around with my brush on a stick and let it sit for 15 minutes in the sun. I then washed the boat with some soapy water next and it sparkled like new again. Of course it then needed to be waxed again. Not recommended for routine cleaning but cheap house hold bleach gets rid of most stains in gel coat. Sun does too.
 
Last edited:
Of course it then needed to be waxed again. Not recommended for routine cleaning but cheap house hold bleach gets rid of most stains in gel coat. Sun does too.

Yup, as I was reading the replies I thought to myself all of these remedies will strip off the wax, unfortunately. I always had good luck with Orpine Boat soap.
 

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