"Snap" Fastener Stains

[bob]

I've noticed after a rain, black streaks will start to form beneath the snap fasteners for the mooring cover. Looking at other Sea Rays in my marina, this seems to be common. I've waxed them, but it doesn't seem to have an effect on preventhing them. They seem to come off easily enough with marine polish, but I'd like to prevent them from forming in the first place.

What causes this oxidation? Is there a chemical or special wax available to prevent this? A friend suggested coating them with clear fingernail polish--would that work?

Yes, I did a search before posting. The closest anything came to this problem were black streaks under the rub rail.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

It seems the fingernail polish would work as it would encase the problem if that's where it is really coming from. I have a slight problem as well but I assumed it was the fabric dye from the mooring cover itself that was causing it as it doesn't appear to always be at the snap location. :smt017

 

[fwebster]

I doubt that fingernail polish will do much to stop the problem. A closed snap has a cap, stud and spring mating to a snap and stud, so you have a total of 5 metal parts involved , all subject to salt water corrosion and you can only paint finger nail polish on the cap part.

The other issue is that the black streaks come as much from dirt and crap settling on your canvas or cover as from the snaps. The snaps are stress points so that is where the run-off occurs.

Keep a good wax on the fiberglass and wash the boat and canvas frequently.

 

[Dancin Dave]

Frank, other than thorough rinsing of the canvas, what cleaning practices do you utilize? I do soap it down with a hose mixing sprayer then rinse that off. I'm reluctant to even soft brush it.

 

[fwebster]

I have a complete canvas top and I never take the canvas part down. We rinse the salt off off every day after we use the boat, it is under a homeade sprinkler device that rinses it off every night we are not using the boat and I wash it with a mild laundry soap Ivory Flakes or Woolite once a week when we are there.

 

[tphinney]

part of the problem may be the wax you are using. in my area we have a problem with the local power plants unsing coal. this leaves black soot on everything. roofs, driveways, cars, etc. etc.. When I used to use the 3M carbona wax I would get black streaks starting at the canvas snaps near the back and going halfway down the hull (what a mess) . Sine then I have changed to Maguiers Flagship and now I rarely see much of any black streaks on the hull and when I do get them they wash off with just water.

 

[Asureyez]

Those Oh so pesky stains

The slip im in at the YC is due north of the four boiler power plant that feeds most of Lauderdale. Florida Power and Light operates it in lean mode during the day so people do not see the incredible amount of ash produced when their hit the juice at night. At night the ash belched out in huge clouds. The ash is a black and red dust that turns to acid as it collects in the dew each evening or is rained out of the air.

My blue eyed gal gets pelted with this insult daily. The canvas I use is actually Stamboid in offwhite. and stainless snaps. Those black streaks are a daily occurance for me. We just keep her waxed and washed weekly. We wash the Stamboid covers witrh boat soap as wel clean. Then treat it with 303 monthly, but remember Stamboid is not cloth and I chose it for the enviromental exposure.

Those stains are such a problem the canvas industry has come up with a new wrinkle that is making its way to my dock as boats refit.

The snaps are replaced with a small plastic "waisted" knob. Under the apron of the canvas skirt is a thin tight bungee loop that is streched around the knob. The look is tight and fitted and there is no longer a series of points alond the skirt of the canvas that collects these residues from the fall out to stain the topsides in those blasted streaks.

Note: I've had to replace the Sea Ray logos, the gold plastic metalized ones, as the gold veneer was eaten off them in just two years. This acid rain has eaten away the wiper arms once already as well.

When I re-canvas I'll switch to this knobby system that is for sure.

Some others at the same dock has taken to having thier aft ends clear coated with Awl Grip to try to stay ahead of the problem.

 

[bob]

These streaks seem to appear after a rain. Normal washing doesn't remove them, only another application of polish or wax seems to dissolve the stains. It's awfully frustrating!

 

[Turtlesboat]

Black streak remover, I buy it at west marine. squirt on, wipe off. works great.

 

[gerryb]

I have the plastic knob system on my cockpit cover, at the stern. ABout 7 of them or so. Each one provides a pathway for the soot/grime that is on the cover to get onto the gelcoat as they are the lowest portion of the cover. They definately do not prevent the streaks. I just spray some cleaner onto a towel and go around the hull wiping all the marks off each week :smt021 .

 

[bob]

Guess I was thinking it was the fault of the metal fasteners all the time, instead of what was being washed off the canvas. When polishing the boat by machine, I'd notice black swirls as the buffer came into contact with the fasteners which I thought was aluminum oxidation--hence the streaking after the rain.

 

[bob]

Black streak remover, I buy it at west marine. squirt on, wipe off. works great.

Do commercial black streak removers also remove the wax underneath?