Water spots on a black boat!!!!!!

[jiggin' fool]

I own a Lund, 1800, that is black, (never again will I buy BLACK)!!!!

I CANNOT get rid of the water spots. I even bought a marine cleaner that has citrus in it..., at Cabela's..., supposedly the baddest cleaner out there..., and guess what.., I followed the instructions to the letter..., and when it dried.., WATER SPOTS!!!

Somebody out there has to have had the same problem..., and discovered a "cure"!!!

HELP!!!!!!

(And thanks!!!!)!!!!!

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"You should have been here yesterday"....,

[1DIRTBALL]

There is a polish/cleaner that I used to use to clean the acrylic shields on my suntanning beds that I had a lot of success with. It would even remove lipstick and dried on nail polish. It comes in a 8 oz pink can and it's called "Gel Gloss". Costs about $4.00 or $5.00 and you can get it at any Menards or Home Depot. It will turn hazy,like a car wax, and then you just wipe it off for a nice, bright shine and it also leaves a nice hard finish. Work's great on Formica countertops too. Also on most anything hard vinyl or acrylic. Please post and let me know if it works for you. Good luck!

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YOU CAN'T talk AN OLD talk'ER!

[IFallsRon]

Spray on vinegar and water mix like you would a glass cleaner and wipe off with a good chamois.

[Ole1855]

jiggin,

I've also had luck with CLR/water mixture.

Ole

[ChuckN]

I have a black boat with black motors. I know the feeling. I use "Zep", a shower/tub cleaner. Takes off all the spots and even remains spot free for awhile. Use a sponge and hose, and don't use it in direct sunlight.

[Moose-Hunter]

The two methods I've used have been the vinegar/water spray that IFallsRon suggested -or- Detailer's clay. The clay method is a bit more labor intensive, but the results are FANTASTIC!!

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M-H (aka: Dan)

[WaveWacker]

I have a dark blue Lund with a Merc. motor (black obviously). A little straight vinager on a rag and off with the water spots. I then usually follow it up with a little Maguires quick wax! Works wonders.

[Gadgetman]

jiggin, I have a black lund with two black motors on the back and have no problem removing water spots. Find a product called "Ducky". Comes in a spray bottle and is in most good marine stores. Just spray it on let it sit for 10-15 seconds and wipe it off. Works like a champ and can clean up the whole rig in just a few minutes. Also works good on windshield and splashguards

[CabinBoy]

Lime Away works good as well. Just take a damp rag with Lime Away on it and just rub it on. Usually works best to rinse it off with a sponge. Then apply a good coat of wax.

[B-bear]

I had some on my boat and just used a mild cleaner wax and it took the spots off. Probably not as easy as some of these other ideas but it gives you another option.

[mnrstrider]

Water spots from washing the boat? maybe you wan to run a "spot free" rinse after you wash the boat. Some distilled or RO water should do the job, maybe even one of the Mr.Clean spot free rinsers thingys. Personally a garden sprayer with pure water should do it.

[Steve Bakken]

The reason one guy's spots wipe right off and the next guy's won't come off with a jackhammer is due to variations in the surface. On a very smooth surface the mineral deposits have nothing to grab on to. On an older paint job or one that is in poor shape, even on a newer paint job depending on the paint used, the surface can contain millions of microscopic pores that the minerals get into. In this case, chemical removal may not be enough to get deep down into the pores. You then need to use mechanical removal where you actually remove the layer of paint that contains the contaminants. It's not as drastic as it sounds. If you had a stack of paper 3 inches thick, it would be like removing the top sheet. At the shop, we use a machine buffer with a light duty compound and then a foam pad with a finishing glaze to remove the swirl marks left by the compound. This also removes alot of the surface pores which helps keep spots from forming the next time. Of course you can also do this by hand if you don't have a buffer, it just takes a little longer.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[jiggin' fool]

Steve,

This is a 2004 Lund Explorer!!!!!! Do you think it is a problem with the factory finish????? My God the boat is brand new. I can tell you one thing, it always was a little "spotty"..., but after I fished Devil's Lake, (which is high in saline), it is MUCH worse!!!!!!!

Should I contact the dealer on the finish??? I have tried some of the bathroom cleaners in small spots on the transom...., works like a charm..., only problem is it leaves little scratches!!! That makes me skeptical of the "Tub and Tile" suggestions, or the clay, etc. Sure, I can get them off using that, but it scratches the paint as well. Maybe I will try the "Ducky" stuff and see how that does!!!!

Thanks guys for ALL your suggestions!!!!!

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"You should have been here yesterday"....,

[Steve Bakken]

Jiggin'

Lund has excellent quality standard on all of their boats, but even minor variations such as temperature, humidity, or even what kind of day the painter had can all affect the porosity of the finished paint job. I don't think this would be a warranty issue, as it is nearly impossible to warranty the paint against all the environmental elements, and black absorbs more heat which will cause the water to dry more rapidly, which intensifies the effect of the water spotting. If you can find a chemical that will remove it, that would be the easiest. Definitely do not use the bathroom or tub and tile cleaners that you mentioned. The reason they leave scratches in the paint is because they contain pumice or some other abrasives. Then you definitely will need a buff job. If all else fails you may have to look into the buffing option anyway, but keep trying the different chemicals first. Just watch for the abrasives and keep testing them on a small spot like you're doing. Good luck.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[larryz]

My son has a black Crestliner and nobody could be more fussy than he is about how their boat looks. He uses Simple Green on his boat. Spray it on and wipe it off. It always looks great so
it must do the trick.

[Giant_Jackpot]

Jiggin,

I’ve got a black/tan Crestliner and I keep a good coat of wax on it but still get water spots. I use vinegar as listed in previous posts and it works great and is easy and cheap. Keep in mind different lakes have different levels if minerals. I can spend a week on Vermilion and get no spots at all and one night on Tonka it will be covered. Wiping the boat down at the launch is another way to avoid the spots but I hate it when people do that when the ramp is busy….

[Mykal]

I have a Black Lund, and a Black Dodge and I can tell you that it is alot of work to keep them clean at times. First off, take an extra towel with you. I always wipe down my boat after I pull it out of the water. This will drastically reduce the buildup of water spots. Second, keep it waxed. Nothing helps keep spots of better that a smooth, protected surface. Third, use a hardwater softner if you wash you vehicles at home and also dry it in the shade quickly. I live in Rogers and the water is very hard up here. 4th. Did I say wax! If the water spots are light a prewax like Meguire's swirl reducer before waxing works great.

[hitthebricks]

Wiping the boat as soon as it comes out of the water helps a lot and glass cleaner will remove water spots,the scum line or whatever is on the paint or glass. HTB