Axis Wakeboard Boat Forum

Does anyone know of a good product to clean the hull of my black A22? I have it slipped in the lake most of the time so when I pull it out after it has been sitting in the lake there is residue on the boat that looks terrible.

I have tried most of the advertised cleaners but they are only good for wiping down the parts of the boat that don't sit in the water.

A friend of mine said that he uses some sort of acid (think he said muronic) to clean his boat but I'm a little worried that would be hard on the gel coat. Plus I don't like the idea of messing around with acid either

My local dealership said they can buff it out for 350 bucks but that's a little steep for me to do every time I want to trailer the boat somewhere plus I'm sure I would have to drop it off and leave it as well.

Any suggestions?

Get some ZAPP (a Boat Brite Product, St louis, MO)at your local marine store, it is hydrochloric acid and it is wicked stuff.

Follow the instructions of diluting with water in a spray bottle and be sure and wear goggles and gloves. Spray on, brush and hose off immediately. Keep it off the black plastic parts as it will oxidize them, just focus on the gell coat areas.

Stuff works great but you should re-wax after using.

Good Luck

I have a 2011 black and vapor blue A22. Now I do not know how will this will work on a boat that is slipped and floating for days/weeks on end but I'll tell you what I do. I do a full strip and detail of my boat twice a year. While 90% of the boat gets wiped down every time it touches the lake I do not crawl underneath the trailer to wipe down the hull in between the trailer axles where the water pickups are. That's where this twice a year detail comes in. First I do a quick wash with a cap full of Dawn dishsoap to remove most of the old wax or polymer sealant that I've used. Then I use a 50/50 white vinegar and distilled water mix in a spray bottle which gets about half or more of the hard water spots and scum line off the bottom of the hull where I could not reach on daily cleaning. Then I break out the Lime-Away found at most stores in a spray bottle. I keep a water hose handy then spray the Lime-Away on the hardest of water spots and scum line remaining and wife off. I follow up that area with a good rinse of water to get the Lime-Away off the hull. I'll do another quick wash of the entire hull with a boat wash. Dry, then wax, and polymer sealant on top of the wax. I use a Griot's Garage 6" orbital polisher which is lightweight and foolproof to wax and seal. Here are my results

That is such a beautiful, perfect mirror finish AJ. I gotta try that routine out.

Thanks Joey, its time consuming but a labor of love after you see the results. I swear by Hula Boat products for detailing...especially their vinyl cleaner/conditioner (UV protection included) all in one bottle, then their cleaner wax, and polymer sealant. Several of us on this forum have recently used Hula products and we are believers. The wax and sealant go on and off almost like daily water spot remover, it's that easy.

There are a few other straight products for scum line removal. There is "On and Off" which I hear is good, Starbrite makes a hull cleaner that has been around for decades and gets good reviews plus is available at Academy Sports I believe, and then believe it or not some use a toilet bowl cleaner from Swish with great results for slipped boats.

Thanks guys I'm gonna try the zapp product and then wax the boat. AJ I think your boat looks awesome I just don't think that I would ever have enough time to do all of that.

P.S. I tried the starbrite product but it really didn't even touch the stuff that is on my boat after sitting in a slip.

For the wipe offs after a day on the water, I use Hot Sauce. I dilute it 50/50 with distilled water and the scum comes right off. I use a Meguiars spray wax after that. Like Aj- I do the whole boat clean/wax when I put her up for season.

I give mine a complete wipe-down everytime we come out of the water by whatever towel that may be laying around. I usually wipe down the outside while the family is getting stuff together on the inside. Doesn't take long and is well worth it in my opinion. Havent noticed any hard watermarks but wondering if I should start using the Hot Sauce? Ware the benefits of the Hot Sauce?

AJ can you get more specific with the buffer detail's i.e. speeds and how much product you put on the buffer pads? and which product you use with the buffer ..... I just bought a 7 inch polisher/ buffer and I am inching to use it

I'm on the oil rig at the moment but I'll be home in a few days and get with you on the details. My random orbital polisher is a 6" I got from Griot's Garage as well as their orange and red pads. I used 3M Marine Finesse-It for any swirl marks or very light scratches or rub marks, then Hula Cleaner Wax, followed by Hula Polymer Sealant. I prepped the boat by using Lime-Away under the hull or anywhere there were leftover hard water spots. Then followed that with a 50/50 vinegar and water all over the boat. Then a quick boat wash to clean off everything.