Muriatic Acid ??????????????

[Maristar210]

An old timer at Attwood Marine swears that this stuff will work as well as anything on the green stuff on your hull......


Opinions????

Thanks in advance!!!!!

Steve

[6ballsisall]

I have used it. THIS IS SOME VERY STRONG S***. (I meant to use bold, not yelling though) If you do use it to clean your hull use a substantially diluted down solution. Where a face and eye mask and DEFINETELY a good set of chemical approved type gloves. It's seriously nasty stuff

[Maristar210]

I have used it. THIS IS SOME VERY STRONG S***. (I meant to use bold, not yelling though) If you do use it to clean your hull use a substantially diluted down solution. Where a face and eye mask and DEFINETELY a good set of chemical approved type gloves. It's seriously nasty stuff


What does it do to the hull??

I am ignorant of this stuff. Please help!!!

Thanks... Steve

[ski_king]

That is wicked stuff for cleaning masonry surfaces. I have used it in that application, but I don't think I would let it touch my boat.

[betsy&david Harrison]

An old timer at Attwood Marine swears that this stuff will work as well as anything on the green stuff on your hull......


Opinions????

Thanks in advance!!!!!

Steve
Make sure your boat has a good wax job and if you use that stuff and it isn't diluted enough it will eat your gel coat away. B David found some stuff that has a small amount of it in it and it does work on our hull. It is just a marine hull cleaner...no big name brand.

[SteveO]

I don't know about the hull, but I use it to clean the scale build up on my pool tile. When I spray it on tough spot that have build up, it bubbles and the stuff kinda melts away. Can't imagine it can be good for fiberglass.

[peason]

This is another term for Hydrochloric acid. It should not damage your hull but will remove any wax along with any growth. It is shipped in rubber lined tankers and plastic drums - so It should not hurt fiberglass. Dilute it with water and use long rubber gloves and a mask - it will fume - give off gas.

[ski_king]

Sewcond thought, it does come in a plastic jug, might not be too bad diluted.
I mixed some with Simple Green and water to clean an old garage floor recently. Did a good job..

Oxalic Acid might be something else to try. I have used it to remove iron (nail) rust stains from wood beams and logs.

[bfinley]

Actually some of the hull cleaner products that you can buy are just Muriatic Acid. It's probably a lot cheaper if it doesn't say "Hull Cleaner" on the bottle.

[Maristar210]

Make sure your boat has a good wax job and if you use that stuff and it isn't diluted enough it will eat your gel coat away. B David found some stuff that has a small amount of it in it and it does work on our hull. It is just a marine hull cleaner...no big name brand.


Scratch that idea. Downside for me is too high. Golves, mask, etc... I'll scrub.


Thanks for the replies


Steve

[scott88prostar]

Not sure if anybody wrote this....make sure your driveways good and wet before you use it....and hold your breath while you use it.

[Granite_33]

Scratch that idea. Downside for me is too high. Golves, mask, etc... I'll scrub.

Thanks for the replies


Steve

Nothing wrong with using it occasionally. If you are outside, a mask is unnecessary. Gloves are a must.

I used "Boat Armor" on my 90 Maristar. BUT.....I only did this once a year, since it was highly caustic, hydrochloric acid base. I diluted the stuff down to bare minimum, as it was strong. I wish I had a picture of the boat before and after. It was a world of difference. The very bottom of the boat (the part I never got around to, since it took laying on my stomach) remained a light coffee stain color. The rest of the hull cleaned up to a bright white. That said.....Boat Armor is not coming to within 100 yards of the X-9......I am looking for options, something a little less caustic.

Interesting Article on Acid Cleaners here:
http://www.diy-boat.com/Pages/Archives/links/demoaci.html

[6ballsisall]

Mari, not trying to scare you away from it. I used it on my 86 and no ill effects. The way I look at it, if Muriatic can't take it off, nothing will. You can buy it at Lowes for next to nothing in a 1 gallon jug. Dilute it heavily with water. Do make sure your driveway is wet as it will otherwise whiten your concrete. If you want to cure a concrete stain just pour a little on and watch it do it's magic! (Wouldn't recommend doing that alot though :D )

[bigmac]

An old timer at Attwood Marine swears that this stuff will work as well as anything on the green stuff on your hull......


Opinions????

Thanks in advance!!!!!

Steve"Acid washing" a fiberglass hull is an extremely effective way to get rid of algae, brown stain, all kinds of bad stuff. It's easy to apply, just use a dauber like a toilet bowl cleaner, daub the stuff on a 3 foot square section, wait a minute of two, then thoroughly rinse the stuff off with a hose, repeat until the boats done. It is one heckuva lot easier than hand scrubbing, and almost certainly more effective. It will take wax off, so the boat should be waxed right afterward. They do recommend a mask and gloves. I've acid washed my boats almost on a yearly basis and have never worn that stuff, although bear in mind I don't recommend that. I do wear safety glasses.

These acid washes are commercially available, and almost any boat store or marina should have them in the proper dilution. I would use the ready-to-use dilute stuff from the boat store, not buy muriatic acid from a masonry store. They can be muriatic acid, or hydrochloric, oxalic (my personal favorite), or sulfuric.

Look at this site (http://www.diy-boat.com/Pages/Archives/links/demoaci.html) for a good overview.

[shepherd]

A friend of mine uses a hull cleaner called "On and Off" and swears by it. I saw it in the boat store and I believe it has muriatic acid (or some acid) in it. I didn't try it yet though. But this guy has one of the cleanest boats I've ever seen, so I believe him... Of course, he waxes it all the time too.

[whitedog]

I use it occasionally after I leave boat in for more than a day or two. Hard water build up as well as green river scum come off easily. It will not hurt gel coat but does remove wax. Ware rubber gloves and safty glasses. Also a tyvec suit helps keep splashes off you clothing. As mentioned besure driveway is wet and all will be well.