Non Skid Deck

[Fishguy1]

I have a 8.6 meter International and would like to know what you guys use on your non skid deck to keep it clean.Trojan has a different kind of non skid than most boats it is like pitted and flat and the spiders love it.It acts like a sponge sure is hard to clean,also what can you use on it to help repel some of the dirt and stuff. Thank You Fishguy

[koviak]

Best thing I have used for years is liquid Tide laundry detergent. Use about (1) cup per gallon of water and a medium stiff brush. I do have a dock neighber who used the Starbrite brand non-skid scrub with decent results also.

[g36]

i dont know about you but i have a covered slip and its amazing to me how dirty the boat gets. every time we came to the boat we spent all kinds of time cleaning the deck and the spider poop was terrible. we even sprayed for them and theres even a bug lady that comes around and sprays but still when the spider poop hits the deck it leaves its mark. i tried various cleaners but the black spot would still be visible to me.this product (below) did pretty good but it wasnt the miracle they said. the deck did look very good after using the cleaner and then the sure step after i have noticed that the deck cleans up very well from most dirt but not the spider poop. however i ended up making a cover thats custom fit to the boat decks that keeps all the poop off, now i just take it off and blow off the deck no more scrubbing. that was my cure. guess i'm lazy

http://www.auroramarine.com/aurora/cata ... -01420.htm

[ready123]

Biggest reason not to have a covered slip... spiders. I rather be in the open and just protect my topsides with polish.

[cclark75006]

I use a cleaner from West Marine called (Roll off) I can't remember who makes it but it disolves the spider poops very well and with a little light brushing and it will rinse away with water hose.

[captainmaniac]

For general cleaning (and doing a reasonable job on spider and bird crap) I use StarBrite Non-Skid Deck Cleaner http://www.starbrite.com/productdetail. ... 20Cleaners

I wash using regular boat soap and rinse, then spread a bit of this around using my deck brush, let it sit for a few minutes (2-5 only - don't want it drying on the surface), then light scrub and rinse off. It kind of 'eats' whatever is there.

For waxing I use the Aurora Sure Step as well (as in g36's link) - the deck actually gets 'sticky' when wet to reduce slipping hazards.

For really bad spider poop, I have found Natural Marine Spider Spot Remover to work about as well or better than anything else I have tried. It's still not perfect, but when it comes to spider poop the only perfect solution is to not let it happen in the first place. http://www.pridemarine.com/showimage.cf ... over%2Ejpg

[g36]

Biggest reason not to have a covered slip... spiders. I rather be in the open and just protect my topsides with polish.

you got to be kidding
youd rather have a boat exposed to rain and sun for 30 years or keep it under a covered slip and wash off some spider poop. maybe up in canada things are different than in southern u.s. but personnally theres no decision here.
covered slip+sunbrella fabric+ couple hours sewing = no sun or rain and no cleanup... priceless

[ready123]

Obviously the Great Lakes sun is less damaging than Southern US.... global warming might change this.

Our heavy sun is a little over two months of the year with no salt, we are also outside of the tropics so it is an angled blow... so one can't really compare the environmental stresses with Southern US.

[wingnut]

I've always used Purple Power and bleach in a bucket of water scrubbed with a stiff deck brush... for stains, esp. rust or fish blood, there is a cleaner called Barkeepers Friend... It comes in both a powder (Like comet) or a gel (like soft scrub) Both seem to work equally well.

[MarinaMike]

First, wash and scrub your entire boat with a good boat soap of your choice. This removes most surface dirt and lightly soiled spider poop stains. Then the best thing to use to remove spider poop stains regardless of it's age... "The Works." It's a toilet bowl cleaner you can buy at Dollar General for about 2bux a quart. Be sure to wear some sort of latex or vinyl gloves to protect the skin and have a bucket of clean water with you and a bag of clean rags. Step # 1: Apply "The Works" to a terry cloth towel and scrub the stain away. Step # 2: After you scrub the spot with "The Works" on the terry cloth, dampen another clean cloth with the clean water from the bucket to rinse the spot. Step # 3 Take a dry cloth to dry it. This is for those heavily stained spider poop spots. Repeat these steps if necessary and it will remove any stain. You can use a bristled brush if necessary, but be careful. The bristles will throw the product all over the place while scrubbing. The product has bleach in it and it will remove your wax. If you do get the product on an unintended area, just repeat steps 2 and 3 and then re-wax those areas. Also, it is not wise to let the product drip down the sides of the boat to your bottom paint due to it tarnishes the color of the bottom paint. That is why I use the cloth method. Also, do not, I repeat, DO NOT get this product on any colored fabric as to it WILL tarnish the color. Hope this is helpful. I won't use any other method to remove spider poop stains. Marina Manager ~ Lake Ozark, MO.