How much Green Genie do I need. Also how do I remove oxidation and restore the deck.

Skipper February 28, 2017 Ask The Skipper

Peter J Majeranowski asked:

I was wondering how much Green Genie I need for the fiber glass bottom of a 24 sailboat?
Also, what product would you recommend for paint oxidation? I’m noticing some places where my hands get the white chalk effect.
It’s a swing keel as far as surface area but the fouling is pretty bad. I would call it a “light” but uniform coating of barnacles. Attached are some pictures. The hull is fiberglass with gelcoat and the topside deck is paint. It’s an old and somewhat rare boat for North America; it’s a 1984 Rob Legg 24 sailboat from Australia.

Answer:

For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink to get more information about the selected product.

Pictures are truly worth a thousand words. These are very helpful. The more input I can get, the more suggestions I can make.

Your boat looks like it may a good candidate for restoration. You didn’t tell me if that was your intention or you just wanted to clean it up a bit.

For the bottom, Green Genie will work but I suggest using Algae Strip. It’s not as pleasant to work with but it is stronger and will be more effective at softening the barnacle shells so that you can scrape them off without damaging the gelcoat. Apply it with a paint roller and keep it wet on the surface for about 30 minutes. Then you can use a wooden or plastic scraper to remove the shells. A good scraper for this is made from a piece of hardwood plank such as maple or oak, with the edge cut at 40 degrees on a table saw and the edges sanded round so you don’t accidentally gouge and scratch the gelcoat. When the edge gets dull, just cut ½ inch off and you have a new scraper. After you get the shells off, reapply and scrape the adhesive rings off. The Algae Strip will remove the algae on the first application so that won’t be a concern

When the bottom is free of fouling, scrub it with Boat Scrub and apply VS721 to reduce future attachment of marine fouling and make clean up much easier. If you are going to repaint the boot top, do that after Boat Scrub and before VS721.

You will need 3 to 4 bottles of Algae Strip, 1 bottle of Boat Scrub and 1 bottles of VS721.

For the topsides (the hull between the boot top or waterline and the gunwale or rub rail/deck) wash that first with Boat Clean Plus, scrub it with Boat Scrub and a Marine Power Mitt and if you’re happy with the appearance, protect it with Premium Boat Shine. If it’s still dull you can restore the shine with EZ Buff and EZ Buff Extender. Here’s a link to our How To Video:

For this, you will need 1 bottle of Boat Clean Plus, 1 to 2 bottles of Boat Scrub, 1 bottle of Premium Boat Shine, 2 bottles of EZ Buff and 1 bottle of EZ Buff Extender, plus a rotary buffer and wool buffing pad. (we don’t supply those)

For the deck, you can clean up the stick on non-skid surfaces with Boat Clean Plus followed by Boat Scrub and a scrub brush. No protection as that can make them slippery. For the painted surfaces wash with Boat Clean Plus and a Marine Power Mitt. If that doesn’t restore the shine and get rid of the scuff marks and mold, try a bit of Boat Scrub on an inconspicuous spot first. Some paints are more durable than others and Boat Scrub can be used on some but not on others as it will remove the less durable paints. If that works, you can do the rest of the painted surfaces. Protect painted surfaces with Kwik Shine. It’s made for paint and will function as a cleaner and deoxidizer as well as a UV protective coating.

1 bottle of each should be enough.

You can use Boat Scrub to clean up the brass winches as well as the rub rail. Use Clear View to restore the port lights (windows) and Teak Clean to restore the teak on the boat. After protect the teak with your favorite brand of Teak Oil.

You may find other information you require in the Ask the Skipper blog.

Thanks for your questions,

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar