Removing waterline stain from painted wooden boats

Skipper February 19, 2006 Ask The Skipper

Arthur Langley asked:
I have number of painted, wood lapstrake boats. I’m on a high tannin “tea lake”. Major bottom and boot-top staining. Are any of your products for cleaning waterline and bottom good for use on painted wood? How about your bottom wax for these boats?

Stuff works G-R-E-A-T (!) on fiberglass. 🙂

Answer:

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

For years, wooden boat owners have reported success cleaning their waterline stains with Algex, but we do not have any personal experience. I suggest you try it on a small spot first to make sure it removes the stain, without removing the paint. Algex does not attack urethane paints, commonly used on boats, but may damage your finish, depending on what kind of paint you have on your boat.

You can use our VS721 Bottom Coat on the boats bottoms. Even if it doesn’t eliminate the staining, it will reduce it and confine the stain to the Bottom Wax, rather than staining the paint, thereby making it easier to clean in the future.

Thanks for the compliment,

Captain Aurora