I have a light green, fiberglass Great Canadian canoe that’s been sitting in the family backyard for many years, gathering leaves and debris.(I last used it, tripping the Delaware back in the early 80’s.)It’s structurally sound, with hull, seats, thwart in good shape. But, it has embarassing and unsightly strips of black mold pourously flanking both gunwales.
What’s a good way to proceed with cleaning/buffing it back to it’s former glory? (If it’s too much hassle, I may just stick to using my kayaks and selling the thing as is.)
You mean on the gunwales, or next to.
My '73 Moore, sitting under the deck for 20 years, also has black crud on the gelcoat.
My boat is red, but yours is green. Just clean it up and use it, and if someone comments on the dark blotches, tell them the canoe was made “organically.”
If it gets anymore “organic” it will
– Last Updated: Jul-31-09 2:53 PM EST –
sprout potatos!
Er, it's "next to," --In 7 inch swaths.
Get some stuff caled “Crud Cutter” for
showers, or just scub it with Dawn dish detergent, a great degreaser. For anything remaining, dilute chlorine bleach.
DO NOT mix Dawn and bleach.
I’ve used dilluted bleach & Scotchbrite
… pad. It did pretty well.
Lestoil
The best stuff I’ve found for that is a floor cleaning product called Lestoil. It cuts right through it and will not damage the finish. No chlorine to worry about either.
I use this on the boats each spring
Spic and Span with a little more added bleach…Works on the powerboats parked under the trees for the winter. Gets rid of dirt, mold and leaf discoloration.
For fun, why don’t you clean one side
to perfection and leave the other side scuzzy. Then act like you don’t know what people are talking about.
“What hump?”
Yeah, I get it…
Sort of a night-shift, day-shift thing.
(Goes with hands being dirty, but palms
being clean!)
You can’t see both sides at once when
on the water. when the “Providence” returned from use in one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, she was painted up differently port and starboard - two ships for the price of one!
Scotchbrite pads scratch. I do the same
with a “Dobie” pad or plastic bristle nail brush. Anything that you’d use on a non-stick pan is okay. Wear gloves, old clothes, and rinse thoroughly, though. Chlorine and aluminum don’t like each other.