Between a ridiculous amount of miles and a diesel pickup that fuels so hard it has its own hole in the ozone named after it, then there's the maple tree that has shat all over it the last two weeks, my tramp and hull covers are getting gross. Really gross.

What's the best way to clean them babies up? I was thinking car wash and scrubbing with a brush.

Success stories?

That's what I did when my boat was parked under a sap producing tree for most of its life (no choice). Worked ok, lots of TLC.

Are they white? Wonder if a little bleach wouldn't hurt?

What material are they? Sunbrella? Then go here: Sunbrella Cleaning Guide

Even if they aren't Sunbrella, that's a good place to start.

Use bleach (very diluted) only if there's mold / mildew.

Harken covers. Its a grey coated canvas of some sort. The tramp cover is real gross from the tree goo, the hull covers are just grimy. I don't think there's any mold or mildew, but plenty of organic gunk. I wonder if dish soap would be too aggressive? I really don't want to F them up. They're a lot of money.

Gasoline and muriatic acid mixed 50/50 shot through a power washer is what I usually do.


I don't think you'd have any problem with dish detergent. The guide posted above says woolite or dawn.

Hold my beer for sec, will ya?

There! No more dirty boat covers!

I generally only light it up for "the really hard to get out stains". Works great for tar removal too.

Do you have a Laundromat nearby with one of these? We take our Sunbrella® porch furniture covers, cushion covers, and umbrella top to one of these every year and clean them up…

We don’t dry them there, just wash them.

Clasic!

But you owe me a new laptop!

I just spit beer and crackers all over my old one!

sap is water soluble - it just takes a while. I would soak them for an extended period (day or two), then scrub.

Does Harken have recommendations?

If not, I would start with Dawn, a brush and plenty of water. Dawn is amazing with oils/grease and is bio-safe.

We want before and after pics too!

Mike

Mike

The laundromat near me that has a giant machine. They will wash big stuff for a price or let you use it for less. They charge extra for really nasty stuff. It is a lot less work than brushes and buckets on the driveway.

A sailmaker in our area has a sail washing machine. It consists of a 200-300 hundred gallon galvanized tub and a electric pump to make the water flow. You could start your businesses.