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Hey! Very new to boating here. Recently purchased a 2014 Montauk 150, 15 foot and would like to clean the inside, non-skid decking. I purchased non-skid cleaner but need to know if the cleaner is safe to be rinsed into the bilge. Can't think of another way to get the water/cleaner out of the boat but via the bilge but wanted to make sure that the cleaner would not destroy the pump. Cleaner is West Marine Professional Grade Non-Skid Deck Cleaner with PTEF. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
did you talk to the guys at west marine..maybe they would know, also..maybe just hose it down well to dilute it when done...good luk
welcome to the forum, just noticed its your first post..happy boating
Edited by bob camire on 06/29/16 - 6:31 PM
2006 Dauntless 160, 115 HP Merc 4 Stroke, 2012 Venture Trailer
I wouldn't stress over it too much. The bilge pump always ends up sucking up a bunch of nameless muck, so a little detergent is not going to hurt it. If you're really concerned, make sure you flush it with a bunch of clean, fresh water - you'll probably be doing that anyway as you hose off afterwards.
In response to an earlier poster, not every product that has "green" in the label, and smells nice, is environmentally friendly - they're just marketed that way!
Please let us know how the West Marine non-skid cleaner works out for you - might try it if you have a good experience.
Boston Whalers are pretty much, "hose" down boats. I keep my 1995 dauntless 15 foot in the water for the season. My regular cleaning regimen is to spray the boat down with simple green and scrub with a soft boat brush. This followed by hosing the boat down pushing the cleaner and water mix thru my scuppers or in your case your bilge.
The downside is no matter what you use to clean the boat, whether it is car soap, simple green, deck wash, or even dish soap, everything will take any wax you have on the gel coat off and sooner or later it will not be glossy. This is not only unpleasing to the eye, but now more stains and stuff will stick to the chalky surface requiring more effort and cleaner to get off. At this point you will have to polish the boat with a buffer, the non skid with a orbital buffer or by hand, and then put protective coats of wax over that to maintain the shine as long as possible. Once a boat that is used heavily is 5-6 years old this buffing, waxing, and cleaning cycle becomes something you do seasonally. Basically, I buff and wax my Whaler in early spring, use the boat and clean it all summer, and by the end of the season it looks like I never buffed it at all. If a boat is stored indoors, not left in the water, and used lightly you will not have to do this until the boat is probably 10 years old and you would probably get away with buffing it every 2nd year.
Jim, I ordered this product: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C6HOI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which claims to not remove the wax; I don't know whether that is realistic, but the reviews are very positive.
i am thinking that it is likely the same as the West product as they both seem to have misspelled PTFE.
I found out the hard way that a little gasoline will trash a bilge pump. I had some spillage (clogged fuel filter when out there) and ladled as much gas as I could out but some remnants mixed with water and toasted the bilge pump.
Garris
