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Old 01-06-2020, 06:12 PM   #1
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Nasty dirty fenders...

Can anyone advise me as to what will easily clean dirty white fenders?
Hope there is a product available to make this chore easier.
Thanks for any advice.
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Old 01-06-2020, 06:43 PM   #2
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I used Polyform fender covers!
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Old 01-06-2020, 07:03 PM   #3
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Greetings,
Mr. BD. Try this stuff. If it doesn't work you can use it on your hands but I think it might...


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Old 01-06-2020, 07:22 PM   #4
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Hi Donna
I used both Softscrub (w bleach) and Star Bright Non-Skid Deck Cleaner with decent results.
Both need at least a few minutes soak time and a scrub brush to work best.
A coat of 303 Protectant after cleaning helps shed the dirt and makes them easier to clean
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Old 01-06-2020, 08:37 PM   #5
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I use acetone.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaDonna View Post
Can anyone advise me as to what will easily clean dirty white fenders?
Hope there is a product available to make this chore easier.
Thanks for any advice.
Works great.
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Old 01-06-2020, 10:04 PM   #6
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I second Gojo.
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Old 01-06-2020, 10:19 PM   #7
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I have used Z Care to clean my fenders and works great on my dinghy.

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/zcar...-stain-remover
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Old 01-06-2020, 10:24 PM   #8
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For future consideration: get dark-colored fenders. They don't show dirt very well.
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Old 01-06-2020, 10:27 PM   #9
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I use Spray 9 and it works very well. I also use black fenders...
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Old 01-07-2020, 06:42 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RT Firefly View Post
Greetings,
Mr. BD. Try this stuff. If it doesn't work you can use it on your hands but I think it might...


Here's a second on the GoJo. Soft scrub also works pretty well.
But at some point, making covers is the only out. Cheap terry cloth towels work well, as does sweat pants legs.

Also after cleaning, wax them up good and they will last longer. Turtle wax, Mequire's, etc.
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Old 01-07-2020, 07:13 AM   #11
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A couple years ago I tried about 15 different products.... and of those, Spray Nine worked best. Can't remember if it was the "marine" version or not. It was NOT effortless; stiff brush and lots of elbow grease still required. That test included Soft Scrub, not great. Didn't include GoJo. Included Simply Awesome, or some such. Underwhelming. Included Mr. Clean erasor pads, not bad but even more labor intensive.

The last year I tried a product called Marine Strip, said to be OK for vinyl. Worked better, still not effortless, needs some soak time and a brush... and then about 6 months later, the vinyl was a little sticky.

Since then, I found some decent covers made of Sunbrella, from Harken. Those seem to be OK; I think they'll pick up splinters and dirt along the way, but I'm guessing maybe a periodic dismount/wash/remount might work. Previously, I'd tried some acrylic covers; they disintegrated relatively quickly. The cover for our Polyform buoy is acrylic, so I don't expect long life from that.

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Old 01-07-2020, 07:25 AM   #12
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I used to have covers that looked very "yachty" but came to the conclusion that they actually accumulated dirt (grit) over time that was hard to clean off and had potential to scuff awlgrip paint. I second using black fenders (pity nobody offers colors like red or blue). I also was told that "Magic Eraser" works well but never tried it.
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Old 01-07-2020, 07:42 AM   #13
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fender cleaner

When I first tried Z Cleaner on white fenders it worked so well and effortlessly I was afraid to use it thinking it might be too harsh. Over time no adverse side affects seen. The dollar store store a product called Awesome and it also does a great job on white fenders.
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Old 01-07-2020, 08:20 AM   #14
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Our boat came with black fenders - after 26 locks on TennTom and TN River I'm so glad. Sliding up those tall grimy lock walls, any white fenders would look awful and need daily cleaning - saw several fender covers get ripped off on the concrete walls, on other boats. I guess you could just save the fender covers to cover up the dirty fenders.
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Old 01-07-2020, 09:06 AM   #15
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Greetings,
Mr. C. "...pity nobody offers colors like red or blue".





https://www.pocomarine.com/shop/poly...-boat-fenders/
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Old 01-07-2020, 10:55 AM   #16
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I see a lot of boats using white ball fenders. They definitely cut down on the surface area grunge. Storage could be a problem, an air pump that could reverse for flattening them or quickly inflation might solve the storage problem.
The manatee came equipped with four very large white tubular fenders that I use horizontally but they are a chore to clean. I have found Soft Scrub with bleach and a green 3M hand scrubber works the best for cleanup.
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Old 01-07-2020, 11:18 AM   #17
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Do black (or dark color) fenders leave marks on a white hull?
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Old 01-07-2020, 11:28 AM   #18
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Best solvent for cleaning fenders is MEK (methyl ethyl ketone.) Acetone will clean them, but it'll leave the vinyl gooey, ruining the fender.

MEK is harder to find nowadays. Read the can carefully, they sell a useless product called "MEK Substitute."
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Old 01-07-2020, 11:37 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike GB32 View Post
Do black (or dark color) fenders leave marks on a white hull?
Sometimes, especially if the lock walls are very dirty. Not so much with other docking. As the old saying goes "every boat is a compromise". The dark fenders themselves do not leave any marks though.
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Old 01-07-2020, 12:19 PM   #20
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Aceatone ?? Oh My!

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