How to clean boat fenders?

JTA · 07-08-2013, 04:27 PM

Has anyone tried white wall tire cleaner?

Rich · 07-10-2013, 11:49 AM

I had some bad looking white fender and took them home to clean them.

I tried several things, even mineral spirits (as per the Taylormade instructions).

But then I eyed some automotive 'bug and tar remover' and tried it on the fenders.

I was surprised how well it worked. Let us know how it works if you try it yourself.

Par Four · 07-10-2013, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

I had some bad looking white fender and took them home to clean them.

I tried several things, even mineral spirits (as per the Taylormade instructions).

But then I eyed some automotive 'bug and tar remover' and tried it on the fenders.

I was surprised how well it worked. Let us know how it works if you try it yourself.

Tnx Rich - just so happens that I have the fenders at home with me and I have some Turtlewax bug & tar spray out in the garage, so I just now did a couple of test spots on 2 separate Taylormade 28"x9" fenders. This was a spray-on, wait a minute, scrub with a stiff brush and wipe clean process. Easy.

It was pretty effective on the crud that I think comes from the dock. It did a good job on the grey-ish grime as well. It did not get everything off, which is probably understandable as these guys are both many years old. But, they look a whole lot better, a whole lot better.

I will wait a few days to see if there may be any interaction with the plastic (you know how sometimes it can get grippy/sticky?).

Something about the smell of the bug&tar spray tells me that I need to wipe the fenders down really well, and maybe wash them again a couple times in milder solutions (SimpleGreen?) and let them bake in the sun. I would not want cleaner fenders at the expense of putting residual chemicals into the lake, or have any of it transfered by contact onto the boat gel coat.

Thanks for the tip. So far so good.

Rich · 07-10-2013, 08:35 PM

Glad it helped! The version I used was the thick liquid type that almost looks like the consistancy of liquid car polish.

I'd tell you the brand, but I took it to the boat to clean my other fenders.

JasonG · 07-11-2013, 11:33 PM

sell them on ebay as slightly used
buy new ones

07-10-2013, 11:49 AM	#2
Rich Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Derry / Gilford Posts: 1,256 Thanks: 74 Thanked 348 Times in 237 Posts	I had some bad looking white fender and took them home to clean them. I tried several things, even mineral spirits (as per the Taylormade instructions). But then I eyed some automotive 'bug and tar remover' and tried it on the fenders. I was surprised how well it worked. Let us know how it works if you try it yourself. __________________ Don't listen to me, obviously I don't understand what I'm talking about! Let's help each other save time and money: WinniGas.com Get a backup/duplicate RF DESS Key for your SeaDoo, CanAm or SkiDoo RideKey.app

07-10-2013, 08:35 PM	#4
Rich Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Derry / Gilford Posts: 1,256 Thanks: 74 Thanked 348 Times in 237 Posts	Glad it helped! The version I used was the thick liquid type that almost looks like the consistancy of liquid car polish. I'd tell you the brand, but I took it to the boat to clean my other fenders. __________________ Don't listen to me, obviously I don't understand what I'm talking about! Let's help each other save time and money: WinniGas.com Get a backup/duplicate RF DESS Key for your SeaDoo, CanAm or SkiDoo RideKey.app

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07-08-2013, 04:27 PM	#1
JTA Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Fort Pierce, Florida Posts: 233 Thanks: 34 Thanked 25 Times in 21 Posts	Has anyone tried white wall tire cleaner?

07-11-2013, 11:33 PM	#5
JasonG Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 310 Thanks: 48 Thanked 45 Times in 33 Posts	sell them on ebay as slightly used buy new ones