Removing 'stains' from my Hobie

[Ben Hough]

Hi all,

Early this year I took my Dune Hobie Quest and a mates kayak to Dwellingup for some freshwater fishing (well I was hoping to, water levels were too low) which involved driving on gravel roads for a distance. On returning home, I found that the straps holding the kayak to the trailer had rubbed in the dust leaving my kayak with red stripes across the hull. It is only cosmetic and It's not really too noticeable especially when on the water, but I would like to take it back to it's original 'clean' look. I have tried scrubbing it thoroughly with a brush and a few soaps and car wash and even tried some cutting polish (which worked best, but still not well). Most of it is on the 'shiny' bottom section of the hull (as opposed to the rough finish on the top of the kayak), so I thought maybe just a very fine sandpaper might be needed. This is a last resort effort for me though as some sections are rather thin and I do not want to weaken the hull. Is there anything else I should try? I'm told bleach might be the cure, but I'm not sure of its reaction to the plastic (although bleach is sold in a plastic container, but I doubt it's the exact same type). This may be needed though as I have a fair few scratches on the bottom of the hull which have filled with red dust as well.

For note as well, my mates Malibu Mini-X seems to have avoided most of the stains, but I would put that down to the hull shape making less contact with the straps.

Cheers!

Ben

[GregL]

Hi Ben,
There is the Hobie Boat Cleaner which you could try, but it sounds like you need to track down some 'Magic White Sponge' - and yes, thats what its called!
I've used it on 'impossible' stains and marks in the past and it has shifted stuff that the heaviest duty products haven't even touched. Its incredible stuff - a white microfibre sponge block which you cut a chunk off, just dip in water and then scrub away. It gradually falls apart when you use it, which is why you cut the block into smaller peices. It doesn't scratch or anything - the micro fibres just get right into any part of the surface and remove the dirt.
You can track it down at hardware stores, or go online and you'll find it no problems.
Hope that helps mate,
Regards,
Greg

[Ben Hough]

Thanks heaps, I'll give it a go. I've managed to get some out by simply scrubbing, and I mean a lot of scrubbing, but still not complete. Hopefully this "white sponge" will do the trick!! Cheers!