body maintenance/restore

[eldomi809]

So the riding season in the north east has come and gone, now its time for the sad parts winterizing. This was my second season with the ski and the bottom of the hull is starting to show signs of fading. The black is becoming faded/whiteish. I would like to get an idea on what to use.
I was think 303 aerospace but i'm not sure as i have never done this on skis and also gel coats.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Uhmmm... there's no reason for the black gelcoat to just fade especially on the bottom of the hull where it never even sees sunlight.

Have you been beaching it? Small scratches, even from seemingly smooth sandy beaches, will always be white it's rubbing the gelcoat off. :-\

- Michael

 

[3ftDeep]

It may be that someone has painted the hull. If you're not the first owner, check carefully for signs that it was painted. If so, you need to look very carefully for signs of previous damage. Good luck.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

what year and model is this ?

has it been stored outside or spent extended time sitting in the water ?

if no, its really strange to see fading to be honest.

 

[Michael211_2000]

I'm going to guess it's the 2014 Sea-Doo GTI 155 he has listed as the only watercraft he hasn't sold. In which case he has to be the 1st owner given that this is his 2nd year with it.

Gelcoat just does not fade like that though. It takes decades of sitting in the sun for it to start to deteriorate. Sitting in water shouldn't affect it at all. So.... I'm stumped. :-\

- Michael

 

[Spimothy Leary]

ya, stumped here as well, the rxtx I just brought home wednesday is an 08, garage kept, I can see my reflection in the bottom of the hull.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

ya, stumped here as well, the rxtx I just brought home wednesday is an 08, garage kept, I can see my reflection in the bottom of the hull.

We need pics....is this water ready?

 

[eldomi809]

Sorry for the unresponsiveness. this is stored outside of the water and not beached, it just looks like oxidation, when the hull is wet you can see the deep black but once its sit outside for a while you can see where the water level was on the lower part of the hull as it will not be as black as the rest.

 

[red2blue]

Sorry for the unresponsiveness. this is stored outside of the water and not beached, it just looks like oxidation, when the hull is wet you can see the deep black but once its sit outside for a while you can see where the water level was on the lower part of the hull as it will not be as black as the rest.

Rub a lil vinegar on it....see if you don't cut through to the shine.

 

[3ftDeep]

Very good suggestion. If it's calcification from the lake water, the vinegar will take it off right away. Good one, "red2blue"!

 

[Michael211_2000]

Eldomi809, what kind of waters do you use your SeaDoo in? Fresh, brackish, or salt?

I don't think any of the 3 can cause gelcoat to fade, but brackish or saltwater may be leaving a residue behind that you haven't been wiping off after use (at least, I always wipe the water off the upper surfaces of my RXT after every day of use to prevent water spots from forming and I presume you do also?).

If you do use your SeaDoo in brackish water, remember that brackish is actually still salty water and any saltwater use requires additional maintenance to combat corrosion (and not only on your hull, but inside your jet pump and exhaust system... BRP has special sprays and stuff you're supposed to use to clean and flush your SeaDoo after using it in salty water).

Finally, it's highly recommended you leave the seat(s) off for at least a few hours after a day of riding your SeaDoo so it can cool off and dry out inside... within about an hour of shutting it down and putting it back on the trailer (or in a lift), it's like a tropical rain forest inside your SeaDoo's hull! If you leave it closed up it'll cause things like your wiring harness' and the like to start to oxidize and then you'll start having electrical problems etc.

An ounce of prevention goes a long ways to keeping your SeaDoo happy on the water when you want to ride it!

- Michael

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I agree with michael here, especially on the inside parts.

my post ride routine is pretty simple and only takes about 10 minutes.

most of the time I hit the self serve car wash on the way home, hit the ski with 45 seconds of soapy water and switch to rinse and spray top/bottom/pump/trailer, its quick/easy and costs $2 worth of quarters.

when I get home i'll sponge out whatever water is in the footwells, let things drip dry while I flush, then park her in the garage with the seat lifted a bit to let fresh air do its job, and if i'm feeling extra clean i'll hit the engine with crc 6-56 and i'm done. Most of the ski's I've owned were already very dry inside but if I have one that tends to take on a little more water than usual I can wet vac that out in a few seconds.

I rarely remove my drain plugs, because I don't want to forget to put them back in.

 

[eldomi809]

I agree with michael here, especially on the inside parts.

my post ride routine is pretty simple and only takes about 10 minutes.

most of the time I hit the self serve car wash on the way home, hit the ski with 45 seconds of soapy water and switch to rinse and spray top/bottom/pump/trailer, its quick/easy and costs $2 worth of quarters.

when I get home i'll sponge out whatever water is in the footwells, let things drip dry while I flush, then park her in the garage with the seat lifted a bit to let fresh air do its job, and if i'm feeling extra clean i'll hit the engine with crc 6-56 and i'm done. Most of the ski's I've owned were already very dry inside but if I have one that tends to take on a little more water than usual I can wet vac that out in a few seconds.

I rarely remove my drain plugs, because I don't want to forget to put them back in.

i do the same when i ride in the ocean but most of my riding is done in fresh water lakes her in MA. I ordered 3m clean and restore wax and will apply it this weekend along with winterizing it since we will have our first freeze on sunday night.
What is recommended for cleaning the inside of the hull?

 

[3ftDeep]

Before you use the 3M (which is probably an abrasive), try a spot with vinegar to see if it works. If it does, the vinegar will chemically remove the haze with no scrubbing at all. It's a lot cheaper, too.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

as far as inside the hull...

1) its a new ski, shouldn't be that dirty or sludged up... but if you have stuff in the bottom of the bilge, i'd get a gallon of purple power or super clean at wally world, put it in a squirt bottle and spray the bilge, rinse off with a hose or light pressure washer and let it drain out. (some guys like to put an inch of water in and slosh it around, that does help a little to reach spots you can't with that engine in there)

2) if its the engine you want clean, i'd use CRC 6-56, it does an amazing job. My 04 honda's engine looked like it just came out of the crate because CRC had been used on it for all 11 years. you can use a rag/toothbrush/qtip to get the hard to reach spots if you really want to be anal, I just use a soft rag myself. (I bought a gallon of crc which is good for years, but I also use the little aerosol can's that I buy at an auto parts wholesale store off the shelf, again, so I can reach the hard to reach spots)

3) i'm also a fan of fluid film and spray that on the pump, it leaves a residue so I don't spray it on the engine, but I won't hesitate to use it on bolt heads and electrical connections inside and such, but mostly for the pump & all the bolts... It comes in an aerosol can so you can reach the hard to get spots pretty easily.

4) a mechanic friend recommended T-9 spray, but I haven't tried it, I think its similar to crc.

if you really want to hit hard to reach spots you can dump some cleaner in a garden type sprayer that pressurizes, then you can shove that little nozzle down in spots your hand can't reach and get all silly with it.

 

[eldomi809]

Before you use the 3M (which is probably an abrasive), try a spot with vinegar to see if it works. If it does, the vinegar will chemically remove the haze with no scrubbing at all. It's a lot cheaper, too.

Thanks for the tip, i'll give that a try before hand but i will still use the 3m clena and restore wax since i havent actually waxed it in the 1.5 seasons i've owned it.

 

[eldomi809]

as far as inside the hull...

1) its a new ski, shouldn't be that dirty or sludged up... but if you have stuff in the bottom of the bilge, i'd get a gallon of purple power or super clean at wally world, put it in a squirt bottle and spray the bilge, rinse off with a hose or light pressure washer and let it drain out. (some guys like to put an inch of water in and slosh it around, that does help a little to reach spots you can't with that engine in there)

2) if its the engine you want clean, i'd use CRC 6-56, it does an amazing job. My 04 honda's engine looked like it just came out of the crate because CRC had been used on it for all 11 years. you can use a rag/toothbrush/qtip to get the hard to reach spots if you really want to be anal, I just use a soft rag myself. (I bought a gallon of crc which is good for years, but I also use the little aerosol can's that I buy at an auto parts wholesale store off the shelf, again, so I can reach the hard to reach spots)

3) i'm also a fan of fluid film and spray that on the pump, it leaves a residue so I don't spray it on the engine, but I won't hesitate to use it on bolt heads and electrical connections inside and such, but mostly for the pump & all the bolts... It comes in an aerosol can so you can reach the hard to get spots pretty easily.

4) a mechanic friend recommended T-9 spray, but I haven't tried it, I think its similar to crc.

if you really want to hit hard to reach spots you can dump some cleaner in a garden type sprayer that pressurizes, then you can shove that little nozzle down in spots your hand can't reach and get all silly with it.

Its not visibly dirty but after 40+ hours of riding i figured it may be good to rinse it with something good, although i'm tempted not to because then i dont want to loose that "new" smell the comes from inside the hull.
I am a big fan of fluid film and actually apply it before using in salt water and then reapply it after every other saltwater use.
It seems that the crc,t9 and fluid film are all good similar/comparable products