Dear friends, I'm compelled to ask the question because a fellow boater had the misfortune of over-filling his new boat last fall, only to have fuel spill from the vent down the stern onto his new swim platform. He now has a very obvious orange stain which he can't seem to get out. Any ideas?
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Gas stain on swim platform
- Thread starter Boater54
- Start date
I am assuming a fiberglass swim platform, is that correct? Is this on a non-skid surface, if so what kind of non-skid surface ?
Since the spill occurred last fall and the stain is orange I would suspect oxidized fuel in the gel coat. Given the time, it may not come out easily, if at all.
Some things to try, if you already haven't:
1. An oxalic acid-based rust-stain remover spray. Spray in on a dry surface, and spray again keeping it wet with the stain remover for 5-15 minutes, then rinse well with water. Another oxalic acid option is Davis FSR - smear it on, let it sit, rinse it off.
2. Scrub with Bar Keepers friend worked up as a paste using a fairly stiff brush. Scrub, let it sit, scrub some more, rinse.
If neither of these helps noticeably then the next option would be polishing or wetsanding / polishing. But if this a non-skid surface with any kind of surface depth, this is probably a limited option.
Since the spill occurred last fall and the stain is orange I would suspect oxidized fuel in the gel coat. Given the time, it may not come out easily, if at all.
Some things to try, if you already haven't:
1. An oxalic acid-based rust-stain remover spray. Spray in on a dry surface, and spray again keeping it wet with the stain remover for 5-15 minutes, then rinse well with water. Another oxalic acid option is Davis FSR - smear it on, let it sit, rinse it off.
2. Scrub with Bar Keepers friend worked up as a paste using a fairly stiff brush. Scrub, let it sit, scrub some more, rinse.
If neither of these helps noticeably then the next option would be polishing or wetsanding / polishing. But if this a non-skid surface with any kind of surface depth, this is probably a limited option.
Wet the surface thoroughly. Sprinkle a liberal amount of Bon Ami all over the stain. Let it sit for several hours, even over night. Try to keep the sun off of it while doing this.
Then thoroughly rinse with water. Stain will be gone, I bet.
Then thoroughly rinse with water. Stain will be gone, I bet.