Sale of GRP Cleaning for Boat
Are you looking for effective GRP cleaning products? The topRik marketplace offers yacht cleaning products from the world's best marine chemical manufacturers. Caring for boats becomes simple if you use specialized compounds from BRAVA Srl., Star brite, Iosso Line, Arexons and other recognized manufacturers, whose products are widely represented in our marketplace.
If you find it difficult to choose the means of GRP cleaning , contact our experts for free professional advice. These are experienced sailors who constantly go to sea and strictly monitor the condition of our fleet, located in several marinas in the Mediterranean. The fleet is dominated by fiberglass sailing and motor yachts, so our experts know everything about caring for such vessels.
Why Special Care is Important for GRP
Plastic and plastic composites are the most popular materials in the world today for building small boats. Today, hundreds and thousands of enterprises produce plastic products. About 90% of the foreign small-tonnage fleet consists of boats, cutters, and yachts with fiberglass hulls.
From a physical point of view, reinforced plastic is a complex material that has properties that its components do not have in their pure form. Reinforcing fibers are strong, but flexible and permeable; binding resins are not strong enough, but hold their shape well and are resistant to environmental influences. The introduction of fiber into the matrix of the binder gives an effect equivalent to the creation of a new composite material, the strength and rigidity of which in some conditions will be comparable to metals, with a density two to four times lower. Plastics have absolute corrosion resistance, have a good appearance, and the reinforcing mesh effectively prevents the propagation of cracks during local destruction. Fiberglass is transparent to radio waves; in a three-layer design it has high thermal insulation properties and absorbs noise and vibration well.
Any fiberglass vessel spends most of its existence in an aggressive environment. This is due to constant high humidity, exposure to heavy winds and precipitation, fresh and salt water, sand, algae and other marine and river flora and fauna. All of the above can lead to loss of attractiveness and original appearance of equipment, rapid deterioration of expensive coatings and materials, so they need to be constantly looked after so that they maintain an attractive appearance. Sun, wind and sea water destroy painted surfaces and dull the shine of fiberglass, which under normal conditions requires virtually no care.
Any yacht owner will admit that there is nothing worse than a boat in poor condition, be it an ocean racing yacht or a dinghy. Some boats need more work, others less - it depends mainly on the material from which they are made, their age and condition.
Boats anchored in all weathers deteriorate faster than yachts transported on a trailer that are pulled ashore and kept under cover. The yacht needs to be looked after all year round, this cannot be neglected. A vessel that is constantly taken care of will remain in good condition much longer than one that is exposed to the destructive effects of adverse factors and is only looked after from time to time.
The bulk of the repair work should be left to the ship's carpenter, and the crew can take on ongoing care of maintaining the appearance of the yacht, especially in winter, when the boat is used less.
But independently cleaning the sides, bottoms, decks, holds, cabins, windshields of a yacht or large boat is not an easy task. You can’t do without special devices and detergents.
How to Ensure Effective GRP Cleaning
The fiberglass from which the boat's hull is made is quite resistant to environmental influences, and is capable of maintaining strength, water resistance and good appearance for many years, however, following some simple maintenance rules will maximize the life of a fiberglass boat.
Keep the surface of your fiberglass boat hull clean and in good condition. Remove sand, dirt and fouling from it. The surface of a fiberglass boat can be washed using neutral detergents without the use of abrasives (sand, metal brushes, scrapers, etc.). The use of acetone-containing agents to clean fiberglass boat hulls is prohibited.
Periodically dry the intersection space of a fiberglass yacht. Promptly repair damage to the fiberglass boat hull, especially in places subject to the greatest loads - near the transom board, along the keels, etc.
During long breaks in operation, store the fiberglass boat indoors or under a canopy that protects from precipitation, having first washed and thoroughly dried the hull and intersectional space.
Typically, a complete, comprehensive GRP cleaning is carried out twice a year. The first time it is carried out on the eve of the navigation period, the second - immediately before conservation for the winter period. Do not forget that high-quality cleaning of yachts is also necessary before selling it in order to give the vessel an attractive presentation.
But the care of a fiberglass yacht is not limited to these “general” cleanings.
As a rule, yachts are cleaned twice a year. The first time it is carried out on the eve of the navigation period, the second - immediately before conservation for the winter period. Do not forget that high-quality cleaning of yachts is also necessary before selling it in order to give the vessel an attractive presentation.
The deck on a yacht should always be perfectly clean; it is necessary to accustom not only the crew to this, but also guests and visitors who are on the yacht. Cleanliness on the deck is not only an aesthetic requirement. It is based on serious practical considerations. Nothing can withstand the dirt and sand under the hard sole of a boot, no varnish or varnish on the deck will last long if they are systematically wiped. In addition to the fact that a dirty and scratched deck is very unattractive, any coating soon acquires a purely symbolic meaning and ceases to protect the deck from damage, and the premises underneath from leaks due to rain. Finally, dirt that gets on the deck stains the sails, and a dirty sail has a very untidy appearance. A clean deck on a yacht indicates the high maritime culture of the crew.
At least once a week you need to wash the hold and sides outside and inside, and regularly ventilate the interior. The water accumulating in the hold must be pumped out more often, otherwise there will be musty air in the cabins, and this is harmful for the hull. When cleaning the bilge, it is advisable to use products that simultaneously clean oily bilge water. By releasing such water into the sea, you do not harm nature.
Almost all dinghies, catamarans and most racing yachts are pulled ashore between races. During this time, suction valves, stern plugs and vents should be kept open to allow the vessels to dry out inside. If possible, it is better to place yachts on the shore with their bow or stern to the south; in this position, their sides will crack less from heating by the sunrays.
As soon as the fiberglass vessel is pulled ashore, it is washed with brushes using special GRP cleaningproducts.
Before each race, various algae, shells, etc. have to be washed off with brushes from the underwater parts of fiberglass yachts so that they do not reduce the speed characteristics of the boat.
At the end of navigation, fiberglass vessels are pulled ashore for storage until the next season, having previously disarmed them. As soon as the vessel is pulled out of the water, it must be immediately washed thoroughly with a brush, before it is dry, thoroughly cleaning the underwater part of mucus, dirt and algae. Then, opening the plug in the hold, they wash it inside. After allowing the vessel to dry, cover it with a cover and place it in a boathouse, under a canopy, or leave it in the open air, closing it on top.
How to Choose a GRP Cleaner
The presence of specialized products greatly facilitates GRP care. But in order to select the minimum of compositions with maximum effect, it is necessary to outline the scope of the upcoming work, which may include:
- bottom cleaning;
- cleaning the sides;
- cleaning external parts of engines;
- washing, deck cleaning;
- cleaning window glass;
- comprehensive cleaning of functional compartments, cabins, galley;
- cleaning and disinfection of bathrooms;
- removal of waterscale from plumbing fixtures and accessories;
- polishing metal and chrome coatings;
- applying protective agents to all surfaces, including hull surfaces to the waterline and below, fiberglass and teak decks;
- washing tables, chairs and other interior items;
- polishing doors, mirrors;
- dry cleaning of carpets, leather, upholstered furniture.
It is not necessary to carry out all the work in one step; moreover, at some points, cleaning with special means is a preliminary preparation of surfaces, for example, for applying gelcoat, primer or paint.
That is, GRP cleaning can be an independent operation for the purpose of establishing external order, and can also precede or complete repair work on the hull, bottom, decks, etc.
It depends on what types of GRP cleaning you use on your boat, and the choice of yacht cleaning product depends on it.
But if you look at the list of types of work of GRP cleaning, you may be horrified to imagine how many cans and tanks you will have to load on board. topRik, as usual, has great news for you - there are concentrated products that do an excellent job of removing various types of dirt on surfaces made of different materials.
Let's choose at random any means of GRP cleaning presented in this section of our marketplace. Here is at least a 4-liter Forte canister, and let’s read the description of this product from the well-known supplier of marine products FNI. In this case, in addition to the large volume, we will have multifunctionality: the product is suitable for washing fiberglass, aluminum, fenders, cushions, sails and painted surfaces. That is, you do not have to buy a separate product for each material.
There’s also the same volume of acid soap for boats from Iosso Line – a concentrate that is diluted during use, which increases its final volume. The main purpose of Acid boat soap is removal of salt deposits from fiberglass hulls, including gelcoat coating. You won't risk scratching that important layer of fiberglass that keeps the bottom and hull smooth. And if the yacht owner is a fisherman, he will appreciate the ability of this product to effectively clean the dirt that remains after active fishing. You will use it to clean not only the deck, but also the gear.
Terribilina cleaner is another unique product. Our marketplace presents its concentrated version, the volume of which increases 30 (!) times when used due to dilution with water. Use it to clean engine parts, oily bilge water, fiberglass, fenders, teak, vinyl, steel and enamel surfaces, and remove rust stains from anchors and other boat accessories.
Most of GRP cleaning products offered by the topRik marketplace are biodegradable, pH balanced, neutral when dissolved in sea water. Our team spends a lot of time by and at sea, so we strive to make the greatest possible contribution to the preservation of the marine and coastal ecology, and we encourage all seafarers to do so.