Diesel soot on transom

D

DeeRow

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Jan 24, 2005
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16141
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I compounded (Aquabuff 2000) and waxed (Meguiars Yellow wax #26) my transom. I did not do the area where the name of the boat is. After a long run, the areas that I waxed had soot on them and the area that was not waxed had much less soot. I ended up using Spray 9 to remove the soot.

I realized that I need to address the soot problem, but are there some waxes that "repel" soot better than others?

Ideally, I would like to be able to use boat soap and a brush to remove the soot.

Seems like it is a moot point to wax if I need to use Spray 9 after a day on the water.

Mark
 
When I had an OB, I used Simple Green in the engine well. Cleaned everything up quite nicely.
 
Mark, that's interesting, guess I would have thought the reverse would be true. I get lots of soot as well. I just finished (last weekend) removing name decals and cleaning up the transom. Acetone took the soot right off, but I wouldn't want to use that often. I applied starbrite teflon over the wax, hoping that would help keep the soot away. If it seems to help, I'll update here. Probably will be some time before I know.
 
why not investigate the sooting problem?
 
Can only speak for myself, but when I investigated my sooting problem, I found that I had a 20+ year old diesel engine down in my engine compartment. Most/all of the soot seemed to be coming from that...
 
You should only use polish and not wax on the transom. Wax, as you've proven, will promote the soot to stick to it, more than a plain fiberglass polish.

I can clean the slight soot residue with just boat soap after a long run.

Jonahtan
 
I believe that the primary cause of the soot is what Joe said. I have 19 year old 3208 Cats. I plan on taking steps to reduce the soot, but I doubt that I can eliminate it because of the age of the engines.

Joe, what kind of wax is your "base coat"? "starbrite teflon", is this on the bottom right corner of this page, http://www.boatfix.com/catalog/724.pdf?

I just noticed that the label of the Meguiars #26 states, "High Gloss Paint Protection". Maybe I need to try a wax for fiberglass?

I just started using Woody Wax non-skid wax. After the initial shock of the the $30 price for a small bottle, I'm very impressed. First of all, it is very easy to apply. You spray it on a deck brush and brush it on a wet deck. Let the deck dry and your done. Most dirt and soot simply hose off. The rest comes off with a brush and boat soap. I'm considering using it on the transom.
 
soot is not a requirement of old engines though it is a symptom of many fixable problems.
 
Jonathan, interesting tip, thanks. I had no idea that wax would actually make the problem worse. Dee, yes, that is the stuff I put over the wax. I used 3M ultra performance paste for the main wax. Check around on this site, you'll probably find lots of other wax recommendations. I have no idea if the teflon will help -- might want to give Jonathan's suggestion a try.

Bruce, I'm hoping you're right about that. I have an old Volvo, and I've heard they're a bit sooty in general. But I also was overpropped, so I think it was producing more smoke and soot than necessary. Took 2" of pitch off the prop during the off season, and I'm looking forward to seeing whether it makes a difference in the exhaust. Looks so nice now it's almost a shame to put it in the water! ;)

prop.jpg
 
Boat soap is really poor for soot removal, almost worthless, but Dawn dish detergent worked miracles when my dock neighbor's dry-stack Cat diesel had a semi-carbon-clogged turbo and left ******* soot everywhere on my downwind boat without even running his engines. (Soot in the stack was drawn out by strong winds & kept appearing for a week & 1/2+ until he removed, disassembled ,cleaned & reinstalled the turbo. No soot after the following 1st good run. )

Joe- I've spent a great deal of time over the last several years on a friend's Northern Bay 36 with VP TAMD72p & wet exhaust, and have been truly amazed there has never been evidence of a spec of soot that I could find, & I am always involved in washdown. He doesn't idle for long times, can make spec WOT and cruises at 200-300 off top to keep a good load on I believe.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Robyns Nest

You should only use polish and not wax on the transom. Wax, as you've proven, will promote the soot to stick to it, more than a plain fiberglass polish.

I can clean the slight soot residue with just boat soap after a long run.

Jonahtan

Click to expand...


I thought that polish did not leave anything to protect/prevent oxidation of the gelcoat. Don't you need to put something on after polishing? What polish do you use?

Clearly, the wax that I used causes the soot to stick. I used DieselKleen for the first time at the beginning of the trip. Each day after treating the fuel, the amount of soot was reduced. I washed with Spray 9 two days in a row, so I doubt that there was any wax left by the 3rd day.

Now I'm not sure what caused the soot to be reduced: the removal of the wax, or the DieselKleen.
 
I use Yacht Brite 'Pro Polish', it's a sealant and polish. This is the product that Sea Ray now endorses.

Waxes yellow over time and I'm moved away from wax to this polish. Great results.

The polish does protect the gelcote according to their site.

Their 'Buff Magic' is another product that I recommend as well. One of the best light buffing compounds that I've used. Does not burn like some of the 3M polishes like Finesse-it and is not gritty like compund. It really makes the gel look brand new. Works on plastic and metal too. Everyone I've I've shown it to is still using it and loving the results.

http://www.yachtbrite.com/Shurhold_Industries.asp?PageToLoad=chemicals.asp

Jonathan
 
Joe: sure is pretty. Dont you need paint on props in your area?????
With all that deadwood in front of the prop you might benefit from more diameter and less pitch if the skeg clearance allows, hull clearance looks big.
 
This is just my second season in this area, but so far, paint didn't seem necessary. Had a few barnacles on the prop at haulout, but not many. I'm one of the few in my marina who's there virtually every weekend and occasional weekdays, so that helps.

My prop is 18x16 now (was 18x18). The prop shop did suggest 19x16 as the best set up, but said for the cost difference I should try to be happy with the 18x16...
 
I had some sooting problems while breaking in new engines. A captain in the next slip gave me some Rejex boat polish. It really prevented the soot from sticking until I resolved the sooting issue.
 
I bought some Yacht Brite 'Pro Polish' and will try it later this week. This darn cold front is dropping temps to the low 70's with lots of wind and rain. Actually, the rain is the only thing stopping me from polishing.
 
here's how you can probably keep the soot off in the first place. Buy some ReJex, and I may have it spelled wrong but it's used by pilots who fly turbine engine airplanes to keep the soot from sticking to the side of the plane. It is liquid and is easy to put on and wipe off and is so slick that the soot will NOT stick to it. I have used it and it works. I have a bottle here somewhere and need to get the correct spelling but check at your local FBO at your airport. Expensive but does the job.
 
When your back at the dock or slip, lean over the stern and spray the transom with Simple Green, let it sit a few minutes then wash with a soapy water and a sponge.
 
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