How Do I Clean Off Tire Marks?

[HonoluluJon]

Hi everyone,

I just bought a Tartan. It is a fiberglass boat with a white hull. The first night in her new slip, while I was away, a neighbor shifted things around so that an old black tire was hanging between the dock and the boat, where there were no fenders. (Thanks, man, really, that was thoughtful.)

Then we got some wind. After a night and an afternoon of rubbing against the tire, there is a black mark covering two square feet of the hull about a couple feet above the waterline.

Anyone have any ideas how I can get that mark off?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[knottybuoyz]

That might be a good question to ask your neighbor who frigged with your boat. Seriously, I'd have no hesitation of asking him to clean the mess up.

Some acetone might loosen up the black stuff and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser might get the rest but they're abrasive. You'll have to rewax & polish the area afterwards.

[Solitude]

I would be PO ed with the neighbour. However if he thought he was saving your hull from grinding against the dock I would not go too hard on him.

Otherwise It shouldn't be too hard... Start with dishsoap then progress to acetone.

[cantxsailor]

Goof Off removes all kinds of marks as does Bar Keepers Friend. BKF wiil dull the finish a little but some wax will square that away. Good meaning, no brain, dock mates.............m

[sweetsailing]

Before you start using harsh chemicals, there is a great product that is used and sold in the RV market. It's an RV black streak remover. We have used on the boat multiple times to remove black marks that appear from the black caulking around the windows on the side of the boat. Works great! It would likely work equally as well on tire marks. Find a local RV store or outdoor store and look for RV black streak remover or google and order online. There are multiple brands, but all the same stuff.

[Vasco]

I find ZEP Orange degreaser good for black marks. I clean my fenders with it and it's not as likely to soften anything as acetone sometimes does. I would use the ZEP and then Barkeepers Friend.

[Ram]

Im supriced anyone would be pissed at the guy who put the tire there! He likly saved you filling in the gelcoat with filler! Just a little elbow greece will make it clean again along with some soap!

[Bash]

Bon Ami first, and if that won't get it go to acetone.

[Cheechako]

Acetone or sometimes Laquer thinner works better (assuming you boat is gel coat not paint!) Regular paint thinner might get 90% of it so you can just get the last bit with the laquer thinner...

[S&S]

Softscrub and elbow grease. Harsher abrasives may damage your gelcoat.
You'll probably have to rewax.

The glass guys will know more about solvents.

[Shoalcove]

Why not try a little Turtle wax like you would use on your car? I find that will remove dirt and tar and may be all you need. I'd rather a neighbour that added a fender than one who doesn't give a crap. Cleaning is easier than repairing.

[SkiprJohn]

Congratulations on the new (to you) boat. I like Tartans.
Kind regards

[Bloodhound]

I just lined both sides of my slip with 5 tyres each to prevent a repeat of the deep scratches that resulted from 70 mph wind coming at 10-15 degrees off the finger piers. Three to four foot waves with only a mile of fetch rocked us and rolled us against a 2x2 piece of angle iron that forms part of the pier structure. Marina management here is not good abour keeping docks in repair. I still use fenders of course, but I'd much rather clean off rubber marks than do gelcoat repair. Wish there'd been someone there to throw a tyre between the boat and the angle iron!!! It's also amazing how much stretch dock lines can have under severe stress --- After this weird thunderstorm, I couldn't get the boat anywhere near the wharf no matter how hard I tried. But throw 10 tons onto the end of a line, and it will indeed stretch.

[HonoluluJon]

Thanks to everyone who posted an answer. I'll break out the elbow grease this weekend and see how it goes. As for the neighbor, I agree the guy had good intentions. Post-intervention, there's no way of knowing whether my fenders would've kept the boat off the dock without the tire. So I guess I'll give the man some slack.