Washing in a slip

[EndoTiger]

Just wondering if anyone as any experience washing their boat in a slip while it's on a lift. I'm sure it would be quite frowned upon to use most soaps right there on the water. But the slip does have it's own water spigot and it sure would be convenient to be able to do some work there. Are their any soaps out there that claim to be ok for this purpose?

My boat's gelcoat looks fantastic from a few feet away but when you get really close there are little tiny spots all over. Hot sauce doesn't remove the spots, so I'm hoping it's just some mild oxidation that a cleaner wax can remove. If not, some polishing is gonna be required which scares me because i've never done it!

[Ytmsn]

If those spots don't clean off with Hot Sauce you can wash it till your eyes cross and they won't come off. Sounds like a good buff is in order. It's no big deal. Get a good buffer and some finishing compound and get after it!
There's lots of YouTube videos on how to do it. Easy Peasy

[NautiGirl]

You got this...I think we have numerous threads on this...when we got our boat last year it wasn't chalky or anything crazy but it didn't have that shine like we thought it should...a good cleaner wax and she was shining like new again! Get after it!

[CaptainTom]

I wash mine on the slip (Hydro Hoist) all the time. I think it is easier than washing on a trailer because the boat is at eye level. My marina only requires that the soap be biodegradable. I use Meguiar's Premium Wash and Wax. It is biodegradable and says so right on the bottle. The marina offers a boat wash service and they use Simple Green. I also use a Star Brite Yellow Soft Brush on a pole. Rinse the boat. Dip the pole/brush in a bucket of soap. Wash, Rinse, Dry. I can do a 273 Cuddy in about 30 minutes by myself at a leisure pace.

Regarding your water spots, don't be afraid to educate yourself and do it yourself. Unless you want to hurt your gel coat, it's unlikely you will. I went through something similar to you last year and was hesitant to buy a rotary polisher, wool pad, compound, polish, wax, etc... because I didn't want to turn some minor oxidation (that frankly no one else noticed) into something worse. But I did and it worked great and I worry a lot less about scratches, rub marks, oxidation, etc... because I know I can fix it myself. My gel coat looked amazing when I got the boat so I worried a lot about that stuff.

FWIW, my only advice is that at some point you need to stop watching videos and reading (something I spent too much time doing) and just do it. It's like brushing your teeth. You could spend weeks researching what is the best toothbrush and toothpaste but it's more important that you just brush your teeth. You can always hire a professional to fix your mistakes.

[Ytmsn]

+1 Good advice!

[EndoTiger]

Great advice guys! CaptainTom it sounds like your situation was pretty similar. From 3 feet away the boat looks like a mirror and everyone else doesn't understand what I'm looking at. And yes, my research at times become way too extensive and frankly debilitating!

[Table Rockin]

I wash mine on the slip (Hydro Hoist) all the time. I think it is easier than washing on a trailer because the boat is at eye level. My marina only requires that the soap be biodegradable. I use Meguiar's Premium Wash and Wax. It is biodegradable and says so right on the bottle.

This. I do the same thing with the same wash. Have to look into that brush though. I've wondered if the one I have has too hard of bristles.

[Big Block Power]

I bought a nice flexible rotating head micro fiber head mop to use on the under side of the hull. Might be worth while for you lift guys.