Yachting Monthly – May 2018

SPECIFICATIONS

2.5 litres

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

5-15% benzalkonium

chloride

USE Dilute 1:4 with water

This is the product that the forums

can’t recommend highly enough.

Not a marine-specific product, it is

reputed to keep mould and growth

away on all surfaces. One concern

is the very clear warning that this

product is extremely hazardous

to marine life, skin and eyes. If

it is going to be applied, it should

therefore be done on the hard. It

doesn’t contain bleach, however, so

is safe on that count. It is brushed

or sprayed on to dry canvas and

then left to dry for at least five

hours. In our test, the algae turned

from green to white and was clearly

killed. The canvas did not come

clean, but in time it may have done.

BRINTON PATIO MAGIC!

GROUP TEST

Not a marine product, but

many boat owners use it

for on-deck cleaning

£7

We had environmental

concerns using this by water

EVERBUILD SUGAR SOAP

A cleaning product readily available

from DIY stores, sugar soap has

been around for a long time as

a way of removing almost any

kind of dirt from around the house.

It is inexpensive, and worked

moderately well as long as it was

scrubbed well. It was easy to apply

using the spray bottle, or it could

be dissolved in water and applied

by sponge. It rinsed out easily,

although it does contain biocides,

so potentially less good for the

environment should it get into

the water.

SPECIFICATIONS

500ml

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

Methyl isothiazolin,

benzisothiazol, <5%

non-ionic and anionic

surfactants

USE Spray on

BEST
BUDGET
BUY

The sugar soap left the sail

cover clean and washed out

of the fabric easily

£3.95

While one of the cheapest,

it was also one of the best

YACHTICON SAIL AND

CANVAS CLEANER

This is designed to be sponged

on to the canvas and soaked for up

to 12 hours or as long as possible,

although it shouldn’t be allowed to

dry out. It should then be brushed

before being rinsed. We were able

to test this over a few hours. It was

a more involved process than other

cleaners and produced moderately

good results. Perhaps if it had been

soaked for 12 hours, better results

would have been achieved, but

we questioned whether this was

a practical expectation.

SPECIFICATIONS

500ml

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

5-15% soap. <5%

non-ionic surfactants

USE Dilute 50ml in

3.5 litres of water

Left for a few hours, the

Yachticon did a reasonable

job but it must be kept damp

£11.95

Editor Theo gets to work

finding which cleaner

is best for your canvas

This didn’t have the most

practical application method