Aluminum hull discoloration?

The pontoon has started discoloring. It's been in several lakes over the last few years, never in salt water.
Any ideas what is causing it? A cure or fix? I got the toon used and they had shined the hulls up to look almost new.Attachment 174956

The aluminum just does it! You can buy aluminum cleaner in a gallon jug, you mix in a yard sprayer with water. It will clean it and make it look new. Just start cleaning from the top and work down.

Stump who carries it? Do you have a name brand?
Thanks for the info

Scooper, You can get aluminum brightener at most any Large trailer places, Great Dane, Wabash, about anyone that sells them that has a parts counter. Be careful with it, and mix with clean water ( no soap) I always mixed it up in a small pump up spray tank. Before spraying pontoons, Rinse them good, spray them from bottom up and don't let them dry until you get all of pontoon covered. May have to do back half then front. They will streak if they dry before finishing them with acid. Leave it on a few minutes. and toons will start turning white. Rinse off, let dry, and if not satisfied you can do it again, rather than leaving it on too long. It cleans out all the poors in aluminum, so may as well get some polish at a truck stop. the green liquid works well with lots of rubbing to seal toons off. let dry good before rubbing off. If polish doesn't come off good sprinkle a little cooking flour on rag to absorb or dry polish better. Main thing is to not let brightener dry on tank, and going over them twice is better than too much at one time. Good luck

Steve, That sounds like a plan. The boat sits on carpeted bunks so I' guessing I should lift the toon, cover the bunks, do the cleaning, rinse then drop it back down on the bunks. I worry about the carpet soaking into the carpet and eating holes in the aluminum, or am I worrying too much?
Thanks for the info

This is the one I used.

Snee Chemical Aluminum Cleaner Brightener Pontoon Boats Tool Boxes Jesco Sales | eBay

Thanks Stump!
This site never fails to help when help is needed.
Grady

Polish it up and then wax it. Get rid of carpet on bunks and go with plastic sliders.

Rich, The plastic bunk covers are in the plan, with a 22' toon you have to buy a bunch of the pieces to get r done. It seems they only come in 5' sections, easy to ship I guess

NAPA sells a product called 'Jupiter'. It's a liquid that comes in a gallon jug. Might have went up a dollar or two but the last I bought cost $3 a jug. Spray it on and wash it off. Alum looks new.:)

make sure the bunks are not PT wood, will pit the toons and cause leaks over time. Use regular pine wood and apply a couple good coats of paint. then carpet.

Hi Scooperdude-- I use Wampoles one step cleaner, comes in gal size. It is potent so be careful.
I also have learned that cleaning from the bottom up eliminates streakes.
I get it in Anderson SC on hwy 24. If interested I'll try to get the address.

Sounds almost too easy. Will it work as well on alum boats? Mine has a scum line.

Ray, it will work on your boat. It doesn't take much time to clean the whole boat and will have it looking like new.

Allen cleans his bass tracker with Jupiter. His boat will get an almost black line around it (scum line from clear water) and he'll spray the jupiter on, hit it with a brush and hose off. The alum looks brand new again. I use it on my 4-wheeler on the alum parts. Cleans it up like brand new too.

I just use soap and water at the landing each time, 13 years now and no bath tub ring... and that water in the swamp will surely put a ring on it..

Aluma bright works good too

Here's a link to Socar chemical on Rutherford Rd. in Greenville. Pontoon Cleaner, Aluminum Brightener, Acids, Degreasers, Socar Chemical I get their pontoon cleaner. It's a concentrate and sold by the gallon. Last time I got it I think it was less than $20 for a gallon and I only need a pint or so to do my whole Bass Tracker. I mix it in a garden sprayer just for cleaning the boat, spray it on, let it sit, and rinse off and it cleans all that discoloration off. No scrubbing needed. I've used it for several years and it does not damage any of the stickers, decals, or paint on the boat or trailer. One thing you have to be careful of is if you use it over grass it works better than round-up and if you let it soak on dry concrete it will eat the concrete. I usually wet the driveway down and then rinse it really well when I'm done.