Strip Tide - Decontamination Wash
Strip Tide - Decontamination Wash
Strip-Tide is a heavy-surfactant decontamination wash engineered to strip every layer of wax, sealant, oil, grease, drying-aid residue, and surface film from gelcoat, paint, and trim. Leaving you a chemically clean slate ready for coating, polish, or correction work.
This is the wash you use when you need to start over. When the boat looks tired from years of product layering. When water beading has gone uneven. When you're about to apply a fresh ceramic coating and you need every trace of the old protection — and the contaminants that came with it - gone.
The Reset Washdown.
Key Features:
- Salt crystals lift off in one pass instead of being polished into the gelcoat with a mitt
- Hard water spots dissolve on glass, stainless, and chrome instead of being buffed
- Mineral scale at the waterline breaks down without aggressive scrubbing
- Bird strike, fish blood, and waterline scum lift cleaner because acidic chemistry breaks the mineral matrix holding the organic deposits in place
- Your ceramic coating, wax, or sealant stays right where you put it
- Made in the USA
How to Use — Foam Cannon
- Pre-rinse the boat or vehicle top to bottom with clean water. Knock off loose grit.
- Load the foam cannon at decontamination strength. Run heavier than your maintenance wash — 2–3 oz per 32 oz cannon bottle.
- Apply foam top to bottom in panels. Strip-Tide foams less than maintenance wash — this is normal. The surfactants are working on the contaminants, not building foam.
- Dwell 3–5 minutes. Longer dwell = deeper strip. Do not let it dry on the surface.
- Agitate with a stiff wash mitt or detail brush on areas with heavy buildup (waterline, drip lines, lower panels).
- Rinse heavily — top to bottom, all panels, all crevices.
- Inspect the water sheeting. A cleaned panel will sheet uniformly with no beading. If you still see beading, you have product left — repeat.
How to Use — Bucket Method
- Pre-rinse top to bottom.
- Mix 3–4 oz per gallon — higher than maintenance wash concentration.
- Two-bucket setup with grit guards. Wash bucket and rinse bucket.
- Wash in panels with a stiff mitt, top to bottom. Don't be gentle — this is decon.
- Rinse the mitt every panel in the clean bucket.
- Rinse the surface fully between sections — don't let suds dry.
- Final flood rinse end to end.
- Follow with Prep Potion before applying any coating, sealant, or wax.
Ready-to-use foam cannon formula. Dilute 3–4 oz per gallon for bucket use.
✅ Safe to Use On
- Cured automotive paint (single-stage, basecoat/clearcoat)
- Cured marine gelcoat
- Painted fiberglass hulls
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum — raw, polished, anodized
- Chrome
- Powder-coated surfaces (fully cured)
- Glass (windshields, side windows, mirrors)
- Rigid hard plastics (ABS, polypropylene)
- Painted wheels (cured)
- Boat trailer paint and metal
- Painted outboard cowlings
❌ Do NOT Use On
- Any wax, sealant, or ceramic coating you want to keep — Strip-Tide is engineered to remove all of them
- Matte and satin finishes — strips protective sealers, can dull finish
- Fresh paint less than 30 days cured — can affect curing
- Soft vinyl interior trim (dashboards, soft-touch surfaces)
- Leather upholstery — strips natural oils, causes drying
- Fabric and carpet — leaves residue, can affect dyes
- Vinyl wraps and decals — high surfactant load can lift edges or affect adhesive
- Tinted window film — repeated use can damage tint adhesive
- Headlight lenses (polycarbonate) — can dull and yellow over time
- Non-skid deck surfaces — strips protective treatment, creates slip hazard
- Soft-touch painted plastic dash and door panels
- Hot surfaces or panels in direct sun — wait for ambient temp
- Anti-fog or hydrophobic glass coatings — will strip them off
When in doubt — test in an inconspicuous area first.
Pro Tips from the Field
- This is decon, not maintenance. Plan to reprotect everything you strip. Never leave a stripped surface bare overnight — UV, salt, and contamination move fast on unprotected gelcoat and paint.
- Water break test. Pour clean water over a cleaned panel. If it sheets uniformly with no beading, you're chemically decontaminated. If you still see beading, hit it again.
- Work in shade, never in sun. High-surfactant chemistry flashes hot and streaks hard on a warm panel.
- Don't dilute below recommended. Below 2 oz per gallon loses stripping power. If the job is light, use Nano Wash instead.
- Step order for full decon: Strip-Tide → clay bar → Prep Potion → coating. Each step removes a different contamination layer.
- For paint correction prep: Strip-Tide is your first step. Oils on the surface clog cutting pads and hide defects. Strip first, then assess what you're actually correcting.
- Foam looks weak compared to maintenance washes. That's normal — the surfactants are loaded with grease and old wax instead of building foam. Keep going.
- Marina/dockside use: Capture rinse water with absorbent pads. High surfactant load is harder on the water column than maintenance washes.
- Don't apply to non-skid decks. Strips the protective treatment and creates a serious slip hazard. Mask off non-skid before working on adjacent panels.
- After Strip-Tide, your surfaces are vulnerable. Reapply Boost Coat, Boost Pro, or your chosen protection within 24 hours.
Safety
Strip-Tide is a high-surfactant alkaline wash. Expect skin and eye irritation on direct contact.
Handling:
- Wear chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or neoprene)
- Wear sealed eye protection
- Closed-toe shoes
- Old clothing — surfactants can affect fabric dyes over time
- Use in a well-ventilated area
- Avoid breathing spray mist from foam cannon
If exposed:
- Eyes: Rinse with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing. Seek medical attention if irritation persists.
- Skin: Remove contaminated clothing. Rinse with water/shower. Seek medical attention if irritation persists.
- Inhaled: Move to fresh air. Keep comfortable for breathing.
- Swallowed: Call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or doctor immediately. Do NOT induce vomiting.
Keep out of reach of children.
Emergency (24 hr): CHEMTREC (800) 424-9300 Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
Storage
- Store in a cool, well-ventilated place away from heat and direct sunlight.
- Keep container tightly closed.
- Protect from freezing.
- Store away from acids and bleach products.
- Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Pair With
- Prep Potion — the final wipe before coating; mandatory next step after Strip-Tide
- Boost Coat — carnauba reapplication after maintenance-level reset
- Boost Pro — SiO₂ ceramic application after full decon + Prep Potion
- Nano Wash — pH-neutral wash for maintenance washes between Strip-Tide resets
- Sandman's Drying Towels — for the drying step before Prep Potion application