I would not bring steel wool near any boat, ever. Wne used, it sheds many tiny
shreds of steel. If you cleaning of them isn't perfect, and it won't be, the
remaining shreds will form rusty specks in and on your paint.
Instead, use wet/dry abrasives or scotchbrite.

Doug Kanter wrote:

"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But, push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.