Guys, I was asked to share some of my knowledge on keeping your boat looking good. I detail lots of car, trucks and boats. through trial and error I have narrowed down my products to what is effective and does not coat and arm and leg. for washing you boat I would suggest Protect all Quick and easy or QEW for short ( found at RV stores locally or online ) using a chenille wash mitt or micorfiber towel folded in quarters. it is a no rinse wash that leaves the finish awesome and there is no need to rinse, just dry with a soft microfiber towel. I use 1oz of QEW per gallon of water. for a 20ft boat 2-3 gallons of water is enough. I prefer to use 2- 5 gallon buckets, one for my QEW and 1 with 4 gallons of water only in it, to rinse the mitt of dirt, so that it does not scratch the gelcoat. start by submerging your mitt in the solution and getting it to hold the wash like a wash cloth used in the shower. fold the mitt in half and wipe lightly across the surface using the weight of the mitt to work for you. I do a section about 1-2 ft depending on how dirty it is. flip mitt to the clean side and repeat, you will have 4 cleaning areas before rinsing in your water only bucket. I like to swish the mitt around. from there dry washed area with your soft microfiber towel. it's that simple. this wash works great on wheels and lower units as well ( I prefer to use a seperate mitt for the dirtier areas) for the times when the boat and wheels are really dirty I will mix 1-2 oz of QEW in a 32oz spray bottle and pretreat the dirt. I can usually wash a boat, trailer and wheels in about 30-40 minutes.
http://reserveamerica.campingw...c=FPC
for carpets I use Folex, found at Lowes spray on just a little but and let it dwell, scrub lightly with a brush and pat dry with a towel ... http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?
action=productList&N=0&Ntk=i_products&Ntt=folex
my workhorse for cleaning heavy grime is a cleaning sponge like mr clean magic eraser. it can be used on vinyl seats, vinyl boat covers, tires, wheels, jackplates, bilge areas, rubber, plastic, removes black marks from almost any surface. Lowe's has them in a package like shown below, 8 sponges for $2 last I bought them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...60901
once every vinyl and rubber part ( tires ) are clean treat them with aerospace 303 protectant ( usually found at RV stores )
http://www.303products.com/tec...94709
to clean aluminum wheels and diamond plate I use Nevr Dull , Flitz and Meguiars NX metal polish. you can use these on a corded power drill with a small Mothers powerball. most of these items are available at Walmart , Advanced auto or Autozone. once you wheels are cleaned you should seal them with something like Klasse all in one, from there you clean your wheels when you wash with your QEW ( quick and easy )
for cleaning tires and wheels that are neglected you can try Eagle one wheel and tire cleaner. it is found at Walmart or auto parts stores. I try to avoid using this too much and once the tires are clean the wheels are sealed you can use you wash to maintain, if you do not let them go too long.
http://www.eagleone.com/pages/...=5005
For the gelcoat mild cleaning I would suggest Klasse all in one cleaner . it can be used on may surfaces to remove oxidation and leave an acrylic layer of protection. use it on painted surfaces, mirrors, auto glass, boat winshields ( my fav ) also wheels, chrome ( after they are cleaned well ) this product also cleans your SS prop and jackplate of mild oxidation ( I use this first to see how bad it is )
http://www.autogeek.net/klasseallinone.html
for final sealing of your gelcoat, I would suggest applying Collinite 845 or 476s over the Klasse all in one. the 845 will not last quite as long as the 476s but it is easy on and easy off. you can get the 845 at Advanced auto or marine stores. http://www.colliniteautomotive...id845
for your wash mitt and towels you can try Walmart or Target. I am sure I have missed some things and there may be many questions. so let em rip or shoot me an IM and I will do my best to answer them. this is a broad guidline for you and I do use other products, especially when dealing with heavy oxidation on gelcoat but those are tackled with my rotary or dual action buffer. hope this helps some people out.
Modified by flatstick at 12:08 PM 8/12/2006
Modified by flatstick at 12:09 PM 8/12/2006
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