Wipe Down

What do you use to wipe down (inside & out) your boat after each trip to the lake? Any special towels, rags, potions, etc.?

I have been through a lot. I think I have finally settled on Fantastic for the upholstry.

I have just switched over to this for the fiberglass inside and out.
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http://www.waterless-wash.com/

I have been using this for the glass in and out and I have tinted film on my windows and it works great without harming the tinting.
Sprayway Glass Cleaner
Sprayway Glass Cleaner is the Best in the industry. This one won't streak! Sprayway has made the best glass cleaner in the world for over 50 years. We've sold thousands of cans, and it continues to be one of our all-time, top selling products.
The alcohol-based formula is completely streak-free. Ammonia and vinegar glass cleaners will streak. Unfortunately, that's 90% of the glass cleaners on the market. Because it does not contain ammonia, Sprayway can be used on window tint film. Unlike ammonia glass cleaners, it will not turn the tinted film purple!
The formula sprays out as a foam so it won't spatter or drip. One spray, one wipe, no streaks, you're done.
http://www.topoftheline.com/glasscleaner.html

I use soft diaper like cloths for the upholstry and windows and am using micro-fiber towels for the waxing.

These are the things we carry in our bucket of goodies to clean up after a day on the water. For a quick wipedown we also have The absorber. The absorber is the drying skin you can use anywhere, anytime on anything. Use the absorber anywhere you would normally use a towel or a chamois. Stores wet and ready-to-use in handy plastic tube. When it gets soiled, simply pop it in the washing machine and it cleans up like new

(Message edited by billspin on September 21, 2006)

Nothing too complex: water/vinegar mix in a spray bottle for the outside (about 10 parts water to 1 part vinegar), and the Meguiar's (sp?) vinyl cleaner with a soft brush for the interior.

Everyone says my boat's always look new so I guess it's working.

Oh yeah, and I wax with Zymol at the begining and middle of the year. The water/vinegar strips wax, but it's really less harsh than most other cleaners. I usually used the drinking water that is half finished after every time out for the water base. That way I know it's nice clean, pure water (the water at my house is very hard).

you should use distilled water in your water/vinegar mix...drinking water has minerals added for taste.

I usually wax once a year, and once a month use some sort of detail/spray wax and every other time just wipe down with a towel inside and out. Once a month I'll go thru the interior and use the 3M vinyl cleaner/condition and 303 the interior afterwards.

I can almost bet I have tryed more spray cleaners and waxes then most people here. I like to try lots of diffrent products and see how the work. So Ill chime in. I must admit I have never tryed the water/vinegar thing I save that for my salad's.

When I wipe down the outside of the boat im trying to do 2 things #1 remove the water spots and #2 remove lake film.

1 part Car wash soap with 10 parts water in a spray bottle has to be the cheepest thing I have found. You can get a large bottle of car wash soap that dosent strip wax for under $10 and it will last you forever.

If your boat is not waxed real good you might need a diffrent spray/wipe down cleaner than the car wash sopa and water. I like the Meguiers "Quick Clean Marine" its in a blue bottle along with all the other Meguiers Marine products. It also comes as a Meguires Automotive product in a red bottle called "Quick detail". Or last but not least another Meguires product called "Final Inspection" in a Tan bottle. Its all the same product inside just diffrent marketing. I like it because if you use it in direct sunlight or on a hot surface it dosent leave a film. It smells real good and works great on everything. It along with the car wash soap in the bottle can be used on all sufaces Glass Vinyl, Tower speaker box and the Gell surface. I leave a bottle of the Meguires and a rag in the glove box for quick wipe down and clean up's.
Because My boat always has a nice coat of wax on it wipes down real easy and water spots come off with almost anything. I have found that when the boat isnt waxed real good water spots dont come off real easy and you need a good cleaner like the Meguiers to get them off.

For the interior. Dish soap like Dawn and a water and a clean rag with some elbo grease gets my interior real clean. The magic erasers and the same dish soap gets deep dirt like suntan lotion and dirt out real nice.

So I take it you use the meguier's wax?

Adam: Yes I have and do use the meguier's wax. I tryed the Zymol for the first time last week. It was ok. I couldnt say it worked better than the meguiers. How I test wax is. I take the new wax and I wax it in a small section with a straight line so I can see a clear stop start line. I look at the color differance between the waxed and un waxed surface. Then I wax the un-waxed section with my current wax (the meguier's) and see if I can see and feel a differance between the 2. Also I will test by wax a side including the top with wax "A" and a diffrent wax "B" on the other side to see if one side stays cleaner or wipes down easyer. Not exactley a Lab test but it seems to work pretty good. It might be that having a colored deck you can see the differance between products a bit better than with a white deck

In a 16 0z bottle, 2 oz Zip Wax or some other soap/wax combo, the rest vinegar. On the interior, 409.

I here 409 is no no. Rots the stitching in the seams.

(Message edited by sangerlover on September 21, 2006)

Meguiers quick clean marine, I switched to the clean and wax enhancer made by 3M b/c they were out of Meguiers, but had a hard time with water spots. Currently use water until I get another bottle of the Meguiers....

Babes Boat Brite every time out of the water, Carnuba wax once a month,( I don't mind waxing often!), Malco Plastic and Leather Cleaner to clean inside and 303 to protect inside. Un-pleated cotton baby diapers washed ten times before first use, after that they just get softer and softer!

I use a mixture of liquid wax, water and vinegar. More water than vinegar...seems to work on the exterior for me.

I heard Fantastik and 409 are bad for your vinyl so I use 1 oz. of It's Gone mix w/ 20 oz of water for the vinyl and windshield. Then hit the vinyl w/ Babes Boat Seat Conditioner. I spray the outside after every use w/ Babes Boat Bright Spray Wax.

Fantastik is recommended. 409 is not.

Like Billspin said, the absorber can't be beat. I keep one in my boat at all times. You can use it to wipe up a spill, rinse it out in the lake and still use it to wipe down the boat at the end of the day. Every boat should have one onboard.

Jman

Grant, you put water and vinegar on your salad, GROSS

My vinyl owner's materials said that Fantastik is the cleaner of choice and 409 is forbidden.

I use 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar and a touch of meguiars liquid wax for the fiberglass. That works nicely and does not smell so bad.

Interior:
Fantastic, Magic erasers and to finish off the interior with 303. Looks like new...

Exterior: Slick Mist (as recommended by Grant, before)

Interior: Fantastic + Magic Erasers + 303

When we pull our boat out, we spray the Black Magic spray detailer (free on rebate at Menards!) onto the wet boat and then use Absorber towels to dry it down. I use a cheaper (also free on rebate) vinyl conditioner on the seats on a regular basis and 303 periodically due to the cost.

Zaino for gel coat. Babe's for the vinyl.

Nautical Ease Polish for the hull.

Has anyone else used a waterless wash/wax product. That would be awesome...if it worked. Boat/car cleaning/protection is due some technology advancement!

If you go to this site you can get very cheap samples of the products to try for yourself. http://www.waterless-wash.com/