Who hasn’t seen boaters use household products to wash their boat? Almost everyone has done it for a while, looking at the price tag of marine shop supplies and the price tag of household detergents, degreasers and soaps, it’s easy to shrug and say, “Hey! It got the dirt off!”
But the wrong cleaners can and do take years off your boat’s shine. Ask a boater what gives him the most satisfaction in his boat and easily among the top five will be ‘its shine.’
The trouble comes from the PH qualities of household products. Acids and alkaline chemicals are the ticket for removing grime, grease and stubborn dirt. But detergents for boat finishes have to be PH neutral or they will damage both gelcoat and paint—even paint as tough as polyurethane finishes like Awlgrip.
And what about car soaps and waxes? You are still taking a risk because car paints are not chemically identical to marine paints. They are too often formulated with degreasing compounds to remove tar, bugs and road grime. And they are dyed, some blue, some green, some with tones of mauve. And every one of those dyes will penetrate your gelcoat and even impact the surface protectants of tough polyurethane paints.
So, the key is using boat soaps that are PH neutral with tough, UV protectants to ward off the sun’s harmful rays.
Awlwash is formulated to fit that bill and made specifically with Awlgrip finishes in mind. It has been laboratory tested to prove that its PH neutral chemistry won’t damage marine finishes. But its surfactants are effective enough to lift dirt, spider stains, mildew and salt scale from the most neglected hulls.
Even better, Awlwash is designed to rinse away freely, which reduces drying time and minimizes spotting.
Topcoat surfaces shouldn’t be waxed either. Most cleaner waxes contain chemicals to remove tar and road grease and lack the polymer coating needed to protect epoxy surfaces.
AkzoNobel formulates Awlcare polish with special polymers that leave a tough coating on the already hard and glossy Awlgrip finish. It provides protection from sun damage, acid rain and seals the surface against diesel and exhaust soot.
Does it work? After exposing test panels of Awlgrip finishes to 3,000 equivalent hours of UV exposure, with reapplication of Awlwash and Awlcare the use of Awlcare was proven to maintain a shine 30 percent glossier than Awlwash alone.
Investing in the shine is paramount in keeping your boat the apple in your eye.
