I love #45..... and soap questions

[SeaRayOwner]

Everytime I polish my boat I am reminded how much #45 rocks. This picture was taken while we were polishing the black portion of the hull. Yes my wife is the best and helps me polish the boat. We of course followed the #45 with #63 Flagship Premium (3 thin coats)




I may have asked this question before.... but I cannot remember so here it goes (potentially again). I am searching for a new boat soap. I have been using one sold by the local marine retailer... outstanding soap that is very effective.... but I think the reason it is effective is due to it being a little more aggressive than my wax cares for.... as I notice my #63 does not seem to last (water does not sheet off, water spots stop washing off)

Background:
Boat is washed 52 times a year (each week).
Boat lives outside on a trailer not in a garage (mine garage is too small )
Boat is waxed (#63) (every 3 months)
Boat is clayed, #44 as needed, #45, and #63 once a year
Boat lives in California (read: Arrid, hot in summer climate)
Boat is used in primarily fresh water

Is Flagship Premium Wash (#65) worth the $1 + per ounce price? Or would the #43 or #54 Boat Wash/Gel Wash be just as effective. Paying the extra $$$ for the Flagship soap is not a problem if there are solid advantages to the product. I am unable to find a good reference of advantages to one versus the other (the more detailed the better).

I am a huge fan and customer of GC wash for my vehicles. I would like the same class of soap for my boat as well.

Thanks all for your input.

[SeaRayOwner]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

boy it is lonely in here

Serious anyone with thoughts on boat soaps?

[Hemin8r]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

#54 is a Boat Wash Gel also by Meguiars. Have you tried that? It won't strip wax. They have them in 16oz & gallon sizes.

I hope that helps somewhat. Nice shine on that black boat by the way.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

boy it is lonely in here

Serious anyone with thoughts on boat soaps?

Sorry for the delay, I've been working on the newsletter so that means typing in other programs. For what it's worth... discussion forums aren't like "Live Help", you post a question and we do our best to answer the questions in a timely manner but it's never been intended to be instantaneous.

I've sent out an e-mail to get some more information on the differences in the Marine Line Boat Washes and after it is obtained we'll put something together to post to your thread and probably create an article.

Generally speaking when it comes to our washes, the more the product cost is an indicator of the cost of the ingredients, so if you want the best boat wash we offer then look for the most expensive boat wash we offer.

As you know, because of the size of the boat, the cost of your surface care products pales in comparison to the energy you invest in applying and wiping them off not to mention the value of the investment overall and the value of regular maintenance which makes future maintenance faster and easier.

It's great to see you have a maintenance plan that you follow regularly.

Hang tight... behind the scenes we're working on it.

[Mike Pennington]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

Is Flagship Premium Wash (#65) worth the $1 + per ounce price? Or would the #43 or #54 Boat Wash/Gel Wash be just as effective. Paying the extra $$$ for the Flagship soap is not a problem if there are solid advantages to the product. I am unable to find a good reference of advantages to one versus the other (the more detailed the better).

M65, Flagship Wash is our Premium Marine Wash. It does have conditioners and other ingrediants not found in our other marine washes that will leave a very nice shine and slickness behind. This is the best of the best....

M54 - Gel Wash is next in line, and is a great wash, but does not have the "bells and whistles" that Flagship has. Available in 16 oz & 1 gallon

M43 Boat Wash - Designed for the person who is price sensitive, and only wants a safe eonomical wash. It only comes in a economy size of 64 oz.

All the 3 products are pH balanced / biodegradable nd safe for a waxed surface. They are just targeted at different users.

By the way you described your boat care practices, we would certainly suggest Flagship

Hope this helps.

Mike

[SeaRayOwner]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

#54 is a Boat Wash Gel also by Meguiars. Have you tried that? It won't strip wax. They have them in 16oz & gallon sizes.

I hope that helps somewhat. Nice shine on that black boat by the way.

Thanks for th nice comment. Thanks for the info on #54.. I have seen all three kinds of Megs marine soaps.... it was just not clear as to the advantages of one versus the other. I appreciate your feedback.

Sorry for the delay, I've been working on the newsletter so that means typing in other programs. For what it's worth... discussion forums aren't like "Live Help", you post a question and we do our best to answer the questions in a timely manner but it's never been intended to be instantaneous.

I've sent out an e-mail to get some more information on the differences in the Marine Line Boat Washes and after it is obtained we'll put something together to post to your thread and probably create an article.

Generally speaking when it comes to our washes, the more the product cost is an indicator of the cost of the ingredients, so if you want the best boat wash we offer then look for the most expensive boat wash we offer.

As you know, because of the size of the boat, the cost of your surface care products pales in comparison to the energy you invest in applying and wiping them off not to mention the value of the investment overall and the value of regular maintenance which makes future maintenance faster and easier.

It's great to see you have a maintenance plan that you follow regularly.

Hang tight... behind the scenes we're working on it.

Mike..... thanks for the information and thanks in advance for the information that is on it's way. I was hoping the large grin in my post would have dissolved any notion that I was being impatient (as I was not). I was simply attempting to administer some good natured ribbing. My apologies if it was taken as anything else.

It seems (read: my opinion after personal experience with many) many boats soaps have been formulated for the traditional boat owner who washes a couple of times per year..... very agrressive to cut through potentially months of "junk" built up on the surface. This works great for those who wash annually (needed or not) but does not bode well for the life expectancy of the trusty #63. I have heard the comment made that the soap I just quit using "will make your boat look like new". I think to myself... who would let their boat get that dirty.

I am looking for the marine equivalent of GC wash I use on my vehicles... thick and full of goodness but does not seem to be overly aggressive. The car and truck get the same weekly wash and the NXT wax on the vehicles lasts much longer than the #63 on the boat. I attribute this to the use of the aggressive soap.

the cost of your surface care products pales in comparison to the energy you invest in applying and wiping them off not to mention the value of the investment overall and the value of regular maintenance which makes future maintenance faster and easier.

Amen. 65 hours for the full detail on this boat I think my question was poorly worded. I was thinking that the Flagship #65 may have been the ultra strong, aggressive annual type wash..... but as I combine the data from the Mike's it sounds like this may not be the case... rather premium ingredients + other ingredients are the defining difference.

M65, Flagship Wash is our Premium Marine Wash. It does have conditioners and other ingrediants not found in our other marine washes that will leave a very nice shine and slickness behind. This is the best of the best....

M54 - Gel Wash is next in line, and is a great wash, but does not have the "bells and whistles" that Flagship has. Available in 16 oz & 1 gallon

M43 Boat Wash - Designed for the person who is price sensitive, and only wants a safe eonomical wash. It only comes in a economy size of 64 oz.

All the 3 products are pH balanced / biodegradable nd safe for a waxed surface. They are just targeted at different users.

By the way you described your boat care practices, we would certainly suggest Flagship

Hope this helps.

Mike

Thank you for the additional detail. I look forward to any additional detail you fellas can provide. Now the big question.... bigger boat + lots of washing = lots of soap. While the 16 ounce bottles are cute.... any chance of 1 gallon or heck 55 gallon drum in the future? Assuming the prescriptive guidance is 2-3 ounces per gallon of water. I would would use 6 - 9 ounces of #65 per week (I use about 9 gallons of soap solution for weekly boat washing). Basically looking @ 2.5 to 3.75 gallons of wash per year.... 20 - 30 bottles

Thanks again for all of the feedback.

[SeaRayOwner]

Re: I love #45..... and soap questions

Just wanted to follow up with this thread in regard to the bit of "testing" I did between M54 and M65. I purchased each and used them on the boat. The M54 smells like candy, the M65 smells like candy and GC wash. How they smell is not really important... but just thought I would mention it . Both soaps work well removing the weekly dust, dirt, bird dropping , and anything that made it onto the vinyl in the cockpit. The M65 seems to be a little thicker... producing a more slippery (best I can describe it) soap solution. The area washed with M65 seemed to shed water quicker... some areas so quick little drying was needed. The M65 suds up a bit more and seems to retain suds in the bucket longer. I was unable to discern any difference in the gel coat once the areas where dried. Based upon the earlier responses I figured I would prefer the M65 and I do. I ordered 11 bottles from ADS (approx half year supply) and I am glad I did. So now who do I need to sweet talk @ Meguiars to get M65 in gallon size ???? Friends of mine say my detailing rack looks like an auto parts store