Why Marine over Auto Products?

[pcmark]

I'm fortunate enough to have just purchased a brand new 20' pontoon boat to keep in a slip on a fresh water lake each summer (shrink-wrapped in UV-protectant plastic on land during winter).

Before we launch May 1, I'm thinking of applying NXT 2.0 to the painted aluminum "skirt panels" that surround the boat above deck, then using Quick Wax and UQD to maintain it during the summer.

My question is, why would I select the Marine equivalent over the above mentioned auto paint versions? Is there a benefit to the "marine" versions that I'm missing? Thank you.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

Yes there is.
I don't know what but there is

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

The formulas for our Marine Line are tweaked for best performance in in Marine environments, so best performance will come from using the best product or formula for the job. The chemists won't go into specifics in the Marine Line just like they won't go into specifics for the Automotive line, that's where at some point you just have to put your trust in the name on the bottle.

When it comes to the abrasive compounds in our Marine Line, they are too aggressive for automotive paints.

[Andrew C.]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

I'm no expert but I think it has to do with most marine products being made for boat paints that have a gel coat. If yours has a gel coat, then you would want to use the marine products.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

you just have to put your trust in the name on the bottle.

I've trusted allot of product/people and Meguiar's can be trusted!
I love and trust Meguiar's!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

The really big differences between the lines are in the cleaning/compounding products, basically anything with an abrasive in it.

A modern gel coat is about 25 mils thick and extremely hard, much harder than automotive paint (which usually has about 2 mils of clear coat). Cleaners and compounds designed for gel coat use are far too aggressive for use on automotive paint, and most all auto paint products just don't have the cut needed to really affect a positive change to these ultra hard, and ultra thick, gel coats.

Having said that, there is no reason at all why you can not use NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0, Quik Wax and UQD on your boat. Ultimately though, if you really want to shoot for the best protection and shine for a gel coat, put some M63 Flagship Premium Marine Wax on it - great stuff!! And in a year or two when you want to buff it out, do yourself a favor and pick up a blue bottle of something from our Marine/RV line and don't just reach for the M80 Speed Glaze.

[pcmark]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

As a follow-up to this, we're now near the end of the boating season, and here's what I did:

May 1st, I applied NXT 2.0 on my brand new pontoon boat's painted aluminum surround -- and it turned out fantastic. Since my boat is docked, we couldn't do a true wash and wax as I would like, so after every week's use, I used Eagle One's Wax-as you-Dry as a sort of quick-detailer and protectant -- and it's worked like a charm. The boat made it through the season staying looking brand new. It's the cleanest boat at the dock, and we get compliments to no end. I also just bought a DA and a little generator, so we'll really get her polished up and waxed for next spring. So, my point is, I found that on my painted aluminum marine finish, automotive products did the trick.

[cardriver]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

I was going to pose a similar question, but it it sort of leads into a discussion of general business strategies and such (if you make it, they will buy it/if you built it they will come ideology AKA Why are there at least 6 different products for any single one purpose etc) or "We certainly can make our Stride Chewing Gum last for 12 hours, but would that actually be good for business?"...types of questions.

Which due to certain job positions and loyalties and the internet and competition and all those goodies...certain discussion usually makes the mods angry .

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

While some degree of marketing almost always comes into play when anyone is selling consumables to the general public (that doesn't really surprise anyone, does it?), the fact of the matter remains that there is a huge difference between a gel coat and paint.

Gel coats are much thicker than paint (20-25 mils vs 2 mils), considerably harder and much more porous. In some ways they behave much like single stage paint - oxidation, chalkiness with neglect, the ability to be "brought back" after severe oxidation, etc. But where this process can often be done fairly easily by hand on single stage paint, it's an enormous task on gel coat due to the hardness of it.

The porosity of gel coat is very different than paint as well. Where paint can be wet sanded and polished to reveal a high luster without negatively effecting the paint (assuming that you have enough film build to safely wet sand, but that's another discussion), gel coat responds much differently. Yes, you can wet sand gel coat but once you do you really open those pores and it will start to oxidize and degrade even faster.

Many carnauba based automotive waxes don't play well with gel coats either as there is a greater propensity for yellowing of the finish with them. Again, this is due to the porosity of the finish and it's ability to "drink in" the product - especially once that gel coat starts to age.

Now, if you've got a relatively new gel coat and you get a little scuff on it, or you want to wax it, are you OK using Ultimate Compound and NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0? Of course. But once that gel coat starts to age you will definitely get better performance out of the Marine/RV line of products.

Getting back to the original post, Mark was asking about painted aluminum, not gel coat, so he's more than fine using automotive products on that surface. Since the area he's talking about are indeed painted and not gel coat, he should avoid the heavy cleaning products from the Marine/RV line as they are formulated for use only on gel coats.

And it seems we need to offer Mark a bit of an apology - it looks like we all got hung up on the whys of using Marine products on gel coat and overlooked his point about paint instead. Sorry about that Mark.

[ssorange]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

After reading this thread, something dawned on me:
I live right on the coast where my vehicles get bathed in a constant spray of salt water from the wave action and wind. Would I get better protection from one of the marine waxes vs. the standard NTX 2.0 automotive wax? If so, which ones would be safe for automotive painted surface?
Thanks!

[gsx62391]

Re: Why Marine over Auto Products?

After reading this thread, something dawned on me:
I live right on the coast where my vehicles get bathed in a constant spray of salt water from the wave action and wind. Would I get better protection from one of the marine waxes vs. the standard NTX 2.0 automotive wax? If so, which ones would be safe for automotive painted surface?
Thanks!

From my understanding, its not so much the environment of a boat to an automobile which defines the use for marine products. Its the fact that marine products from Meguiers are specially formulated to work best with "gelcoat" finish as opposed to a "painted" finish that a automobile has.
So i do believe there will be no added benefit to using a marine wax on your automobile unless your automobile has a non-painted gelcoat.
Anybody feel free to correct me if im wrong.