Cabana Dan

Myself and a few friends are looking to plan a Naples to the Keys boat trip. I have a single engine 21' along with one other friend. Our other friend has a 26' Whaler with twins. We all want to take our boats and the family to the Keys. We are looking to go to the middle to lower Keys and rent a house. I am curious to know if anyone has done this trip in a 21' boat and how was it? Any advice or things that you would have done differently? Dan

I was at a boat show recently and had the chance to talk with a gentlemen who is very knowledgeable regarding effects of E10 on marine and non-marine engines. My question to him was why have I not had any bad effects from E10 if I have been running it for a while already? The gentlemen, Tim, had a demonstration to show me how his product takes the water in the fuel and re-suspends it in the gas. It was pretty convincing. Anyway, I am including an email from him that explains it better than I ever can. I like the product. I have a 2003 Yamaha 200 HPDI. I use Yamalube and ring free exclusively. Do your own research and draw your own conclusions. Regards, Cabana Dan Hi Daniel, yes I do remember you, thanks for the email. I get this question often, the fact of the matter is you have been lucky so far. The big issue with ethanol is it is a very unstable fuel when it is shipped from the refinery. It is shipped through several tank farms/distributors and contract delivery trucks. If you continue to get fresh fuel and the trucks are clean you may not have a problem. However we do fuel polishing jobs everyday for people that haven't had problems before. When it hits it is sudden and gets progressively worse very quickly. Fuel demand is down and continues to decrease, fuel storage tanks are bulging with over supply which is the worst scenario for ethanol. It will absorb water from the atmosphere when kept in storage and progresses into a acidic/rancid condition which can present serious problems. Our Gas-shok product is an extremely effective stabilizer, plus it increases MPG 10-20% which more than offsets its cost. Therefore it only makes sense to be proactive rather than reactive, use it as insurance against the possibility of problems. It has been our experience that if you are not using a good stabilizer it is not a question of if you will have problems but when. Our products have been certified as safe for use in all fuel burning engines. They will not affect your warranty or attack hoses, gaskets or seals. We are setting up new dealers in your area. It will be available soon in Sunshine Ace, Naples Marine, Wolcott Marine, and Marina Mikes. we will also ship it to you at your request. Have a great weekend, THX again. Tim

I have a DeWalt Heavy-Duty 5" Random Orbit Sander With Electronic Variable Speed DW423. It has a hook and loop system. With the appropriate polishing pad, can I use this to polish my boat? If not, why? Cabana Dan

I see that the Chicago polisher is only $39. I assume that this is the one that you are speaking of. Besides the Makita name on the side, how different are the two units? I am not a professional detailer so I would assume that the cheaper one would work fine. Do I need any special adapters to use the Lake Country flexible backing pads? Does Harbor freight, or anyone else, make a unit similar to the Porter Cable 7424? Cabana Dan

rrwel, you are correct. I thought I was good to go also. It was suggested to me to try the polymer instead of my Collinite. That changed things for me. I have purchased the Yacht Brite brand Pro Polish polymer. I like the idea of using the circular and then the random for the polish. That way I have to buy two new toys. Thanks Cabana Dan

I see you use a tuffer buffer pad. Do you use the same type pad for compound and wax? awhy do you use a smaller polisher than your compound one. Have you ever used the Yacht Brite product? C Dan

I am curious to know what you guys use to apply compound, waxes or polish. Do you use a random polisher or the tried and true Makita 9227? If you have to compound a little what do you use? Have you ever used any of the Lake Country pads or do you use the wool thing? C Dan

Just as I was ready to buy my wax and buffer and get started, new info came my way. I was told by a very well seasoned boater that although wax is good and organic in nature, it only covers the gelcoat and locks in air that causes oxidation. He told me to watch a video produced by Ship Shape TV. It addresses the question of wax vs. a polymer polish. The CEO of Shurhold Induustries , the parent company of Yacht Brite, talks in detail about how these new polishes are much better for the preservation of gelcoat. It makes sense to me. Your thoughts? Cabana Dan

Good point. I'll leave the banking to the banker! Cabana Dan

I went to my bank today and struck up a conversation with the bank manager about waxing boats. I told him that I had been researching and decided to get the Makita 9227 circular buffer. He replies " Don't do it! You will mess up the finish! You will leave swirl marks that will not come out" Here we go again. I am still a little reluctant about the Makita but I will just take it careful. I went to my Boaters World to find out that they are going out of business. They were offering 10-30% off. I went to the wax section only to see that all the Woody Wax was gone. Crap! I called the only other boating store in town, West Marine, the stock only one of the Woody Wax products and its not the Ultra shine wax. Time to order on line. Cabana Dan

I guess its up to me now. Thanks, Cabana Dan

Should I have any concerns with the abrasives of the Woody Wax Ultra if my hull has only very light oxidation? My concern is that I will start buffing and watch the gel coat finish look worse than better. Cabana Dan

How much Woody Wax Ultra would you normally use on your boat? I see that it is available in 16 an 32 oz. sizes. Cabana Dan

How to apply? Cabana Dan

Where is the best place to get this woody wax stuff? How should it be applied? Do I use any other compand agents after? Just use wash then wax? Cabana Dan