bug you guys for a minute about cleaners.
 

I know the title is kinda vague but if it said "which cleaners do you use" most of you'd skip over it, i know i would..haha

An idea occured to me this weekend while cleaning the boat. My neighbor asked what I used to clean the vinyl on my boat and I tossed him a bottle of my homemade stuff. He said it worked better than anything else he's tried. I explained to him that I make it myself.

My family owns a chemical manufacturing company here in Oklahoma and anytime I need cleaners, I usually just design my own for whatever the application is and I make it myself. Ive been making my own boat cleaners for the last couple of seasons based on what my father used to make to clean his boats.

Well you know how these things get going, one guy uses it and loves it and he tells one guy and he tells another guy and that guy passes it on, etc. etc. etc.

Well i gave out a few bottles of cleaner this weekend and everyone was really thrilled with it and been buggin me about wanting more of it. So Im interested in possibly starting to produce the stuff and sell it at some of the local marinas.

I make my own window cleaner, vinyl cleaner, hull wash, boat wash and boat cover cleaners.

Is there really a market for yet ANOTHER cleaner out there or is it already flooded with miracle cleaners?

I make my own based on what "I" need it to do which is cleaning spider dunk off of the white vinyl, etc.

Any thoughts on this guys?

Any help is appreciated, what would you guys like to see in cleaners and what cleaners do you use>?

One that would sell at local marina's for the larger cruisers is something to take diesel soot off of fiberglass. This has always been a problem on our big boats.

The best thing I found so far is the orange Zep degreaser from Home Depot.

I can make something comparable to that..

any other ideas? If i couldmake my own magic eraser, i would but thats got some tough stuff built into it..

Send me a small sample of the vinyl cleaner.
I have some cleaning of various items. If your blend works, you'll have the best stuff known to man and I'll let everyone know.

Something like magic erasers that has no long term ill effects on the vinyl would be awesome.

Also a magic eraser type deal that takes the waterline stain off the boat would be fantastic too. Currently On and Off works best but requires gloves and a brush to use the stuff.

Sounds like you already have the facilities and the bottling equipment - why not? I was going to release a line of fuel additive products for Diesels, but did not like the numbers after splitting the profit with the guy who had the facilities and equipment. You will have to market it all over the country - it is a lot of work. Go for it! :D

I just had a hell of a time cleaning some spots off my dads boat.....it looked like mildew but wouldnt come off with bleach! It stained the vinyl black.....i finnaly tried Wesleys Bleach White for tires and it took it off!! and sofar it doesnt look to have affecte3d the vinyl at all....of course i treated it after wiping all the Westleys off but it looks like its the stuff to use! :D

I would be interested in something that would make white vinyl bright again and be a conditioner as well if it's possible.

ditto.

i dont really have any access to chemicals that "condition" anything as the majority of that stuff is a carnauba based wax and producing that stuff is HIGH DOLLAR because you have to heat it constantly anytime you add to it. As far as a waterstain remover for the hull, ive been using this stuff that we use on water plant filters and water towers for the last couple of years. Most stains are manganese based if they are reddish/brown in appearance and this is just a reaction that makes it fall off the boat.. I might post a video of it here in a bit to show what it can do, its amazing to watch it slide right off the boat. But its a two-part chemical with a HIGH amount of hydrogen peroxide as a portion of the catalyst. After being mixed, its only good for the next 24 hours.. how would the boating market feel about having to shake up some chemical each time they want to use it?

Thanks SOOO much for everyones responses here. This is starting like a perfect opportunity to get back into the marine industry after my hiatus as a marine surveyor. I will make sure that those that helped will be rewarded.

here is a quick before and after shot of the chemical i just mentioned. This is a filter at a city water plant. The trough on the left was left as it was found and the one on the right was sprayed with the chemical, allowed to sit for a few minutes and rinsed with a fire hose (simply for volume, not pressure) and had the filter running back online in about an hour after the backwash. It does the same thing to the stains on a boat hull. The water in these filters is just lake water with chlorine added to it before its filtered so its the same stains we all get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO8mrot5N_o

Heres a quick video of the procedure, its boring, trust me but give it a couple of minutes and wait til we start spraying.

I have every cleaner on the market you guys are looking for. It is two years new. "Hot Sauce" We have a product that will do all listed above. Products work wonders. For wet boats, dry dirty boats and everything top to bottom. Send me a PM if interested in purchasing, I can do discounted pricing to board members.

Andy

How would the h-peroxide affect vinyl? I wouldn't have a problem spraying and then hosing the transom each time, would it affect the wax though, i really like the shine leverage leaves, I would hate to go an use something that would strip it each time.

offshore- I cant really answer that one yet. Ive never used it on a leverage'ed boat before but it seems to do a number on my wax job but the deal with this stuff is it doesn't allow regrowth or re-staining as fast. So maybe if you only use it at the waterline and the bottom of the hull, waxing wont be as often. I dont use it on the hullsides as it will take the wax off..

peroxide will bubble up and away any organics on the vinyl and will do just fine as far as not hurting the longevity of it.