Having a white boat is awesome and a pain at the same time. When it is clean, it looks very nice. When it is dirty, it is very easy to tell. The white picks up all kinds of scum, dirt and everything else you can imagine from the lake and the road. I recently had the chance to try out some products from Ducky Products and like them a lot so far. They were easy to use and my boat is looking good now.
Boat is clean. Now for the tires and wheels.
My last trip out I was fishing tons of stumps and laydowns. My boat came back on the trailer with a few scratches and marks from the white, rotted wood. As you can see they came out pretty good with a a quick spray and wipe down with the Quick Clean & Wax and then a full wax called the Renew Cleaner Wax.
Before
After
Cleaning my engine was another big test. It had tons of water spots and really is a never ending battle trying to keep it clean. I made a quick wipe down with the Quick Clean & Wax and it looks great. I went back and cleaned it more in those hard to get to places like the cowling lock lever and the whole thing is sparkling now.
Before
After
So, after a few cleaning sessions with Ducky Products I have been impressed. They have a full line of products I haven't even discovered yet, so I am sure I will be trying more to keep my boat and truck looking good.
The Fourth of July is almost upon us, and for many that means taking to the water. Mercury Marine is committed to educating the public regarding boating safety awareness. As respected anglers and guides on the Mercury team, we're asking you to help spread the message by posting the below safety tips on your Facebook and Twitter pages and communicating them to your clients and fans while on the water. With your help, we hope to make this Fourth of July holiday a safe one on the water.
BOATING SAFETY TIPS
Before and during operation, make sure everyone on your boat is in the proper passenger position. Sit down and hold on. You don’t want your passengers to be in a position that could result in them falling overboard. Also, don't sit or stand at the front of a moving pontoon boat.
Always wear your lifejacket. It can save your life. The majority of boating fatalities involve people who drown without a lifejacket on.
Watch out for the propeller. Shut off the engine whenever anyone is in the water near your boat. Placing the engine in neutral is not enough.
Use your lanyard cut-off switch. Things can happen quickly on the water. Make sure your engine will shut off if you are not in the operator’s position.
If you want to protect your boat from damage there are numerous ways to do it. One thing that I now swear by is the KeelShield made by KS Marine Products. When I got my Legend Alpha 199 last year; I looked around, I asked my friends and I did research online as to what keel protection was the best. The answer was always the KeelShield. There are other similar products on the market, but for me it came down to the company's reputation, the durability and the quality product.
I gave them a call because I wasn't sure what size I needed for my boat and they were very helpful in recommending both the right size as well as the color that would look best on my boat. From there, I got the KeelShield and had it installed by my dealer. Looking back and after watching some videos on it, I could have been easily installed it myself, but I was having some work done and had them do everything at once.
Now after months of using it, I know that I made a good choice in getting one. I have beached my boat on sand, rocks, concrete ramps and everything else I have found and it still looks brand new.
In addition to the quality product, they also have an unmatched warranty "100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee to the original purchaser. A Lifetime Warranty covering adhesion and abrasion wear through." That is unheard of. Even though you will most likely never need it, it's nice to have that extra piece of mind from your purchase.
You can see my video of some of the reasons I like the KeelShield here.
Scoring for the KeelShield
Price/Value: 4
Prices vary depending on the size you need, but on average you can expect to spend around $180. Other brands are a little less and some are more.
Durability: 4
Have not had an issue with it at all for durability. They have an interesting lab test available on their website from an independent group that proves they last longer.
Performance: 5
Very easy to install and does not affect the performance of the boat. I have beached my boat everywhere with no problems.
Innovation: 3
They make a great product that is improved on other designs.
We are leaving today for Arkansas. It's a long trip ahead (over 20 hours). The good thing is we have something great to look forward to. We will be at the Legend factory on Friday to pick up our brand new boat. We couldn't be more excited. This is what is waiting for us when we get there. This is a picture from a few weeks ago before it was totally completed. I can't wait to see the finished project.
