gel coat maintenance

[bcd]

Just wondering what everyone does to keep their hull clean and bright. I boat on the Mississippi, and the brown water is tough to combat. My previous boat had a white hull, and it seemed that no matter what I did, I'd have to acid bath it at least once a year to get the brown stain off. The new boat is black, in hopes of it not showing the stain as bad. I have noticed that the water spots really show up on the black.

I currently use Mother's marine wax at least twice a year. On a side note, it went on white, and was impossible to tell where you had applied it on a white hull (not an issue for me anymore). After every outing, I pull the boat back to the house and wash it down with soap and water. Once it's rinsed clean, I use an automotive spray on wax as you dry.

I've seen other things out there such as Babe's and Boat Bling, and wondering if they perform better or are easier to apply/use.

I also saw some comments on other posts about Mastercraft sending a boat care gift package when you purchased a new boat. Maybe they quit doing that. I've had my boat 6 months and haven't received anything yet. I probably wouldn't have ever bought the Mastercraft branded boat care products, but a free sample might have swayed me otherwise.