Sonax Profiline Detailing Team Goes Boating

Clean Living

We really couldn’t be more excited about the extreme makeover we’re giving our Sanger boat. It’s sees lots of action on the water and works hard to make us happy so it’s only right that we treat it with the respect that it deserves. Over the next several weeks you’ll be seeing more of it as we give it some sweet aftermarket love. But first, it really needed a good cleaning.

The sort of cleaning that involves getting it all nice and shiny while also protecting its surfaces from the abuse they take from both fresh and saltwater. Who better than the Sonax Detailing Team to give it the love it really deserves? Follow along as Rigo Santana and Xtreme Xcellence Detailing in Orange County, California and his Sonax Profiline team of detailers take you through what it takes to professionally detail a boat.

Sonax Profiline Detailing Academy: Getting Schooled

Rigo Santana knows a lot about professional detailing and, no surprisingly, Sonax products specifically. He’s detailed cars, trucks, even Air Force One. He travels all over the world, bringing the full power of his knowledge and experience to bear on making vehicles look better than they did on the showroom floor. This may be why the Germany-based cleaning product manufacturer hand selected him to be a part of their detailing team. And getting that honor is no joke: “I’ve flown to Columbia to train,” he says. “If you don’t pass the test, you don’t get the certification. The Germans are serious.” Once he became part of the team, Sonax eventually certified Rigo as a Master Trainer. He also founded Nueva Generacion de Detalladorese Network (NGDD), the first Spanish-language automotive detail training in the U.S.: “In 2016, I started a training group to help the Hispanic community in the U.S. to detail professionally. People have misconception about Hispanic detailers based on what they’ve seen at local car washes. I give them professional training entirely in Spanish and I train them individually,” he says. NGDD training ranges from the continental US to Puerto Rico. Upon completion, the detailers qualify to be part of the Sonax team, but not as Master Trainers. That’s an entirely different animal.

Beyond that, Rigo hand selects these guys for these projects. “My guys come in from different parts of California,” he tells us. “They all volunteer their time and bring their skills to the table. That’s how the West Coast team operates and how we got the boat done. They all own their own businesses. The most amazing part is that some of these guys barely speak English, and some don’t at all, but all are living their American dream. They’ve gone from $25 car washes to $2500 pro detail jobs. The impact this has made on the detailing industry is huge.” He’s all about finding solutions. Apparently so is Sonax when they found out what he was doing, they reached out to Rigo to get involved. “The other blessing I have is that a company all the way in Germany took us into consideration to sponsor us. That’s why I’m so loyal to Sonax. They stepped up to the plate. You can’t put a price on that.”

Meet the Team

The guys we have to thank for transforming our boat are, L to R, Thomas Lucena of Magician Pro Detailing in Glendora, CA, Adolfo Collado of Adolfo’s Pro Detailing in Dinuba, CA, Mauricio Hernandez of
Xelent Auto Detailing Spa in Orange, CA, Mario Carrasco of Hugo’s Auto Detail in Santa Barbara, CA, Eric Miguel of Xtreme Xcellence, and, of course, Rigo Santana himself.

Detailing the Sanger vs Detailing a Car

Detailing a boat should be just like a car or truck, right? They both sit outside, both have engines and a cockpit area for steering, so it should be the same, yes? Um, no. First off the body materials involved (gel coat and fiberglass) are totally different. Second, and far more obvious, a boat is also oval that doesn’t turn into an undercarriage near the bottom like a car does.

For the interior, the team took on the leather first, going over each and every nook and cranny. They also steam cleaned the interior. Once the inside had received a top notch job, they conditioned it to protect against the sun’s harmful UV rays. It’s a lot of very tedious, intense work with all kinds of irregular angles. The sound bar, for example, had to be hand polished because the polishing machines couldn’t reach everything.

When all was said and done, Rigo and the Sonax detailing team worked wonders on our hard-playing Sanger boat. This is what happens when you have the dream team of experts and high-quality products in a project. If they can do this for our boat, just imagine what they can do for your car.

And if you’d like to know what some of the Sonax products were used to make this all happen, here you go.

Sonax Profiline Ultimate Cut

Sonax Profiline Ultimate Cut is a fast cutting compound for polishing sanded or severely weathered painted, gel coat, and fiberglass surfaces. It packs an odorless water-based formulation with low dusting and no silicone. Ultimate Cut quickly removes P1000 or finer sanding marks from paint or gel coat.

Sonax Profiline EX 04-06

Sonax EX 04-06 is their latest formulation of medium cut, finishing polish for hologram-free results. Engineered specifically for use with dual-action or random orbital polishers, the abrasives break down very consistently to produce the highest depth of gloss. Sonax EX 04-06 is water-based and contains no solvents, silicones, or petroleum. No dust is produced during polishing, which makes for easy clean up and prolongs the life of the polishing pads.

Sonax Profiline Polymer Net Shield

Polymer Net Shield protects paintwork by means of a resistant network made from organic and inorganic components. Sonax tells us taht it should protect for up to six months. Not only that, it applies quickly and easily. It produces a smooth surface that freshens up colors and complements Sonax Nano Paint Protect for even more protection.