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Sometimes chance encounters result in benefits beyond expectations. I had just such an encounter recently at the Florida State Championship of the Crappie Masters tournament. I was assigned to fish on media day with pro crappie anglers Matt Morgan and Kent Watson. For us media types it was a chance to fish with a crappie pro and learn some tips; for the pros it was another day of pre-fishing before the tournament began.

As we fished and talked, Morgan and Watson mentioned the importance of boat maintenance to their tournament efforts. “Regular boat maintenance keeps us on the water fishing, instead of broke down somewhere waiting for a mechanic,” Morgan said. “You can’t win if your not fishing and the crappie don’t wait.”

I discovered in that short conservation that Lucas Oil Marine Products was one of the team’s sponsors. Matt commented that every fluid in their tournament boat was available from Lucas Oil. “They make a great product, one that I have complete confidence in,\ Morgan said.

At this point Morgan mentioned a partnership between Lucas Oil and Ranger Boats that highlights the quality of the Lucas products. The partnership, know as a \Factory Fill\ program, uses several key Lucas products in the Ranger manufacturing process. If this is not a solid testimonial, I don’t know what is.

The result is Ranger boats that come off the assembly line already filled with Lucas hydraulic steering fluid, grease and marine engine oil. Ranger obviously has great confidence that the use of Lucas products will keep their boats in top working condition and improve consumer satisfaction.

Additionally, Ranger customers receive a pre-packaged sample kit of other Lucas Oil products with a boat purchase. The kit includes the company’s highly acclaimed Slick Mist speed wax and interior detailer. It also contains samples of Lucas fishing reel oil, fuel injector cleaner, ethanol treatment and trim and tire shine.

\We're passionate about fishing and boating,\ said Jamie Devney, Director of Sales and Marketing/Team Lucas. \It doesn't matter if you're a weekend angler or serious tournament fisherman; Lucas Oil marine products enhance the performance of any boat. Combine that with so many award winning products designed to help take care of tow vehicles, and we feel like our partnership with Ranger Boats is a perfect fit.\

At the end of the day we had boated several crappie and picked out the biggest for the traditional media day weigh-in. As we left the boat, Matt Morgan gave me a bottle of Lucas Slick Mist Interior Detailer and asked me to give it a try.

Two days later I was washing my boat and notice the condition of my vinyl upholstery. I still had the Sick Mist in my car so I decided to give it a try. The accompanying photo tells the story better than I can. You can easily see the before and after results of using the Lucas Interior Detailer on my seats.

The detailer brought the surface of the seat back to near new condition. It is easy to use, simply spraying on and wiping off. It also cleaned and brightened the various plastic cowlings and backing plates on my dash. I give it a 5 star rating.

The product is a water based product, which scientist label pH neutral, and it delivered a great restore job on my seats. The stuff can be used on rubber, plastic, leather and of course vinyl. Better yet, it includes UV additives that help prevent cracking and fading from being exposed to the sunlight. That feature alone is worth the cost of the product.

So, there you are. That simple fishing trip turned me into a maintenance savvy boater and a fan of Lucas Hi Performance oil products.

Capt. Ron Presley