boat wax

[Slip Away]

Re: boat wax

The disadvantages of Carnauba waxes are:
• Heat from the sun releases natural dyes which cause yellowing and staining.
• Heat from the sun softens the wax, making it greasy which in turn holds dirt and pollutants against the surface.
• They are difficult to apply and require aggressive friction buffing to get a good shine.
• Limited life; they break down rapidly limiting protection to your boat and should be stripped and re-applied every 2 to 3 months.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[captain zac]

Re: boat wax

Guys

Its all in the prep work not in the wax
wax only magnifies what is under it

If you use a good marine compound (marine compounds seem to stay moist longer)
followed by good marine polish (to remove all swirls and scratches)
then any wax will make it look good

The only question what wax lasts the longest for you?????
And thats a question that has many answers
just like your rear end


EVERYONE HAS ONE

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: boat wax

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Just giving you my experiance and the experiance of a detailer that has been in the business since the 70s. I trust his judgement and my experiance. I will keep using what I know works well for me. The next owner of my boat will thank me.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: boat wax

Any good auto wax will work on and help gelcoat finish. They all have UV protecters in them and will help protect the gelcoat. Yes, the gelcoat had some UV protection built in but it doesn't last forever and a good coat of wax will help protect it. I don't understand that gelcoat is to porous for any kind of wax? Everyone waxes their gelcoated molds at the factory for release, no UV protection in those though. Now a days some are using polymer releases like SOLO or WOLO and many others, also not the same. I think "marine" wax is nearly the same thing as auto wax with a higher price tag. JMHO

Well sir .. Gelcoat is porous compared to paint jobs. If you look at it at a micron level it has pits and holes in it.

Now if you just apply some regular ( lets say middle to high end ) wax to it .. it will not Fill those microscopic pits. It only Covers them over thus trapping air and moisture below your wax surface.

Think of wax the same way you would think of a Clear Coat .. yup just like that. All that your are doing with wax is evading the surface imperfections to give you a Shine thats like WoW ..

Your Base surface isnt that great .. and you put a few microns of wax on it and now its blistering with shine.

Its a sacrificial coating your applying on gel .. it will fail and the maintenance is IMHO Higher than just doing a proper Buff/polish job.

Now .. there are some Sealers that work better for gelcoat because they actually seep into the pores. 3m has one .. miguires has a cool product as well.

Im just saying that a Proper buff out Before you start adding some mop and glow or some other crappy glossy ( or even high end stuff ) waxes/sealers .. research them.

Know what they can do for a floor .. or a car .. or a gelcoated boat .. they are 3 different things. Requires 3 different products.

I would never use a 3m marine product to wax my custom build wood dresser. I would never use my dresser wax on my car.

Peace ..

YD.

 

[JimS123]

Re: boat wax

JimS123 - I agree with you and if I had owned my 30 year old boat from the get go, that would be happening. And mnypitboat
is correct as well. But the trick is doing it from the start and protecting the boat with a cover. I like the method from captain zac but again, with my boat, I'd be out there every couple of weeks and that's not happening.

Its all a matter of what you're satisfied with and how much initiative you have or how lazy you are. For me if my boat didn't shine I would make it shine and If I couldn't I'd sell it and buy a new one....LOL.

There is no difference between the well maintained 30 year old boat or the poorly maintained one that just got refurbished. Once its to a point that its shiny all you have to do is keep it that way. With today's products its a piecocake.

Zac's 3M recommendations are spot on. As an example, I used to polish / wax my car twice a year. By Winter's end the wax was gone, so I had to do it again in the Spring. The new Mequires Wax (by 3M) lasts me 2 full years - the hood still beads up after 2 years!!!

That's what I use on my boat and it beads up all Summer long. When I redo it in the Fall it glides on like greased lightnin.

And what I've just described is NOT the best part. I can do my whole car in less than 15 minutes, with no elbow grease involved. My boat takes a bit longer because of all the bow rails and fishing rod holders in the way.

If that's too much work for somebody then they don't have any incentive.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: boat wax

There is no difference between the well maintained 30 year old boat or the poorly maintained one that just got refurbished. Once its to a point that its shiny all you have to do is keep it that way. With today's products its a piecocake.

If that's too much work for somebody then they don't have any incentive.

Lemme quickly tell you something about gelcoated boats .. .. They are all different.

You ever try to buff out an old Viking .. or Crissy .. Etc ..

There is a difference between a hammered out job when doing something that you might not be up for..

Just saying .. that sometimes these shine out jobs are something completely different then when actually start to finish them. Oh .. and you have those owners that Know they have a POS gel job that cant be done right and hold you to it after you spent a week trying..

YD.

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: boat wax

Next time you're at the boat races, ask the boat drivers what they use on their boats. You'll find many (if not most) will tell you "Dri-Wash".

No, I don't sell the stuff, but I buy it. It's a great polish, and there's not a bit of wax or silicone in it, both of which do little more than seal your paint or gelcoat (as YD points out) which keeps it from "breathing", and amplify the sun's UV rays (which is why they try to make wax UV resistant).

Car wax makes your car or boat's finish look nice & shiny, and makes cleaning easier. But once it's out in the sun, it's only helping the finish burn up faster.

Now, this IS just my opinion, but I came by it via an automotive paint specialist of over 50 years and personal experience after having listened to him 30 years ago

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: boat wax

^ Finally someone understands my point ^

YD.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: boat wax

YD, YD, YD :facepalm: Hopefully all these good people understand your point. Personally, I will take your advice over most others. Now, that said, I don't think anyone should wax a new or properly maintained pleasure craft. Gel coat is shiny and stays nice a clean as long as one takes care of the surface. We all should understand that it fades from oxidation. Can one clean it? Of course they can with some elbow grease. Others, if their boat has oxidized to much, will need to take more drastic action - hard buffing, sanding, or eventually paint with one of the dozens of product offered. The truth of the matter is there are no short cuts.

On the other side of the equation JimS123...or should I say equator. I live in FLA and there is no wax in the world that will last for 2 years on a painted surface like a car. If you get six months :laugh: you are fortunate and it takes a lot longer than 30 minutes to wax my truck. I don't know what kind of boat you own, but it will take me at least an hour (maybe more) to clean and wax/polish my boat. I am anything but lazy but I will not waste my time doing something twice when once will last a lot longer.

That said, I think that often each situation needs evaluation. Sometimes a polishing is fine, some days it takes a good waxing, other days and other boats just need to be painted, and maybe...just maybe...that Red Pro Sealer will do a fine job for the time being. And sometimes when you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.

Great discussion!

 

[JimS123]

Re: boat wax

I live in FLA and there is no wax in the world that will last for 2 years on a painted surface like a car. If you get six months :laugh: you are fortunate and it takes a lot longer than 30 minutes to wax my truck. I don't know what kind of boat you own, but it will take me at least an hour (maybe more) to clean and wax/polish my boat. Great discussion!

Good point about the harsh FL sun. The worst I have to put up with is driving thru a mixture of sand and road salt for 6 months of the year. (well, that's an exaggeratuion - probably only 4 months....LOL)

But this new 3M spray-on stuff really is something. I can do my wife's full size van (or my SUV) in 15 minutes. Just wash the car and let it drip dry. Then, I go around it and spray the wax on every surface (takes 2 minutes). Then finish up by simply wiping it off. No buffing needed. Now, if I've let the car go and there's no wax left, then a little harsher wax and some rubbing is needed.

BTW, I didn't include the time to wash the car in the equation since you have to do that anyway. Actually, if I'm NOT waxing it takes the same amount of time because the extra 15' is taken up drying after the wash.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: boat wax

Good point about the harsh FL sun. The worst I have to put up with is driving thru a mixture of sand and road salt for 6 months of the year. (well, that's an exaggeratuion - probably only 4 months....LOL)

But this new 3M spray-on stuff really is something. I can do my wife's full size van (or my SUV) in 15 minutes. Just wash the car and let it drip dry. Then, I go around it and spray the wax on every surface (takes 2 minutes). Then finish up by simply wiping it off. No buffing needed. Now, if I've let the car go and there's no wax left, then a little harsher wax and some rubbing is needed.

BTW, I didn't include the time to wash the car in the equation since you have to do that anyway. Actually, if I'm NOT waxing it takes the same amount of time because the extra 15' is taken up drying after the wash.

I use a product called Cajun Shine on my cars. It is a liquid. Comes with 2 microfibre towels. Wet one, soak with the product, wipe on, wipe off. My 95 Wrangler YJ, my 05 Trailblazer(which we bought a year old), and the Viggen look like brand new. Takes about 10 minuts to do the Viggen and the Jeep(not much paint, both convertibles). Takes about 20-30 minutes to do the TB. I do them all about once a month. They all look like brand new all the time and until this past December the TB stayed outside all the time except at night. I still wax them about once a year though.

I think I will try it on the boat. Cant hurt, and takes a whole lot less time than actually waxing it. Plus, since it only takes a few minutes, I can do it while enjoying a cold one anchored out on the water once a week.

Isnt the 3M spray stuff a form of Carnuba wax?

 

[doyall]

Re: boat wax

... it will take me at least an hour (maybe more) to clean and wax/polish my boat. ...

We should all be so lucky!

In any case, to paraphrase a wise sage on this forum, any polish/sealer/wax (take your pick) is better than none at all. And I am sure some will even disagree with that.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: boat wax

Hmmm. The Cajun Shine sounds interesting. A lot of good write ups on the www and apparently you can use it to shine most anything including your boat. I cleaned and waxed the hull today and for a 30 year old lady, she's looking mighty fine. I rubbed and rubbed and buffed and polished and rubbed and polished and waxed the top without success. She won't shine up. Since I had nothing to lose I stripped the top and applied the one of the sealers we been talking about (sorry YD). I could not believe how simple it was to apply. A dampened micro fiber cloth and simply wipe it on. At first review, it's quite amazing; shines like brand new. Let's give it six months and I will let you know.

 

[fuzzybob]

Re: boat wax

Marine Technologies-- Great Co. from Minnesota. Google nauticalease.com They have a full line of products formulated for fiberglass. I've been happy with any I've used.
Shine um up..... spring's just around the corner!!!

 

[OllieC]

Re: boat wax

Meguiars Flagship Wax is what I use once a year with a Shurhold buffer. Works great.

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: boat wax

I build and maintain fiberglass in-ground pools for a living. Based on what I have seen happen to gel coat above the water line of a pool, I feel gel coat should be protected from uv rays(waxed). Besides most gel coats are "waxed" gel coats. People who know about applying gel coat know what I'm talking about. "waxed" vs "non-waxed" gel coat.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: boat wax

I build and maintain fiberglass in-ground pools for a living. Based on what I have seen happen to gel coat above the water line of a pool, I feel gel coat should be protected from uv rays(waxed). Besides most gel coats are "waxed" gel coats. People who know about applying gel coat know what I'm talking about. "waxed" vs "non-waxed" gel coat.

I had a long story set up .. but now its a short story..

I am " In the know" of gel.

You seem in the 'know" of gel .. so why dont you spill it instead of just suggesting it.

Go ahead .. how do you do it Sweet A .. how do you do it ?

YD.

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: boat wax

I had a long story set up .. but now its a short story..

I am " In the know" of gel.

You seem in the 'know" of gel .. so why dont you spill it instead of just suggesting it.

Go ahead .. how do you do it Sweet A .. how do you do it ?

YD.

What exactly are you looking for? How to apply gel coat or how to maintain it?

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: boat wax

I know that you know how to do both so what is your point?

 

[carribbean soul]

Re: boat wax

I have found that saltwater, pogie oil and kingfish blood makes my boat look awesome!