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Boat Waxing Question

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Capt. Kurt
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185 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/28/2005 : 11:01:59

I am planning the first wax job for my new boat and still have some questions after reading past threads on the topic.

1. On a new boat, do I need to use a buffing compound?

2. Does using a buffing compound remove gelcoat or only the old wax?

3. Newbie question: How far down the hull should I wax? (I plan on using 3M marine ultra wax with a power buffer @ 1500 rpm.)

Thanks,
Kurt

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 01/28/2005 11:03:47

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 11:44:30

... and so it begins...

I think waxing is more work than it is worth, I use VertGlass
http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6167& SearchTerms=vertglass

Edited by - on

Dkn420
Captain

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USA
298 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 11:50:22

I've used 303 on my boat and like the results, http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=protectant.

There is also a product made for autos called "Zaino" which might be worth exploring...does wonders on Corvette's.

Dan #727

Edited by - on

Steve Raffel
Captain

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262 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 12:00:26

I have had great success whith Collinite's products. They are also top rated by Practical Sailor. The cleaner is called 920 Fiberglass Boat Cleaner and the wax is 885 Paste Wax.

You can find them at http://www.collinite.com/marine.htm

Edited by - on

dave holtgrave
Captain

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USA
427 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 12:08:40

i have a 1988 catalina 25 that i will set along side any new boat and dare you to see the differance in shine.

if there is some fading i would use a fiberglass color restorer- west marine- one pint is enough-$10.
use a buffer, your not going to hurt the surface. just put it on and buff off. don't try to burn it in.
after that i use the west marine teflon polish-$24 quart- enough to a years worth of polishing.

you may have to use the color restorer with two passes. after that buff on the first pass of teflon polish.
remove the swirl wax marks after you do one side and it dries.
take a look, do a small patch with a hand rubbed second coat, let dry and hand buff. if the color is deeper and richer in color do another coat by hand. no need to rub hard, all your doing is filling micro voids in the gelcoat.let the side dry and hand buff with clean rags.

once you get this up to a shine and depending where you live will depend on how many additional coats you will need yearly.

i live near st louis and store my boat inside for 6 months of winter. the other 6 months it sets on a trailer except when in use.
i coat the teflon once by hand in spring, mid summer and befoe i store it in fall.
i know this three coats a year sounds like a lot of work, but takes me about 20 minutes a side.

if your in the water all the time i would do down to the fouling paint.

hope this rambling can be understood.

i wouldn't do it any other way. you just can't let it fade out or you
or you start over with the restorer.

i looked at the coating and was not impressed with the modified floor wax ingredients. i seriously wanted to use these on the deck areas because it does look good, but found out from a friend who did it, you couldn't even stand on dry deck without slipping.
i've seen it on hulls and i'm not impressed.

only my opinion
dave holtgrave
5722 sk/tr
hard and dry near carlyle lake in southern illinois

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 14:22:44

I use Collinite's Fleetwax on my 25 year old hull, but if it were a new hull like yours, I'd be inclined to use the gentlest wax out there so you don't end up inadvertently dulling the new gelcoat shine with any sort of cleaner type wax which may have abrasives in it.

Check with a dealer to see what they recommend.

Edited by - on

JJM
Navigator

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USA
170 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 14:49:04

Kurt,

I am new to this too - but I have been warned NOT to wax the nonslip. That would change it to will slip!!

Here is an 'Arlyn' reply to another thread of mine -

Though I've always waxed yearly with Starbrite's teflon boat wax, I've been fighting the nonskid. Two years ago I stumbled onto Starbrites nonskid cleaner - sealer and while cruising the Great Lakes, cleaned all the non skid and applied two coats of sealer - cleaner. I had also put two coats of wax on the hull during spring maintenance.

Thanks Arlyn!

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
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185 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 16:14:47

Do you wax the entire hull, or just to the waterline?

Thanks,
Kurt

Edited by - on

JJM
Navigator

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USA
170 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 18:23:24

Kurt,

I am in the ocean 12 months a year (until I need to redo my bottom paint) and as such, I wax down to the blue fouling paint.

While we are on this subject - has anybody ever used MAAS polishing creme? Their website gives it high marks for it's marine capability and I was wondering if anyone here had tried it with good results?

http://www.maasinc.com/marine.html

Edited by - JJM on 01/30/2005 11:52:12

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 18:54:28

I'm one of those guys who listened for years to the advice not to do anything with the nonskid for fear that it would be slick.

Seeing the cleaner / sealer on the shelf and by a vender I've come to trust, I didn't think they would sell something that made the non skid slick. If it could solve the cleaning struggles, I wanted to know.

I'm now sold, the nonskid is now easy to clean and presents no slipping problems.

Edited by - on

frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2005 : 22:03:27

Kurt, as Don (dlucier) said, do not use a wax with any abrasive in it. When I got my new boat I did her first wax job immediately after the bottom was done. According to the maintenance people at my marina the most important item with new hulls is to insure no dirt or foreign matter is on the hull before you apply the wax. They recommended the use of actone and lots of soft towels to clean the hull the first time before wax application. It is important that you continually change the towels so you don't just spread the dirt or road tar around as you clean. I cleaned my hull twice. The first time using about 15 towels. The second time only five, but I only rubbed in one direction insuring no dirt was on the towel. If there was I would change towels. After that I put three coats of wax, buffing the first with a electric buffer (800 rpm) then the last two by hand. I know it is a lot, but the first time is the most important. Be very careful using a 1500 rpm buffer, it will burn the wax and the gelcoat if you are not careful. I waxed all the way to the bottom paint. Be sure and wax the deck, except the non-skid, the same way. After that I wax once a year while the bottom is getting done. This normally takes about 1 1/2 hours.

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 01/30/2005 : 19:32:14

Just thought I'd throw in my vote for Poliglow. Not a wax but a polymer coating, probably not unlike Vert-glass (I'm guessing). I applied it to Wind Point last year and am going to do the same to the "new" boat (which gets re-launched tomorrow morning...Yay!).

Also not to be used on non-skid.

Steve

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 01/30/2005 : 19:45:54

Isn't Polyglow more for restoring fiberglass, or is it also recommended for new hulls/gelcoat? I thought its best to wait for the fiberglass to oxidize then switch to a restorer type product.

Thanks
Kurt

Edited by - on

Steve Raffel
Captain

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262 Posts

Response Posted - 01/30/2005 : 19:58:27

I had a bad experience with Poliglow. I was never sure if the problem was I didn't do enough prep work, if it wasn't applied properly or if a combination of the above. I'd try a small area to be certain you can achieve the results they indicate you should. Leave it on for a long test period.

Edited by - on

willy
Captain

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USA
422 Posts

Response Posted - 02/06/2005 : 09:06:30

Captain Kurt!
Like Dave, I really like using the Teflon Polish, although I use the Starbright brand. They probably private label it for West Marine but I am a creature of habit. I do it beginning, middle and end of season on the topsides and twice around the hull before spring launch. I try to have a week between those hull coats. While I currently have a 03 C250 this stuff <b>kept</b> my first two boats, a 74 Aquarius and an 82 Beachcomber shining like they were brand new. (of course you have to get them to shine first). IMHO this stuff is the greatest investment protector!
Willy

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 02/06/2005 : 10:33:57

Have to agree with the Starbrite stuff.

Plus, they are available locally at Wallmart or Academy Sports.

Edited by - on

At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 02/06/2005 : 12:52:53

The Practical Sailor wax/polish test was the Nov 15, 2004 issue. The top three finishers, in order, were: Collinite #885, Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Paste, and 3M Ultra Performance Paste. Also mentioned as good: Turtle Wax 2001 Paste, BoatLife Paste, Starbright Presoftened Paste, Starbright Paste, and WM Paste. They said that some of the non waxes (Poli Glow and WM Teflon) did well and were easy to put on, but tend to discolor and deteriorate over time and are hard to remove.

Bottom line, they like paste wax.

http://www.practical-sailor.com/

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 02/06/2005 : 15:39:09

I waxed Tortuga this weekend and thought I'd post the results. I was very pleased with the results, here are some comments after it was all said and done.

1. I tried using a $40 auto buffer, that did not work at all. Had to resort to elbow grease method.
2. Waxing takes forever and is not a fun part of boat ownership. Although the results are rewarding. Glad I brought a few helpers for the job.
3. That Acetone works great taking off grime! (and pin-striping if your not careful.. oops) Thanks for that tip.
4. Woody Wax works great on non-skid, shines up nice and smells good too! Its a little more slick than before usage but not bad.
5. Results below are one coat of 3M Ultra Performance Marine Paste Wax after a light Acetone wipe up of the hull. I plan on doing 2 more coats next weekend.

Thanks again everyone for the advice! The pic below doesn't really capture how shiney it came out.

Kurt
#818 C250WK "Tortuga"

There was a low flying WWII plane, thought I'd include that too - it was a highlight to a great day of sailing post wax hell. :)

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 02/06/2005 16:04:44

Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 02/07/2005 : 10:56:43

Kurt,

The boat looks GREAT. Hope your elbows & wrists aren't too worn out.

I used Meguiar's & a low-RPM orbital buffer, but I can't say that mine came out any better that yours.

That plane is a Skyraider. While technically a WW II era aircraft (it was to replace the SBD dive bomber) it really never got used in that conflict. First flight was in March 1945. It first saw action with the Navy as the AD-7 in the Korean War and was used by the Air Force as the A-1E for close-air support missions in Vietnam. (source: USAF Museum website).

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 02/07/2005 : 14:46:47

I don't see a head in that plane, is it radio controlled?
Captain Kurt, the boat looks great. You can get started on mine any time

Edited by - on

dave holtgrave
Captain

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USA
427 Posts

Response Posted - 02/08/2005 : 09:53:39

capt kurt
right when i think i got the best solution, someone comes along and catches my attention.

i wrote a response above and am satisfied with the hull results. however, if you feel the woody's wax does a great job on the deck, i would gve it a try.

is it too slick to walk on if it gets wet?
did it really step up the shine?

this forum is always a great resource for info.
i don't think youn can ever stop learning.

where do i find this wax on a national level?
does west or boater world have it?

dave holtgrave
5722 sk/tr
hard and dry near carlyle like in southern illinois

Edited by - on

Capt. Kurt
Navigator

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185 Posts

Response Posted - 02/08/2005 : 10:59:06

I picked up Woody Wax from West Marine, here is the link. It is $30.99 for 16oz bottle, a little goes a long way though.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=81500

I did not check how slippery it is when wet, I will next time I'm out. It was more slick than w/o wax, but not too bad. It definately picked up the shine, no question about that, I'll take a pic next time I'm out. Not sure how long it will last yet, bottle claims 2 months but YMMV I'm guessing depending on UV, rain exposure etc.

Kurt
#818 C250WK "Tortuga"

Edited by - Capt. Kurt on 02/08/2005 11:04:17

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