Waxing the hull

[Russ]

Let's talk wax.

Everyone has an opinion on this. Recently in BoatUS there was an article on fiberglass and wax.
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/Oct ... -gleam.asp

In it, the author claims after cleaning your glass well, you should first apply a paste wax based on bees wax.
"For this step, choose a paste wax that's based on bee's wax, NOT carnauba wax, which does create a better shine but also wears away faster. "

So I'm game. What I'm not sure about is what paste waxes are based on bees wax. Searching a bit I find Corvette owners are pretty passionate about their glass. Some paste waxes sell for upwards of $100 a jar. I'm totally confused now.

What I really am interested in is protecting the hull and durability. Something that I can do in the spring and last all season.

Comments:

[RobertB]

I guess the first question is really:
Do you have your boat to go places or have others folk at it?
I have mine to do thing with and find the wax in regular boat cleaner (or carwash) works pretty well. Boat waxes wipe on and then just wipe off. I have no desire whatsoever to apply old fashion wax - do not even do with my cars and they still look good.

[Hardcrab]

Everyone will have an opinion, so stand by for suggestions.
My opinion is based on my experience and location only.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Collinite pre cleaners and paste wax lead the rest of the stuff I've tried by a huge margin.
I have tried at least 10 to 12 different "top notch" products to keep the "blacks" looking pristine over the years.
All products I tried looked good for a week or two.
So what.
The only wax to last in my 24/7 So Cal climate/UV exposure has been the Collinite paste wax.
Months worth of shine, not weeks.
Loaded with carnuba, I might add.
Yes, it's labor intensive doing a good pre clean job before the wax.
But I want my labor to last as long as possible.

We have year round sailing here, so my boat is never "put away" for the winter.
It stays exposed.

Be prepared to do the blacks 3 or (better) 4 times a year.
Do them on a schedule regardless of what they look like.
White hull, twice a year.
White non skid areas - clean first with Soft Scrub and a brush, then Woody Wax.
(Not even a close equal to Collinite, but the best I've tried for the pesky non-skid).
It's so much easier to keep it up rather than to bring it back.

Blue hull --- sorry for your plight in life.
Blue sure does look pretty though.
On your boat, not mine.

I have quit looking for anything better.
The wax, pre-cleaner, and Woody Wax are at WM.

Black gel coat is not black paint.
Car paint wax is not for black gel coat when exposed to the elements 24/7.

Once I get tired of the elbow labor involved, I'll paint those dam black stripes and finally be done with wax -- well almost.

Good luck on the once-a-year quest, at least for the blacks (not gonna happen for them, IMHO).
White hull, no problem with the Collinite.
Blue hull

All bets are off if you keep the boat under cover 24/7 during the season or over winter.

[1st Sail]

A few years back Collinite was ranked No. 1 by Practical Sailor. I have not tried it yet but I fear I may soon cave in. I know it requires more buffing. I have used Meguiars and 3M products for the past years. Not a lot of durability. Regarding the black stripes just wax and polish every day and they will always shine..... real PIA! I always polish with compound and then hand wax and power / hand buff. Used Starbrite, 3M, Meguiars and NuFinish. No long term solution for the stripes. The previous owner kept the hull polished for the first 2 yrs. but let the topsides chalk. Even when I machine polish with several compounds and polish to a high shine then wax and buff the white oxidizes in 30days and chalks. Currently I'm trying NuFinish since it is easy to apply and buff.

[Boblee]

I didn't buy the Mac to clean it, I bought it to use, yes it copped a hot wash after three months use and now it will get the bits and pieces touched up and the top scrubbed to clean the hard to get out grime off, the bottom will get no further attention as the top layer of Lanolin grease was hotwashed off and the film left will protect it until I put more on before venturing into warm tropical waters again.
Any scratches are rubbed with either fine wet and dry or a compound wax cleaner, the black well it's clean but not too slippery that even a careful footstep slips, whoever decided black was a good colour should !@#$%^.

[Russ]

The problem with the slower blue hull is that it shows dirt easier. I do want to protect my investment and keep the shiny blue looking new. I love the attention at the beginning of the season when everyone woos over my shiny blue boat. By the end of the season, she's looking tired. Cleans up easy enough, but would like to extend the woo season longer.

[raycarlson]

never used collinte, always used NuFinish a silicone based wax product that has been Consumer Reports magazines top pick for decades whenever they test waxes. It will keep your black stripes shiney for a full year no problem. The only problem is it only cost seven dollars a bottle, and for a lot of people that's not enough cash to make them feel like their getting the best there is. and its also sold at Walmart and for many that means it can't be a quality product.

[Hardcrab]

raycarlson
NuFinish was the first or second product I tried way back in the beginning.
I use it on my cars paint and love it.
But, I didn't get close to the results you seem to get on the black gel coat.
It looked good for a few weeks, then back to the rags and elbow grease.
(I should mention that "good" to me is the same shine as a factory new boat. I want my 8 year old boat to look like new. It's a sickness, I know.
But it still does look like new. Whites and blacks).

So down the product road I went for several years until I found the Collinite line of stuff.
Perhaps NuFinish was not as effective for me because my boat is not under any sort of cover at all; fully exposed to the elements 24/7?
So Cal, very little rain but lots of sunlight.
The way I am required to park in the mast-up lot, the starboard side gets most all of the direct sunlight and therefore the most black gel coat degradation.
It's like the black color combined with the direct sun just cooks the surface and starts the downhill run.
The port side is never nearly as bad being more shaded.

Also, sometimes I wonder if all of the black sooty jet exhaust from LAX (??), just south about a mile or so, contributes to the issue.
Is the black soot some how corrosive when mixed with the early morning dew day in and day out??
Don't know if that is a factor.

I just know that Collinite works like no other product I've ever tried on my boat and my location.
Perhaps my case is more extreme than the average location.
I don't know,.
But for sure, YMMV.

[rszobel]

question about buying collinite cleaner and paste wax (920 & 885)

not sure what typical application rates are and therefore not sure how much to buy? Boat has not been waxed in several years. i bought it 2 years ago (2001 ), kept covered over winter, and have not waxed/cleaned since owning - washing down yes, but not waxing.

don't know how much to buy of either -- any help?

[Russ]

Oh yea, the black stripes are another whole beast. Not sure what to do with those. Maybe paint them white.

Mostly, I'm concerned about the hull and smutz that builds up. Would like to wash it off easily.

[Hardcrab]

I use about 1/2 a bottle of the cleaner for the entire boat per job for whites and blacks.
But then, I am not trying to bring the gel coat back from the dead. I won't ever let it get that far ever again
Perhaps almost a full bottle if starting from scratch the first time.
A can of the wax will last several jobs, four or five at least.

One spray container of Woody Wax (16oz? 32oz? ) will last at least six /eight jobs. This stuff works okay for the nonskid. Not a glowing report, just the better of the two specific products I've tried to keep the white from going chalky in the non skid areas. I don't think normal waxing on the non skid makes too much sense safety-wise.
Do read and follow the instructions for this stuff.

Some hard learned, IMHO tips:
1. If you are bringing it back from the dead, use soft scrub and wet rags (always keep the rag folded to a clean area) on the gel coat first. Even use a buffer, if you have one. The oxidation seems to wash off easier than any other method. Do multiple passes. Don't expect to see a shine afterwards, but the surface has been rid of the dead junk and it's now ready to start with the pre cleaner. Actually, you won't get the killer shine until the last steps, so don't fret along the way. As far as the Woody Wax, Soft Scrub and a stiff brush on the nonskid. Hose off and apply the Woody as per instructions. Do this step first as the rinse off will wash over any blacks or hull work you've done. Been there, done that. Duh!

2. Get and use cheap orbital buffers from WalMart or Harbor Freight, if nothing else. Even the cheap ones are better than just elbow power. The two different sizes are a plus -- the 5" for the blacks and tricky cockpit areas and the 10" for everything else. Get a good load of extra pads and the micro-cloth wipes. Cheap and effective, and all can be washed and reused. You can't have too many of either.

3. I do multiple passes with any or all of the products. That is, I'll buff in the first coat of pre cleaner, then I'll re juice the pad and go at it again while the first coat is still on and hazed. I've been known to do even a third and fourth coat before ever taking off any of the haze. Lottsa work, but it seems to work better for me. Even do the wax this way, but not as much recharge to the pad.

4.Always keep a fresh cloth/pad surface for the precleaner, but not for the wax on. It will load up and reduce your efforts when cleaning the old crud from the surface. When waxing, not changing to a new pad surface seems to force in the wax for a better ending.

5. Alieve works better than Advil at the end of the day. Especially when mixed with a few ice cold PBR's.

When I do my boat, it takes a dedicated weekend three or four times a year. We don't have an "off" season.
150 mile trip down just to clean and wax for two days with no launch and sail at the end of it.
To tired.
I've probally touched, wiped, buffed, and worked on every square inch of the boat at least 15 times by the end of the job.
But it's more than worth it to me.

I wish I could not give a s*it like most of the other boats in Mast-up storage here.
You should actually see what the black stripes or blue Macs look like after three or four years or more of non-use or non-care looks like in this sun.
Plenty of examples of what doing nothing will look like.
Ain't going down that road with mine.

[mastreb]

Do watch the ice cold PBRs with Advil--Ibuprofen and ethanol both completely load your liver (i.e., your liver does nothing else until they're broken down) which means both will last longer in your system when you combine them. When I was young(er) and stupid(er) I would take a gram of ibuprofen to make it cheaper to drink in clubs, which worked perfectly.

Great way to extend the life of your buzz (and shorten the life of your liver).

Ethanol alone is one of the best muscle relaxants on the market and almost certainly the best OTC muscle relaxant.

In fact, I've yet to find any condition that alcohol isn't a cure for (except alcoholism).

Matt

[DaveB]

Why they call it 3 sheets to the wind. Sails, Rudder and Alcohol. SRA?
Hydrocloric acid is a spray on wash off with fresh water after 30 seconds. Wear a gas mast and watch all the yellow stains and chalking disappear. Do small sections at a time.
I have used all types of waxes and polishes and Starbrite Polish Marine and Nu-finish Polish comes out on top. Waxes are Scotchgard Marine wax.
Tho Starbrite may last a couple of mo. more than Nu-finish, cost is 5 times more. Sotchgard wax is in between the two polish products for time lasting.
Note we are talking of a Polish product and a Wax.
Black Gelcoat is a Pain and I have used Poly-Glow on dark surfaces with good results but still need after initial 6-8 coats 2 coats every year. Good thing is you can put on 6 coats faster than 1 coat of wax or polish. Has a brilliant shine but do it once a year here in SW Florida.
Dave


In fact, I've yet to find any condition that alcohol isn't a cure for (except alcoholism).

Matt[/quote]

[Hardcrab]

Not to worry, it was just an attempt at a feeble joke.

I guess one could say I am overly passionate about keeping my boat looking like new.
It's just some work and no excuses accepted.

Perhaps my passion comes from all the various Macs I see rotting and dying from neglect at the place where I keep mine.
It's a sad thing to see everytime we go down for a sail.

I know of a "brand new" 2006 blue Mac that has not moved at all since 2006, much less been washed or waxed.
Perhaps the owners forgot they bought a boat or forgot where they left it?

A full color poster of it should be hanging on anyones wall who owns a blue M as a reminder of what could come their way if they slack off and take things too lightly.

[06HARLEYULTRA]

I guess the wax debate is up to personal choice. Depends on how you use and store the boat, and how much effort you want to put into it.
I read quite abit of forums, and decided to go with Mainsail's advice. Google: tips for compound, polish and wax.
I started with a badly oxidized hull, dull and chalky. The black stripes were chalky and dull also.
I followed his advice and use of products to a T, and the results were nothing short of spectular.
However, the labor and expense were considerable. I still have a lot to complete, but once finished, regular washing and yearly waxing will do nicely for me.
Defiantly go with collinite wax, and 3m products IMHO.
Best of luck,
Rich