Boat wax

[mwalleye]

LAST EDITED ON May-03-00 AT 03:47PM (CST)[p]First glass boat How often and what kind of wax should you use? Can I use the same wax I use on my car and truck?
Thanks

[Kevin A]

Lots of options...polishes, silicones, silicates, carnuba, cleaners... Whatever you use look for something with UV protection. 3M's boat wax (can)works well. Some people swear by Collinite products. If the boat is new stay away from cleaner-waxes. The cleaner is usually an mild abrasive & you don't need that on a new gel coat. Wax it a couple times a year & it'll stay in good shape. Some guys use Lemon Pledge (silicon oil among other things) after every run and say it keeps the boat looking new for years. Never tried it, but wouldn't be afraid of it either.

[Hogger]

I agree with Kevin, use 3M's special boat wax. It's expensive, around $10.00 a bottle, but it's got special UV protectors that work. I've had glass boats for years and wax with a power waxer in the spring and again late summer and the boats always look like new. One trick is to use Pledge between whenever you dust or wipe down the boat. Works great.

[eyewinder]

I've got a question about the hazy appearance of my boat's gelcoat finish. I'm on my second Ranger, and both look(ed) great on the vertical surfaces (inside & out). But the horizontal surfaces (gunwales, bow, etc.) acquire a filmy, hazy appearance that looks awful. I've found one bodyshop that can take it back to an original finish with their (expensive) process--others buff & wax, and the film remains. Am I using the wrong wax, or what? (The only time the boat is not covered is when I'm fishin'.)
If I knew what I was doing wrong, I'd quit.

[Fishnwiz]

I am in my first glass boat in 18 years and I want to take proper care of this rig. Is it important to use a POWER WAXER to keep the shine? I myself am not crazy about this idea unless there is a major problem with my wax finish!! As long as I maintain the finish I have....will I be ok???? Wiz

[Kevin A]

The haze your seeing is the gel coat surface breaking down due to the sun's UV radiation. The monomers that make up the polymer that makes up your gel coat aren't stable to UV..this causes the polymer chains to break (scission). When the polymer chains get shorter some of the polymer will literally fall off your boat surface. When this happens the surface gets rougher...when this happens the rougher surface refracts light much more than the original very smooth surface...when the light refracts a good amount what you see is a haze. The intensity of the haze looks worse with a dark background. (No wonder yachts, that have very long lives & sit in the sun all day are white glass..they don't show haze & continue to look good)

Much like aging people, your boat will go from very high gloss with great "distinctness of image(DOI)" (mirror like reflection of you looking at it) to losing it's DOI first to losing is gloss, to haze appearing, to white-out given enough time.

You can bring your original color back with wet sanding, polishing, buffing, & waxing....lot's of elbow grease or you can pay a body shop to do it for you.

The only way to stop it is to keep it covered when you not using it. Use wax with UV inhibitors in it. Buy white boats? Fish on cloudy days?

Some mfg might use UV stabilizers in their glass formulations(HALS, hindered amine light stabilizers), but they are pricey. I'm not really sure if the boat industry uses HALS type materials or not.

[Hogger]

The reason I use a power waxer is because I'm just plain lazy. The work goes a lot faster and I can wax places I wouldn't do otherwise (like the hull - I know don't even go there) in a shorter time. You can do just as good a job hand waxing, just be sure and do it.

[Hogger]

3M also makes a restoration was that has mild buffing compound right in the wax. It works really well on oxidized gellcoat. Use it sparingly - once during the life of the boat, and wax by hand only.

This brings up another topic - my guess is that you trailer your boat with the cover on right? Your cover, over time, will buff right through the gellcoat surface which is why your glass is oxidized so much.

[Fishnwiz]

Hey Kevin A .....Great answer!!! WOW I am impressed!!! Fishnwiz

[eyewinder]

Great response Kevin! I guess the thing for me to do is to learn to live with it.
I keep the boat clean & covered (when not trailering or fishing), but am always a bit envious when I read the "had it four years and it still looks like new. . ." line. Mine looks great from a distance, but up close, not as good.
I had the previous boat looking like new when I sold it, but I'd sure like to be able to make this one pretty and keep it that way.

[WALLEYE EYES]

We've had our boat for 11 years now. We use it every weekend in the summer, and the rest of the time it sits under the cover out in the driveway under all the elements. It still looks like new. I use a product called Liquid Glass. It's for use on just about anything driven. Two good coats in the spring and one in fall seems to do the trick. It's very easy to apply. A 16 ounce bottle sells for about $15 at our local paint and body supply stores. I would not recomend most polishes, because they are mainly designed for new finishes. They do not last as long as most waxes. Which means you would need to use them about once a month. Liquid Glass can also be used on chrome, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. I work in a body shop for a living and highly recommend this product to anyone who asks.

[Gunga Din]

I received my new Overtons catalog this weekend and it had a section loaded with many of the products mentioned here, including 3M. They're also on the web at www.overtons.com.