Boat wax

[foo]

Any one know of a good boat wax that will not wash off in water? I have been using a 3m product but after you put the boat in the water once or twice its gone. Even when i wash off the rag that i used to apply this stuff it will rinse right out...

[bassadict69]

Are you using something that is specifically a marine wax?

[Basscat7]

The key to keeping a glass boat shining is to keep the Gel Coat sealed.

Gel Coat is the outer layer of your boat, made of polyester resin, about 1/16th of an inch thick. Pigments and metalflake or polyflake are added to get your color ordered.

Boats are made inside out in a highly polished fiberglass mold.
Clear coat is sprayed in first, then any striping/arrows, etc. are taped off and sprayed in, then the Gel is sprayed in.  Very time consuming and a lot of hand labor involved.

Gel coat is very hard, but also porous, if seen under a high powered lens you can see why dirt , scum will adhere easily to unprotected Gel Coat.  This is very noticeable on white hulled boats that are not protected, the hull starts to turn a yellowish color from the Gel Coat breakdown.  Not as noticeable on colored metalflake  boats, but it is happening when the Gel Coat is not well protected.

You see a lot of questions on boating boards asking how to " fix " dull top caps, etc.
The key is preventing Oxidation from occurring. Oxidation is what causes the dulling, and eventual breakdown of the clear coat/gel coat.

3 things are needed for Oxidation; Oxygen, Heat and UV radiation.
Eliminate  one of the three and you will slow down the process.

A good wax or sealant will help to eliminate this. This wax layer diffuses (refracts) both UV and infrared radiation from the sun. Without the wax/sealant coating, the radiation is absorbed by the pigment in the gel coat causing it to over heat, and trigger the chemical reaction that will dry out, dull and oxidize the surface.
Once oxidation gets too bad, the actual clear coat wears off, exposing the Gel Coat to the Sun.
On some older boats that were not kept well waxed, you can actually feel the metalflakes coming thru the gel coat when this has happened.

The 2 most used ways to prevent oxidation are :

Protect the Gel Coat with a paste wax.
Any good paste wax with a high Carnuba content will protect.
Most retail waxes only contain between 3 % and 5 % pure Carnuba, the more Carnuba, the higher the price.

Pros = Inexpensive, easy to find decent paste wax, easy to use. Will seal the Gel Coat initially.

Cons = paste waxes will start to break down and melt in High air temps/humidity, mid to high 90 degree temps.
High air temps and friction from the water will remove a lot of the wax layer.
If boat is used in these conditions, paste wax should be applied every couple of months, or sooner.
Hard to find high Carnuba content wax, can be very expensive.

Another option is a Polymer  Sealer for the gel coat.

One of the best made is a product called Pro - Tec.

A Polymer sealer forms a chemical bond with the Gel Coat to seal the pores preventing contaminants from settling in the pores.

Pros = Bonds to Gel Coat , sealing pores. Usually will last up to 6 months.  Not affected by high heat/sun/brackish water.
Holds a high gloss shine.

Cons = hard to find. Boat must be stripped of any wax first before applying, use a solution like Simple Green/water to wash/strip the wax.
Two coats needed, must wait 12 hours between the 2 coats.

Bass Boat saver is an excellent product, contains UV inhibitors and wax.
A 5 minute wipe down at the ramp with it  or any similar product will help keep your Wax/Sealant working like it should.
Another feature from using this type of wipe down product is that after  the first few times, you'll notice that the scum lines and water spots will become less noticeable and much easier to wipe off.

If you have any questions on Gel Coat/Fiberglass or how they are used in boat construction I'll be glad to help ya.

Basscat7

http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html

http://www.bassboatsaver.com/

Collinite makes one of the best Carnuba marine waxes, Here is a link for them : http://www.waxbytes.com/marine.html

[foo]

Are you using something that is specifically a marine wax?

yes its a polish /wax i found at wal-mart

[foo]

The key to keeping a glass boat shining is to keep the Gel Coat sealed.

Gel Coat is the outer layer of your boat, made of polyester resin, about 1/16th of an inch thick. Pigments and metalflake or polyflake are added to get your color ordered.

Boats are made inside out in a highly polished fiberglass mold.
Clear coat is sprayed in first, then any striping/arrows, etc. are taped off and sprayed in, then the Gel is sprayed in.  Very time consuming and a lot of hand labor involved.

Gel coat is very hard, but also porous, if seen under a high powered lens you can see why dirt , scum will adhere easily to unprotected Gel Coat.  This is very noticeable on white hulled boats that are not protected, the hull starts to turn a yellowish color from the Gel Coat breakdown.  Not as noticeable on colored metalflake  boats, but it is happening when the Gel Coat is not well protected.

You see a lot of questions on boating boards asking how to " fix " dull top caps, etc.
The key is preventing Oxidation from occurring. Oxidation is what causes the dulling, and eventual breakdown of the clear coat/gel coat.

3 things are needed for Oxidation; Oxygen, Heat and UV radiation.
Eliminate  one of the three and you will slow down the process.

A good wax or sealant will help to eliminate this. This wax layer diffuses (refracts) both UV and infrared radiation from the sun. Without the wax/sealant coating, the radiation is absorbed by the pigment in the gel coat causing it to over heat, and trigger the chemical reaction that will dry out, dull and oxidize the surface.
Once oxidation gets too bad, the actual clear coat wears off, exposing the Gel Coat to the Sun.
On some older boats that were not kept well waxed, you can actually feel the metalflakes coming thru the gel coat when this has happened.

The 2 most used ways to prevent oxidation are :

Protect the Gel Coat with a paste wax.
Any good paste wax with a high Carnuba content will protect.
Most retail waxes only contain between 3 % and 5 % pure Carnuba, the more Carnuba, the higher the price.

Pros = Inexpensive, easy to find decent paste wax, easy to use. Will seal the Gel Coat initially.

Cons = paste waxes will start to break down and melt in High air temps/humidity, mid to high 90 degree temps.
High air temps and friction from the water will remove a lot of the wax layer.
If boat is used in these conditions, paste wax should be applied every couple of months, or sooner.
Hard to find high Carnuba content wax, can be very expensive.

Another option is a Polymer  Sealer for the gel coat.

One of the best made is a product called Pro - Tec.

A Polymer sealer forms a chemical bond with the Gel Coat to seal the pores preventing contaminants from settling in the pores.

Pros = Bonds to Gel Coat , sealing pores. Usually will last up to 6 months.  Not affected by high heat/sun/brackish water.
Holds a high gloss shine.

Cons = hard to find. Boat must be stripped of any wax first before applying, use a solution like Simple Green/water to wash/strip the wax.
Two coats needed, must wait 12 hours between the 2 coats.

Bass Boat saver is an excellent product, contains UV inhibitors and wax.
A 5 minute wipe down at the ramp with it  or any similar product will help keep your Wax/Sealant working like it should.
Another feature from using this type of wipe down product is that after  the first few times, you'll notice that the scum lines and water spots will become less noticeable and much easier to wipe off.

If you have any questions on Gel Coat/Fiberglass or how they are used in boat construction I'll be glad to help ya.

Basscat7

http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html

http://www.bassboatsaver.com/

Collinite makes one of the best Carnuba marine waxes, Here is a link for them : http://www.waxbytes.com/marine.html

thanks for the info basscat 7, i'll check it out.