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Waxing after wet sand


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We get our 'bu back from the gelcoat spa this Friday Yahoo.gif and I want to make sure I do the right thing in protecting it after its wet sanding. The boat will be returned to us detailed to the polished state but before waxing. I'll have to pull it 5 miles from the shop back to our garage. I'm assuming I should give it a good wash (mild car wash detergent) to make sure I get rid of any dust I pick up on the way back. Is there anything else I should plan on doing prior to waxing?

Also, I have a tin of Mothers carnauba paste wax that I'm planning on using as long as its appropriate for gelcoat. Does anyone know of any reason it might not be appropriate? I know there are a lot of waxes out there and people have their favorites. For right now I'll be satisfied with getting a good coat of wax on to provide some protection. I figure I can come back later this summer with the be-all/end-all of waxes if needed.

Once the boat is waxed up I'm planning on using the tropical toilet tonic to keep spotting down followed by spray-on detailing wax. What are the key things to look for in determining when its time to do another full wax on it?

Thanks for your help!

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I don't know that I'd use the Topical Tonic on it for that purpose, I would think that it would strip the wax. I saw firsthand at the Ski Clinic how well Babe's Boat Bright works for keeping the spots down on waxed boats, that's what I'm going to try & get my hands on for wipe down on the ramp.

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I don't know that I'd use the Topical Tonic on it for that purpose, I would think that it would strip the wax. I saw firsthand at the Ski Clinic how well Babe's Boat Bright works for keeping the spots down on waxed boats, that's what I'm going to try & get my hands on for wipe down on the ramp.

I'm definitely happy with babe's...it's just expensive by the 16oz bottle even when you find it one sale. But, one of my ski buddies just picked up 1 gallon of babe's spray wax cleaner through a friend for $30 at a local shop. I'm trying to find out which one -- comes to just under $4 a 16oz bottle, very reasonable. if you order direct, you have to pay $10 shipping.

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I'd wash it with dish soap to remove any oils or any other crap left over from the shop,grit dirty hand prints polishes etc. then polish and wax or just wax if she already shining to your satisfaction. AFTER you clean and wax only wash with a mild car wash.

Just my tried and true opinion of course.

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I don't know that I'd use the Topical Tonic on it for that purpose, I would think that it would strip the wax. I saw firsthand at the Ski Clinic how well Babe's Boat Bright works for keeping the spots down on waxed boats, that's what I'm going to try & get my hands on for wipe down on the ramp.

Wiping down the boat after you get it out of the water helps big time. Also Wash-Wax All is a product you can spray on a wet boat to clean and put a light coat of wax as you dry at the ramp. For a polish/wax, I like Starbright with teflon. Works great and it's easy to use. I think it protects longer than anything else I've used. (Meguire's #26, Turtle Wax Ultimate, Finish 2000) I have not used any of the Babe's products yet.

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After reading so many opinions on this subject I found every one has their favorite. However, there was one common theme and agreement: Make sure the wax is marine grade. Cars and boat surfaces are different. Also, It seems those in the "know" don't wax below the water line. The wax increases surface tension and slows the boat down. I have found if I wipe the boat down with a towel after loading on the trailer I don't have any spot issues (even on the black) I do use a detail spray which seems to help the job go faster.

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After reading so many opinions on this subject I found every one has their favorite. However, there was one common theme and agreement: Make sure the wax is marine grade. Cars and boat surfaces are different. Also, It seems those in the "know" don't wax below the water line. The wax increases surface tension and slows the boat down. I have found if I wipe the boat down with a towel after loading on the trailer I don't have any spot issues (even on the black) I do use a detail spray which seems to help the job go faster.

Actually, this part isn't true. I rowed competitively on my high school and college crew teams for a number of years, and an unwaxed boat is slower than a waxed boat. Really you want the bottom to be as smooth as possible. This will lessen the drag under the boat and make it go faster. Before we'd race, we'd put a coat of wax on it, and then buff it VERY well to make sure there wasn't any excess wax. This protected the boat and made it fun smoother through the water.

If you really want your boat to go faster, when you get in the water, take some ivory soap and pour it in front of your boat and drive through it. The ivory soap will stick to your boat and make less drag between the boat and the water. It's also illegal to do that before a race... but who would know? Innocent.gif

Now having said all that, It makes a difference on crew boats. But on a power boat, I don't think waxing or not will make a difference. Maybe .001mph. The Ivory soap will last 2 seconds on a power boat. On a crew shell, it lasts probably 5 min. (Long enough for half a race). Waxing is more astetic than anything else. It will make your boat last longer, but with the speed of water going over the hull, I don't think wax lasts long and so it's just more work than it's worth. It's not that it's bad to do it to the underside.

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Make sure the wax is marine grade. Cars and boat surfaces are different.

I don't know if this part is true since I've never used marine grade wax before. But I will say that I've used Mother's carnuba & while I love that wax for cars (just thinking of the way it smells takes me to my happy place :)), I've never thought that it lasted as long as it should on a boat. So this time I'm going to try the 3M Marine Paste Wax. We'll see how it does, for the price that G.I. Joe's gets for it it should last 3 seasons. Crazy.gif

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Make sure the wax is marine grade. Cars and boat surfaces are different.

I don't know if this part is true since I've never used marine grade wax before. But I will say that I've used Mother's carnuba & while I love that wax for cars (just thinking of the way it smells takes me to my happy place :)), I've never thought that it lasted as long as it should on a boat. So this time I'm going to try the 3M Marine Paste Wax. We'll see how it does, for the price that G.I. Joe's gets for it it should last 3 seasons. Crazy.gif

I'd be curious to see if Marine grade wax's are more durable, but not as nice of waxes. Waxing boats sounds like a trade off between a more durable wax and a nicer looking wax that you will have to apply more often.

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IMO as fars as waxing anything that has a good UV protectant is good. The wax is not going stay on the boat what with the water and wiping off for spots. For water spots I use white vinegar and water mix, then go over with spray/wipe of Meguiars Professional Final Inspection#34. It is about $22.00 a gallon. For my cars and truck I use Zymol wax. Holds for about 6 washes.

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Well, we finished up the detail on ours today & used the 3M paste that I referenced earlier. I have mixed feelings about it & how I think it will hold up. It went on & came off really nice, it's awfully good/easy to work with. But that's the part that has me wondering how it will hold up. I'm from the school of believing that the harder the wax is to work on & off, the better it will hold up. This stuff came off much, much easier than the Mother's Carnuba that I'm used to using. It does have a mixture of several different kinds of waxes in it & among them is carnuba, so we'll see how it goes. It does look fantastic though, easily as good as a wax job using the Mother's. :)

Mike,

I've got a gallon of Babe's Boat Bright coming, so if you want to give some a try let me know.

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Thanks for all your input!

I picked up the boat today and it turns out that the shop waxed it for me after all (Meguiars #26 I think). So, the boat is back, better than ever, and all ready to go!

Now, if the weather would cooperate this weekend....

Tracie: I may take you up on trying the Boat Bright. Got to keep George in good shape!

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