Wax or ????

What do you guys use to protect your gel-coat? I just got done polishing mine back to brand new condition and would like to keep it protected....

Boat bling. It's legit. Used it for 4 years. What can I say, it's amazing.

Bow to Stern (BTS)

3m marine wax. Easy to remove needs multiple coats.

I have started using Turtle Wax ICE on my cars and have been very impressed. I tired it on the boat last week and am happy with the results.

The cool thing is that is doesn't' leave a white residue so you don't have to worry about staying away from seams, raised letters, etc. It also cuts the time requited to do the job by more than 50%.

303 Protectorant Search and you will find many including myself who have used it for years. No waxing and the hull on my 94 Prostar 205 looked fantastic. No fading, has UVA/UVB protection. One product for use all over boat is another thing I like. I had used many waxes over the years. Best for boats would have some PTFE (Teflon) and hoilds up well and keeps hull very nice. Went to the 303 and will never look back.

Do you guys hand wax it or use a machine? I bought a grinder style (not orbital) polisher to buff out the oxidation but not sure if I should use it for the wax as well.

By hand to scared to use an orbital etc... don't want to burn the gel but that is just me.

if you like this stuff try Meguiars Ultimate Liquid or Zaino... you will be amazed at the difference!

I just really want something that will make the water bead up and avoid water spots

I have heard all the horror stories about the use of car waxes on a boats gelcoat.. Turnes it yellow, etc.. I have never really seen it.. All the car guys says its perfectly safe and people pushing marine waxes says it's not?? I honestly don't know but would love to, maybe with pictures??

Bow to Stern, only thing I found that wont bake a water spot on my wifes black jet ski in the 110 degree Texas sun. A bass fisherman told me about it and I been using it ever since. I'm a true believer and don't know anyone or have any stake in the company.

Read up on that Bow To Stern... Seems pretty legit!

I'm pretty damn inpressed, cheap and alittle goes along way. I just wonder why they target fisherman and not the whole marine industry.

No wax!!Dulls.Use Liquid Glass google it and read about it.Use it all the time just adds deeper prizm effect with more applications.Protects with hard finish.Clear .

Originally Posted by smiller

I have heard all the horror stories about the use of car waxes on a boats gelcoat.. Turnes it yellow, etc.. I have never really seen it.. All the car guys says its perfectly safe and people pushing marine waxes says it's not?? I honestly don't know but would love to, maybe with pictures??

After conducting extensive R&D prior to creating the Boat Bling line of detailing products we learned a number of things rarely known outside the realm of chemists and professional detailers. I could go on for pages but I'll keep it to the point.

What causes yellowing on a boat that is waxed religiously? This is a 2 part answer:
1) Gelcoat is porous whereas automotive urethane finishes are for all intents and purposes not. Old wax builds up in these pores and if not fully removed chemically or manually prior to the next wax application it will continue to build up.

2) The majority of carnuba based waxes on the market contain very low grade, diluted carnuba wax mixed with other chemicals. Pure carnuba is incredibly expensive (we're talking $100+ for just a few ounces) and also very difficult to work with. Far too much trouble for the average consumer. These low grade carnubas will discolor to yellow or brown once dried out.

Combine gelcoat pores with build up of old waxes, dirt, hard water solids, etc and you have yellowed gelcoat within a few seasons. Fortunately it is usually 100% reversible with an acid etch, heavy buff, or worst case..colorsanding.

Carnuba wax leaves a beautiful gloss finish which is why it's an easy sell however it does not hold up to the marine environment like a silicone based wax leaving your unprotected gelcoat exposed. This was the primary reason we only use silicone waxes in our products. High quality silicone wax also degrades at a much, much slower rate so it will not yellow over time. You may notice that even the traditional auto wax manufacturers have released silicone based waxes to their lineup for this reason.

Ultimately, the better the wax coat the easier it will be to remove waterspots. I can not stress this enough.

If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly!

zack@boatbling.net

Starbrite premium cleaner wax with ptef. The stuff just out lasts everything else ive ever used. I dont really use anything automotive on gel just because it doesn't seem to cut the oxidation. If its heavily oxidized i use 3m marine one step cleaner and wax with a buffer. Truthfully your going to get a thousand different answers on this forum so best answer is find something mentioned on here at a local store and try it.

Originally Posted by FunkyBunch

By hand to scared to use an orbital etc... don't want to burn the gel but that is just me.

Just out of curiosity have you ever experienced burning the gel coat. Im just curious because i have never heard that.

I have seen clear coat on a car get burnt through (first hand) but I'm pretty sure gel coat is a lot thicker. An older boat like mine might be a little thin depending on how many times it was polished though.

More of just heating up the gel to much from the friction. Like raf said gel is pretty thick to remove the entire layer. I have not done it to gel but have to a lacquer finish in the past which is why I don't want to do it again.

Zack, how come boat bling doesn't make an actual boat wax?

I ask because gel coat is the only thing i know of that cant be burned through. You can take paint stripper, lacquer thinner, acetone, and a buffing wheel to it all day long and still not remove it. Clear coat on the other hand. Thats why marine buffing compound has so much abrasive in it. I was just curious as to why you guys thought that.

Originally Posted by newmy79

Zack, how come boat bling doesn't make an actual boat wax?

We offer the Quickie Sauce which is essentially a pure form of the silcone polymer based wax sealant found in our more popular product, Hot Sauce. Many assume it is a quick detailer by the name but it is a true wax product. It gets the Quickie name because of how easily it is applied and buffed off.

Quickie Sauce can be applied by hand or machine but most importantly it is designed to dry to a haze before buffing off in a fine powder. There are too many products that go on easy but take forever to buff off. This was the primary goal when creating the product, something that was simple to use and provided long lasting protection from the elements.

It also acts as a sealant to prevent those hard water spots from sticking to the gelcoat. There's no way around water spots but if the underlying surface is sealed and protected they become much easier to remove at the end of the day.

PS: Even though Boat Bling is a WakeWorld sponsor I prefer not to shamelessly promote our products in threads. When detailing questions are asked I do my best to share some of what we've learned along the way

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me directly with any questions.

zack@boatbling.net

Its cool that Zack is on here. But I can vouge. After 4 seasons and 400 hours my last boat looked cherry and sold for top dollar and I can truly say it was because of using all the boat bling products EVERYTIME we used the boat. When I got my boat I just ordered their turbo deluxe package and it lasted me 2 seasons. Then I ordered another. Works out to be less then $100 a year putting on 100 hours. All awesome products and the smell of the hot sauce just reminds me of summer.

I operate exclusively in salt water. I am probably older than most on this site and have owned many boats over a 35 year period. The best wax for marine use on the market hands down is Collinite Fleetwax. This is backed up from years of independent testing that you can read on the internet. But there is no free lunch. The key is proper surface preparation. Using a gelcoat cleaner prior to waxing is a must. If there is gelcoat fading, then a rubbing compound is required. If the gelcoat is in real bad shape, then wet sanding is required. Most people will not put this kind of effort into their boat. Also, since this is a paste wax, it takes a lillte more effort to apply. I am not associated with Collinite in any way; just a long time user of the products....

Regardless of the product you use, proper gelcoat surface prep is the key.....

BTS just posted on thier facebook they have a few blemished (got wet) gallons for sale. $15 off per gallon thats $35 for 2 years worth of wax, better hurry.