Boat Waxing

A

armauro

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GW gel coat is only so so IMHO compared tp other manufacturers so in the Florida climate I want to use the best for shine/durability. any suggestions based on personal use- I know a lot re car detailing and what works best there. Any one have experience with Rejex, collonite, meguirs, etc.
Thanks
 
I use Garry's wax. It is the favorite at my club.
If the finish is dull ( oxidized) you will need to rub it out with polishing compound first.
 
I used Rejex last year for the first time. Pulling off the shrinkwrap, it still looks very good.
 
I'm a fan of Yacht Brite and try/using a Miracle cloth for the metal. the things are awesome.
 
Armauro,
I have used both Rejex and Collonite 885 and I prefer Collonite. Rejex is fine on a perfect surface but Collonite fills in little scratches and cleans little dirty spots better than Rejex. I'm in freshwater and store my boat inside but Collonite 885 is the best wax I've ever used in 22 yrs of owning boats.
 
Collinites

My brother and I both use Collinite 925. In the Chesapeake, the water has this brown scuz in it that will discolor your hull over time if you do not protect it. Neither boat has any of that brown scuz line. And bringing it out of winter storage it was still very glossy. It's an easy wax to do by hand if you have a good base underneath.
 
Step 1: Clean boat surfaces

Step 2: Use Collinites 920 Fiberglass Cleaner

Step 3: Use Collinites 885 Paste Wax on all smooth surfaces

Step 4: Use Collinites Metal Wax on all metal surfaces

Step 5: Use Woody Wax on Hardtop and any non-skid

Step 6: Step back, put on your sunglasses to avoid the shine burning your eyes and know it will last like that ALL season.

...The reason the 920 is important is it chemically prepares the surface for the 885 paste wax. I made the mistake of letting a "Professional" do my boat last season because I was too busy. They used another product.....Never looked as good and the boat had to be hauled out mid-season and redone. Never again, I just finished waxing her up last week and she'll splash this weekend. Only thing I'll have to touch up is the Woody wax....Everything else will be good for the year.
 
Stupid question I have...

Can you use Collonite on cars??
If it lasts all season on a boat in salt water, maybe it will work as good in New England thru the bad weather here year round on the truck.
 
Not a stupid question....I've often wondered if it would work....it's designed for fiberglass but carnuba is carnuba so the wax ought to work fine......I wouldn't use the cleaner though....
 
What I do is wash the boat with joy-this will strip off the old wax.

Tools I use are as follows.

High Speed Milwaukee just like this.
http://shopping.msn.com/results/polishe ... :Milwaukee

Now I only Polish " low grit polishing compound" if the hull needs it because you are in a sense wet polishing the gelcoat. I use thick wool pads and get nice results.

Then I will use the same machine to apply the wax "take your pick" but use a thinner wool pad to work the wax in. The high speed of the buffer that will generate some heat helps to inbed the wax into the gelcoat.

Swril marks are due to to much wax so if thats a problem you can us a thin top coat "take your pick" product to go over the hull then enjoy.

This type of process will bring back an old hull but you have to practice to prevent burning thru the gelcoat. And never bear down on the buffer just let the products and the weight of the machine do the work.
 
It's been reported over at THT, a more economical choice of the varibale speed tool can be found at Harbor Freight, I've never used it but perhaps next year will.

If the use is non commercial & seasonal, should be just fine.
 
Thanks to this thread I went and bought some collinate #870 at lunch-
I am lazy and didnt want to do the two step process-
Did half the boat after work with a buffer on / buffer off process -
Worked great and looks pretty good!
Thanks
Tim
 
Collinite products all the way. If you have a hazed hull, use colinite hull cleaner first, it will get out any discoloriztion and will bring the gelcoat back to a natural finish. If that did not do the trick, either using a polish to fill in the pores will work, followed by collinite fleetwax, if the hazing is still bad, a compound might be needed.

Do you remove the wax before you rewax each time? I know your season is mostly year round and know that many boaters forget to do so and think the wax is gone and just rewax, but really your covering over old wax that might not be as effective but will not leave a dull color under the new wax, over time it harms the gelcoat and makes it look chaulky. It is recommended to always use a hull cleaner or wax remover before you add more unless your putting on several coats in a short period of time.

Finesse it II works well also, will remove swirl marks and oxidation, I believe it is a little more harsh then colinite hull cleaner, but not as abrasive as a compound. It has been a few years since I used it, but it worked well on our old Grady.
 
I followed Fishermanbb's suggestion and got some Collinite 920 cleaner and 885 paste wax and all I can say is wow

thats some serious stuff!!! I only did a small area so far to test it and man does it look great

thanks for your help with this!!!
 
If the wax is applied properly and is still on the boat it is not likely that the streaks are "Under" the wax. Sounds to m like "Black Streaks" which can be hard to remove even on a wax surface. There are several brands of "Black Streak Remover" that work very well and don't remove the wax when applied. Try that next time and see how it turns out....
 
Michigan Brian said:
I followed Fishermanbb's suggestion and got some Collinite 920 cleaner and 885 paste wax and all I can say is wow

thats some serious stuff!!! I only did a small area so far to test it and man does it look great

thanks for your help with this!!!
Click to expand...

I did the same last weekend and the finish is show room new. I had the the name from the original owner begin to show though during the winter(area where the old name application was less faded and you could make out the name) The clenaer did not remove it but when I applied the paste wax it somehow blended it away. Fantastic stuff!!!
 
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