Waxing Boat

[Jbirk]

Hi,

I have a boat I take to a lake some weekends. Overtime the bottom got a little bit dirty...

It is kind of big, so it won't be possible to turn it upside down, but I am wondering if car wash, clay, ... wax would be a good thing.

Anyone have any experience?

I figure the paint is in the water 24/7 when the boat is in water, so i would like to seal it with something.

[Murr1525]

Meguiars makes a full line of boat care products,and products for gel coats, etc. Check out the Marine products in the online store. I have never used them, or anything, but based on the car products, I am sure they are very good.

[mirrorfinishman]

If the bottom is painted, there's not much you can do other than remove the old paint and repaint the bottom.

However, if the bottom of your boat still has the original fiberglass gelcoat that's never been painted, then there are a few other things you can do. For example, you could use one of Meguiar's Boat Care Cleaners/Compounds;

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Boat/RV%20Care%3ECleaners/Compounds&sectionID=53101

[Jbirk]

The boat has an aluminum hull I think. And yes, it is painted at the factory as it is not fiberglass.

It is very shiny and looks okay right now. I just put NXT wax on it. I don't think that will cause any problems.

[Murr1525]

Certainly wont hurt anything. Some of the boat products could be formulated differently for that sort of environment, but who knows. Plenty of people use the car products on painted boats.

[Jbirk]

Well I will let you know if anything bad happens. Everything looks okay and the boat is in the water in San Diego... it is staying afloat...

[mirrorfinishman]

Since it's painted, the NXT should by fine. The #21 polymer would be good too.

[GTScott]

I have used the Meguiars Marine line on my jetskis with WONDERFUL results. While I love their automotive products, I must say that I was even more impressed with the marine line. I do, however, have the luxury of being able to readily remove them from the water in order to detail them.

I am going to give the line a shot on my Fountain this fall. I will be interested in what you find works for use in the water.

-GT

[Prestigious]

I have a 45' Ocean Yacht that I need to detail, which is in the water.. a lot of oxidation. I haven't had to detail a boat yet. Any suggestions on how to remove the oxidation with only a orbital buffer? I've started up my own detailing business, with my own money (which is very little) and have been unable to purchase all the equipment needed. And approx. how much compound, polish, wax should I purchase for a job like this?

[refurbish]

I hear the marine one step is good
also the Flagship wax is great !

I wish my start up cost to run my business in FL. was little

commercial ins., garage keepers ins.,city lic.,county lic.,D.o.r,etc...
( lol ) oh well

[roushstage2]

Originally posted by Prestigious
Any suggestions on how to remove the oxidation with only a orbital buffer?

Whatever product you use, put it on a wool bonnet and have a go at it. Use the edge of the buffer, not the whole thing, and put some pressure on it. Then go over it again, but with a terry bonnet, same procedure. You can remove both with a clean terry bonnet- use the edge.

The wool bonnet will take off a lot of the oxidation if you use the correct product, and the terry bonnet will kind of finish it off.

[mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by Prestigious
I have a 45' Ocean Yacht that I need to detail, which is in the water.. a lot of oxidation. I haven't had to detail a boat yet. Any suggestions on how to remove the oxidation with only a orbital buffer? I've started up my own detailing business, with my own money (which is very little) and have been unable to purchase all the equipment needed. And approx. how much compound, polish, wax should I purchase for a job like this?

A 45 foot Ocean Yacht is a rather large boat to be doing as your first boat detailing, especially since it has a lot of oxidation. One thing to keep in mind when working on fiberglass is to always consider the age of the boat and the general condition of the gelcoat. Unless the fiberglass has been polished and waxed on a regular basis, it could be very difficult to get the fiberglass back to like-new condition.

Since it sounds like you are just starting out doing some boat detailing, you would be very smart to begin with much smaller boats, such as those under 25 feet and boats that are in very good condition, such as those less than five years old. That way you will be able to ease your way into knowing how to handle older boats in neglected condition.

Just my thoughts...