boat polish and wax

[odrisc2]

recommened a polish and wax (make water beed off) for a white fiberglass hull in good condition.

just make it look shiny.

hand application..

 

[colingr]

Starbright hull cleaner then Starbright hull polish.

 

[[70521]]

I use and like

https://boatbuddy.org.uk/

 

[gjgm]

recommened a polish and wax (make water beed off) for a white fiberglass hull in good condition.

just make it look shiny.

hand application..

3m finesse-it2 and 3m marine wax,the black and purple bottle. The wax especially is very easy to apply and seems v.good to me.
Maguire Flagship range, but personally I don't find it quite as easy to use.
500ml bottle goes a long way...as a guide maybe 250 to 350ml on say 30ft boat.
I suspect the condition of the grp is going to be more significant than which product you use!

 

[Firefly625]

3M Ultra Performance paste wax. Easy to use and excellent.

https://www.marinesuperstore.com/boat-cleaning/polishes-waxes/3m-marine-ultra-performance-paste-wax

 

[Portofino]

I,ve been using Dulon 2 , it’s a two pack .

Hand applications you say ! Hmm what ever you use really you need a electric polisher ck out the silver line range . I think you are kinda knackered trying to hand polish ,comparing the finished results with mech polishing btw .

Suspect a lot are a much of a muchness or just what the chandelier happened to have going cheap from the reply’s above .

I use what the yard use Arie D Boom and they polish loads of boats ,so figure they know what works .
Two packing is a phaff over a once over but you asked what folks use .
Boats blue and a 2001 original gel coat baked in the Med

They say a pic paints a 1000 words .:encouragement:
The water beading really does last a full season

https://imgur.com/gallery/m1X3t

 

[odrisc2]

I use and like

https://boatbuddy.org.uk/

have you used their polish and wax combination? its in the one bottle

 

[Marine Reflections]

Any polish / wax will make the water bead, but for how long?

You're chasing what everyone wants, minimal effort and maximum results.

gigm has hit the nail on the head, the condition is where you'll get more results than a magic bottle.

I'm afraid condition is where the magic lives.

 

[oldgit]

A budget conscious boat owner of several decades might suggest a tub of "Silky" left to dry and washed off with bucket of water with proprietary car wax wash will last for a goodly time.
None of the products mentioned above have the words marine or boat anywhere on the container.
Tub of Silky £6.99
5L of Comma wash/wax £13.00.

Forget Y10. 500g of Oxylic acid on Ebay. £3.99. Dilute to suit, instant rust stain remover.

 

[Mr Googler]

meguiars flagship Is good. It has a very fine cut to it as it removes marks/oxidation.

Very happy with it

 

[petem]

My hull is blue and is a little faded despite spending its life in the UK. I'm not sure I want to have it machine polished twice a year so am pretty much resigned to it looking great for a few months then gradually dulling as the year goes by.

Is this the way it works or are there any miracle cures out there (other than painting or wrapping)?

 

[Hot Property]

My hull had a blue tinge to it as well. I thought some heavy duty cutting compound would be all that I needed.

What it actually required was sanding with 1000 grit sandpaper on an orbital sander then 3m fast cut compound and a final uv polish to protect the surface.

To say I am pleased with the result is an understatement!

 

[Portofino]

None of the products mentioned above have the words marine or boat anywhere on the container.
.

http://www.dulon.com/en/products/consumer

See Dulon 1+2

Should have gone to spec savers

@ PeteM
As inferred above
1- quality of the original- your starting point
2- time and effort put in -
3 - actual product chosen .

You are stuck with 1 but can vary 2 and 3 .

 

[gjgm]

My hull is blue and is a little faded despite spending its life in the UK. I'm not sure I want to have it machine polished twice a year so am pretty much resigned to it looking great for a few months then gradually dulling as the year goes by.

Is this the way it works or are there any miracle cures out there (other than painting or wrapping)?

It might be the blue needs a bit more correction than polish alone to get you back to a decent base. I just looked into wrap..fine if you have a new sponsor logo each month but comments around the yard suggest it only works longer term if you do not get bumps and scrapes...otherwise you get too many sticking plaster type repairs. And not cheap compared to a bottle of compounding...assumes your gel is up to it.
Re wrap..I also noticed that of course any gel unevenness shows through the wrap...It looks great on day one...guess it depends how much minor damage you get a year.

 

[petem]

This is the rear quarter last June...

...which looks pretty good. As per my post, a year later and it's dulled a fair bit. I don't think it will be much effort to bring it back but I think I have to accept that the rear quarter on my boat will always fade during the course of a season (I can't be bothered faffing about with covers as some people do).

Talking of machine versus hand polishing, my white bits are in very good shape. Would it be an option to have the hull machine polished out of the water then hand polish the boat above the waterline myself when it's back in the water (e.g. by using a combined polish and UV wax as linked to above)?

 

[Firefly625]

My hull is blue and is a little faded despite spending its life in the UK. I'm not sure I want to have it machine polished twice a year so am pretty much resigned to it looking great for a few months then gradually dulling as the year goes by.

Is this the way it works or are there any miracle cures out there (other than painting or wrapping)?

Pete, I am not sure there is any miracle cure... my Mitchell looks great after a polish but it fades over the season.. although a right fussy bugger I accept my boat is not as young as it once was, if I compound the hell out of it each season the gel coat will get thin so I respect the age of my boat by being gentle with the polishing and she comes up to a standard that satisfies me when I look at her and over the season from a few paces away she always looks OK... close inspection not necessary!

I'll add a pic... this was her a few weeks back all ready for the season ahead. Not bad for an old girl..

and this was her in November last year, looked pretty faded then but in the photo its not horrendous and actually as I said from a respectful distance she looked OK... I mean if your boat is not brand spanking new you got to give it some leeway.. if you looked closely at Julia Roberts you may see some imperfections... although as my imaginary second wife I still think she is stunning.. .

 

[Portofino]

Pete fading of blue haunches is a perennial problem in the Med .
More so if the boats positioned with the stern facing S .
You just have to accept it ,heres a few tips

Rinse the salt off when back in the marina with the dock hose .
Salt crystals act as amplifiers with the strong UV .

Yes you can give them a mid season polish with a wax as you go along .
I have a little 12 V car hand polisher for minor jobs like this .Use my OB bat .

The suggestion going Fwds eventually is paint when you are ready .
Said to not need a full annual labour intensive mech polish like gel coat .Instead just a wash .
So I guess folks who do not DIY can work there own maths re cost savings / year ,knocking the hull polish on the head Vs the cost of a repaint .Bit like copper coat Vs antifoul maths , there’s a payback time —- somewhere ?

I guess like any resto job , classic cars inc there’s painting and painting - it’s all in the prep .Time hours etc .So quotes will vary wildly.

Back to fading blue ( or any colour ) in the Med
Hull polish / wax is a must every year .
Some are effected worse than others .
I would say from observation FL are in the top group re original start point quality.

From what I can see from your pics you are 1000 000 miles away from a paint job at the mo

Princess went through a sticky patch ( scuse the pun ) on my old berth - lady opersite- brand new V42 last run out modal , ended up repainted haunches after only 4 years , they “caulked “ went Matt very quickly.
Seen a few black SS to “ caulk “ and need correction via paint .Although my blue SS was a good un - as seen in the pics ^^^ I linked .

Bavaria and Benetaux are real shockers - gel coat caulking wise - seen new coloured boats fade rapidly.

https://imgur.com/gallery/bNgD1

 

[gjgm]

This is the rear quarter last June...

...which looks pretty good. As per my post, a year later and it's dulled a fair bit. I don't think it will be much effort to bring it back but I think I have to accept that the rear quarter on my boat will always fade during the course of a season (I can't be bothered faffing about with covers as some people do).

Talking of machine versus hand polishing, my white bits are in very good shape. Would it be an option to have the hull machine polished out of the water then hand polish the boat above the waterline myself when it's back in the water (e.g. by using a combined polish and UV wax as linked to above)?

I found that once the blue was compounded back a bit..and I dont mean each year.. then not surprisingly a polish and wax lasted much better. I would normally get through to November, say. The winter months seem a bit hard so a bit of tlc will mean the gel is easier to smarten up in spring.
The side that gets the sun and the rear quarters are always the worst.
Just how it is. And so is everyone elses!!

 

[petem]

Thanks, I think a light machine polish of the blue is the way to go. I don't want to overdo it. I shall instruct my man accordingly!

How practical is it to do the are above the rubbing strake by hand with a combined polish and wax?

 

[rafiki_]

3M Ultra Performance paste wax. Easy to use and excellent.

https://www.marinesuperstore.com/boat-cleaning/polishes-waxes/3m-marine-ultra-performance-paste-wax

Not Silveryak James?