Boat polishing - Meguiar's High Gloss Polish 45

[LadyJ]

I've just finished the cleaning and polishing of my boat hull prior to her being spawned next week. I used the above product as my old one had run out and have now been advised that I should also be waxing rather than finishing with the high gloss polish. Is that essential or would you be happy stopping at the high gloss polish 45. My boat is 2 years old so hull has not needed any rubbing compound and has been polished 3 times since she was launched but never waxed. Thanks for any advice.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Thee consensus seems to be that waxing will protect for much longer than just polish. Unfortunately for my boats they're lucky if they get an occasional wash, let alone polish or wax! But I do have a locker full of various lotions and potions, some unopened and most partly used until I got either tired or bored, usually both.................

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

A good waxing should keep it shiny in the UK for the season ... waxing is essential and saves the finish from deteriorating in the sun. If you can hose off the salt with fresh water after going out each time, this will also help any fading - most of all though give it a jolly good waxing ... or two!

 

[Bouba]

Thee consensus seems to be that waxing will protect for much longer than just polish. Unfortunately for my boats they're lucky if they get an occasional wash, let alone polish or wax! But I do have a locker full of various lotions and potions, some unopened and most partly used until I got either tired or bored, usually both.................

I'm with you on that one, if I did it myself the cost of the follow up osteopathy would make it uneconomical. In Africa I once caught the man polishing my boat using sandpaper, so I've always since been sceptical of letting other people do it for me. But I must find someone soon, the boat deserves it.

 

[gjgm]

The wax is the protection so you definitely should do this. Scotchgard marine wax..the purple bottle..is very easy to apply and rub off by hand...in fact it is easier using this than washing the boat! Maguires do one called Flagship if you want to stick with the same manufacturer. In a totally unscientific assessment I prefer the Scotchgard.

 

[Anthony]

My understanding is that polish is applied first to help 'feed' the gelcoat (this maybe an oversimplification), wax is then applied to form a barrier to help protect it (from UV etc). The theory goes if you just apply polish then the benifical effect will not last as long as when wax is applied over the top of it. Given that the time taken to polish and wax is a fraction of the days of effort it takes to cut the suface (if needed), it seems a bit of a no brainer to apply polish and then wax as they are both done gently (and relativley quickley) by hand (even if the Meguiars is quite expensive).

I cut mine about 4 months ago with 3M, then applied Meguires polish then Meguirss wax, water still beads off the hull, so I will try to regularlry wash, polish and wax to prevent having to cut it again any time soon.

What I am not sure of is whether it is worth keep polish if it has been waxed, i.e. does the polish get thru to the gelcoat to do anything if it has a decent layer of wax on it.

Note that some people warn about using certain types of wash liquid which may strip the wax off, I do use Meguires boat wash on the basis that it should be compatible but that could just be a rumour started by their marketing dept to sell more bottles of wash (its actually not bad price if you buy the big 5L containers).

Ants

 

[gjgm]

The polish is a mild abrasive. The wax is the protective barrier.

 

[Montemar]

The polish is a mild abrasive. The wax is the protective barrier.

Thus the "polish" is not really a polish but the marine equivalent of T-Cut.
I always thought that Turtle Wax for cars was an abrasive and wax combined. Would this or a special marine equivalent be the simple option?

 

[pks1702]

Worth a look if you have not seen it before

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?443397-Protection-product-test

 

[gjgm]

Given the tough environment for boats, it seems polish followed by wax is more successful than a shortcut two in one product. Two in one products of course do work but I don't think last that long. Good for a touch up but not maybe for the main event.

 

[LadyJ]

Many thanks for all your comments, needless to say I awoke early and was first at the chandlers so I could get the hull fully waxed before the rain came in. Only product they had was International UV Wax Sealer so that's what I used. Once I'm back in the water I'll do the rest of the boat with polish and the wax. Hopefully the weather improves.

 

[gjgm]

As it happens, been doing the polishing today. Normally I prefer 3m Finesse it (marine), but seemed to have a couple of bottles of Maguires...on the pretty good condition side of the boat, that worked fine, but on the side that catches the sun, Maguires really didn't seem effective..3m did the trick. Guess, horses for courses.
Re wax, I have just found that the 3m purple bottle is so easy to use and seems to bead all season.