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  1. #1
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    Question Boat Waxing Question/Clarification

    I regards to fiberglass bass boats..............Does glaze pretty much mean the same thing as polish? And what is the difference between a wax and a sealer? I think of wax as my final thing and that it "seals" everything you did to get it shiny. But I hear wax and seal used separately a lot by people that know all this stuff.

  2. Member lpugh's Avatar
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    #2
    In the water wax comes off in one outing. Wax does provide a better appearance than sealer but unless you wax after every outing it does not provied much protection, Sealer last much longer, up to a year or more. Seal first then wax. Glaze offers no protection and needs to be applied by machine and is primarily for a showroom finish that last a very short time
    Thank You Leon Pugh

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    #3
    Contrary to what it looks like, gel coat is very porous. Tiny dirt particles, waxes, and foreign materials get trapped in these pores, accelerating the UV degradation and leading to oxidation. Stripping your gel and then sealing it with a good polymer sealant helps prevent this. After sealing, UV protection is needed, either in the form of a wax or polymer product. As mentioned, wax does not last nearly as long as a synthetic liquid polymer product.

    I have a garage full of various products, but now I pretty well use only Pro Tec sealant. It seals, provides a brilliant shine, contains UV protectants, and is very easy to apply and remove, even with my bad shoulders. I strip my boat at the beginning of the season, and then apply two coats of Pro Tec, a day apart. After that, I wash it with a non-stripping boat wash after every trip and re-apply more Pro Tec about once every two weeks. All of the other products that I have tried and accumulated over the years basically are gathering dust in my garage now (waxes, quick detailers, polishes, etc.).
    Last edited by catdude28; 10-15-2018 at 11:42 AM.
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    #4
    THANKS!!

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    #5
    Very good info here. I use a sealer at the beginning of the year. I use 303 once every couple weeks throughout the year for a good uv protection. As long as you follow most of the steps in this post your gel will look great as long as you own the boat. If its been abused a good sand and buff will give you a clean slate to start with
    They aint got hands, set the hook

  6. Member BASSCAT7's Avatar
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    #6

    Waxes, cleaners and polish are different chemical make ups, each do a specific job for the gelcoat.
    Cleaners should be used first to remove stains, pollution build up, scum, etc.

    Any of the light compounds should do a good job cleaning the gelcoat with a buffer or hand scrubbing.
    Meguiars heavy duty gel coat cleaner is a good one for light oxidation removal.

    http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-oxidation-remover-49.html


    For dull gel without much oxidation Meguiars Ultra Cut Compound :http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-mirror-glaze-105-ultra-cut-compound.html



    Polish should be used next, it will remove almost all of the little swirl and scratch marks from the gel left behind from the cleaning compound and leave a glossy, glass like finish

    Meguiars Polish :
    http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-finishing-polish.html


    Wax goes on last to protect and seal the glossy finish the polish put on. A good High caranuba wax will protect the gel from everyday pollution, make scum lines easier to remove after a day on the water , etc.

    Collonite heavy Duty Fleetwax is one of the best:
    http://www.waxbytes.com/marine.html
    A better option than wax after polishing is to use a Polymer sealer on the gelcoat to keep it protected from the UV rays of the sun.



    Pro-Tec makes an excellent polymer sealer for the gelcoat, bonds to the glass and seals the pores to help prevent oxidation.

    http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html






    Not many of the combo wax/cleaners will work well as the cleaner part is usually a compound type to remove stains, etc while the wax is their to protect, kind of like an oxymoron, trying to remove dirt/stains and leave a coat of wax at the same time. Something isn't going to work right.
    To really do it right, all 3 should be a separate step

  7. Member ConstellationCity's Avatar
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    #7
    Good information in this thread!
    2005 Ranger 185DVS

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    #8
    Does anyone know anything about the ceramic coatings for use on a fiberglass boat. The adds that I see about coating autos seems amazing.

  9. Scraps
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    #9
    Glaze just makes it shine for one outing. Otherwise does nothing and washes away quickly..
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    #10
    Excellent. After reading this I think I underrated sealers and failed to understand their importance. I just got my boat a year ago. It's a 2017 and I don't see any serious gelcoat oxidation. I proceeded to wash, polish, and then wax and am very happy with it's appearance. But I'm thinking long term protection. And using a "sealer" is what I need. It sounds like Pro-Tec is good stuff. I've never heard a negative thing about their products and see where many of you swear by them and would give away the other brands they have before they rot away.

  11. Member crank68's Avatar
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    #11
    I buy ProTec Sealant Polish buy the gallon for my shop. Every customers boat gets 2 coats....it’s a great product !!
    BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
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    #12
    I am also intereted in hearing where the nano ceramic coating (new technology) fits in. The ads keep saying this new chemical technology replaces the need for all these products. I use pro tec sealant and like it but the nano ceramic ads on Facebook are getting pretty convincing.

  13. Member crank68's Avatar
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    #13
    I’m not saying it works or doesn’t work...I’m personally not a fan. I was approached to apply and sell one of the products. After all is said and done if I don’t see the value in it...I can’t sell it.
    BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by bassfish 24-7 View Post
    I am also intereted in hearing where the nano ceramic coating (new technology) fits in. The ads keep saying this new chemical technology replaces the need for all these products. I use pro tec sealant and like it but the nano ceramic ads on Facebook are getting pretty convincing.
    Have you ever heard of CellHelmet Liquid Glass for cell phone screen protection? If not, YouTube it. Nano ceramic is basically the same thing. It chemically puts down a very hard "glass" finish that cleans easily and looks brilliant with just a wipe down when you pull your boat out of the water. What I'm not convinced of is UV protection. They claim it has it but I've never seen or heard any independent lab proof.
    Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.

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    #15
    Get boat detailed and then ceramic coat it...its permanent and won't wash off. 9h.

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    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by coolwhip View Post
    Get boat detailed and then ceramic coat it...its permanent and won't wash off. 9h.
    Not true at all. It'll last about 1 to 1.5 years on a daily driver vehicle, less in harsher conditions. Maybe 2-3 on a vehicle that gets driven on the weekends. I'd imagine you'd get about a year worth of protection on a boat. That's with using a maintainer quite often. I've used Gyeon and CarPro products on my vehicles.

    Good products, but I could see it getting expensive to maintain a boat's ceramic coating. Would still require the same effort to maintain it. Where sealers and waxes will do the same thing for less.

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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by BASSCAT7 View Post

    Waxes, cleaners and polish are different chemical make ups, each do a specific job for the gelcoat.
    Cleaners should be used first to remove stains, pollution build up, scum, etc.

    Any of the light compounds should do a good job cleaning the gelcoat with a buffer or hand scrubbing.
    Meguiars heavy duty gel coat cleaner is a good one for light oxidation removal.

    http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-oxidation-remover-49.html


    For dull gel without much oxidation Meguiars Ultra Cut Compound :http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-mirror-glaze-105-ultra-cut-compound.html



    Polish should be used next, it will remove almost all of the little swirl and scratch marks from the gel left behind from the cleaning compound and leave a glossy, glass like finish

    Meguiars Polish :
    http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-finishing-polish.html


    Wax goes on last to protect and seal the glossy finish the polish put on. A good High caranuba wax will protect the gel from everyday pollution, make scum lines easier to remove after a day on the water , etc.

    Collonite heavy Duty Fleetwax is one of the best:
    http://www.waxbytes.com/marine.html
    A better option than wax after polishing is to use a Polymer sealer on the gelcoat to keep it protected from the UV rays of the sun.



    Pro-Tec makes an excellent polymer sealer for the gelcoat, bonds to the glass and seals the pores to help prevent oxidation.

    http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html






    Not many of the combo wax/cleaners will work well as the cleaner part is usually a compound type to remove stains, etc while the wax is their to protect, kind of like an oxymoron, trying to remove dirt/stains and leave a coat of wax at the same time. Something isn't going to work right.
    To really do it right, all 3 should be a separate step
    This guy knows! Cleaner, polish, sealer. It is the correct steps. Wax and sealer serve the same purpose, but wax melts. That’s why candles are made of wax. Sealer lasts longer. Much longer.