How often do you wax your hull?

M

merlin

Member
Jun 17, 2010
86
san francisco,ca/Marina del Ray, Ca
Boat Info
"Volare", a 2003 Sundancer 410, with original Raymarine electronics.
Engines
2, 350 hp, Cat 3126's
I'm on San Francisco Bay. there is always a lot of soot on the boat from nearby container ships, no matter how often she's washed. I waxed the deck and hull seven months ago. Do you wax once or twice a year?
 
Once a year but I am in a covered slip. I touch up a couple areas that get sun during the season.
 
I kept my boat in the Bay in '09 through late 2010 and waxed my boat 3 times a year. I currently am in a covered slip in the Delta and will have waxed her twice this year. In '03-'05 I had my boat in So. Cal and Mexico, always uncovered. In Mexico I waxed 3 times in 7 mos. In Long Beach, I was just downwind from some sort of power plant. Probably similar to your situation, my boat was ALWAYS dirty, minutes after wash/wax. I waxed 4 times that year. My boat looks as new, part of which is the constant attention to the gel coat in my opinion.
 
Once a year for the hull except for touch ups and twice for above the rub rail plus occasional touch up when needed. I am also on the delta in a covered slip. The non-skid deck was done several times this year with Woody Wax. I will be compounding and polishing some this weekend as a matter of fact, still not quite a brit as I want on the transom...
 
HUMPH said:
Once a year for the hull except for touch ups and twice for above the rub rail plus occasional touch up when needed. I am also on the delta in a covered slip. The non-skid deck was done several times this year with Woody Wax. I will be compounding and polishing some this weekend as a matter of fact, still not quite a brit as I want on the transom...
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Ken, what do you use (equipment wise) to compound/wax the radar arch? To me, it seems like it's gonna be a PITA to do with a big rotary polisher because of all the sh!t that's attached to it? Do you know of a smaller polisher with the wool pads for this part of the boat?
 
I have the Shurhold polisher. The pads for it are pretty small and the polisher itself is small and easy to use. I purchased some product from Presta and with that I bought some larger pads to handle the bigger areas. I unzipped the forward canvas and stand on the helm seat to reach up and it is actually fairly easy.
 
HUMPH said:
I have the Shurhold polisher. The pads for it are pretty small and the polisher itself is small and easy to use. I purchased some product from Presta and with that I bought some larger pads to handle the bigger areas. I unzipped the forward canvas and stand on the helm seat to reach up and it is actually fairly easy.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ken, I have the Meguiar's version of that machine. It works well for waxing, but nothing takes the place of a good old fashion "Polisher" when you need a little more "OOMPH" to make that Presta Gel Coat compound kick in properly on something that's a little more oxidized than you would like it to be.

I just don't think that it's gonna be an easy job anyway you chop it, slice it, or dice it, to catch the radar arch. My boat, as most like mine, has all the snaps for the canvas, plus, not to mention, the antenna's sitting on top of the arch. Very small spots to run a high speed polisher. I wish there were something a little bit bigger than the roto-zip machine, cause that would work perfectly around all the snap buttons............
 
I wax the hull twice a year once on the hard then once in a floating slip. Would probably do more but our season is only 7months long. I also get the black soot streaks... what a PITA!!!

Jason
 
I do a complete top to bottom wash, paste wax and compound (if needed) twice a year, and washing and spot waxing (3M liquid wax) multiple times during the summer. I recall reading some place that boat wax had a service life of about six months, hence my twice a year regimen. Has anybody else seen that?

Henry
 
I don't use wax due to the lifespan. I put on a sealer once a year and cut any oxidized areas (which I hardly ever have) and that is all it takes. Cut with Presta and use a sealer and that is all it takes. Boat has a deep shine all year.
 
Henry Boyd said:
I do a complete top to bottom wash, paste wax and compound (if needed) twice a year, and washing and spot waxing (3M liquid wax) multiple times during the summer. I recall reading some place that boat wax had a service life of about six months, hence my twice a year regimen. Has anybody else seen that?

Henry
Click to expand...
I heard that somewhere too but I can't remember where. Most of the guys I hang with at the marina wax once or twice a year. I do it every 3 months because I think the salt water environment is pretty devastating to finishes and I noticed that when I spray it off after a run it quits beading at about 3 months.
 
Full wax and detail twice a year. Washed once a week. Bottom cleaned every 3 weeks. Covers always on it when not in use.
 
HUMPH said:
D you have a full cover for the entire boat?
Click to expand...

No. Covers for the windows and isinglass and the normal cover from the radar arch over the cockpit. I also have covers for the dinghy and the grill.
 
I am guessing here…..but….

I think those replying to this thread are waxing/polishing their boat far more frequently than the median boater’s frequency.

While taking an arm rest break from using the rotary tool last weekend I walked around the storage building where about two dozen other cruisers already were in winter storage.

Some of the boats may get a spring waxing / polishing, two (2) were freshly waxed / polished and the rest were in various states of dull cloudy powdery fiberglass surfaces. Some of these gals were begging for a cleansing sensual full body massage. How’s that for making boat waxing sound sexual?

I could say similar things about my shiny outdrives that I had washed with muriatic acid, sanded, cleaned, painted then added new anodes, a process I do every year. Some of the other boats that also have sterndrives appeared to be neglected.
 
I clean/wax/seal the hull once a year. I wax/clean the topside as needed because I get those dang black steaks off my cover snaps! I wash the 270 every other week. Not much pollution here in the air other than some acid in the rain I'm told, Mike.
 
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