Leave unbuffed WAX on all winter...

[wakecrashin]

I store my boat at Marine Max and the service guy there recommened that I put some wax on, unbuffed all winter and then come spring buff it off. Anyone ever heard of this? He said it helps protect the gel coat all winter.

[DanielC]

RE: Leave unbuffed WAX on all winter...

Part of this sounds like a good idea, however if there is any dirt or dust that settles in the wax, it seems that buffing the dirty wax off might cause problems.
At least if you do this, wash the boat before you buff the wax.

[j2nh]

Not sure if I understand the reasoning behind this. Depending on the kind of wax this stuff could be a real bugger to get off in the spring.
Buffed wax fills in the pores that naturally occur in fiberglass. Unbuffed would do the same but would also provide a less than slick surface for contaminants to stick to. Go to buff it off and you will grind those contaminants into your finish.

Are you storing your boat inside or outside? Sun is the number 1 enemy of pretty much everything so the key is to keep the boat covered and sun exposure to a minimum.

[wakecrashin]

Im keeping it out side.. any ideas on how to keep the sun off of it?

[j2nh]

Tarp or maybe one of those inexpensive portable tent garages would work for keeping it out of the sun.
If you do tarp it up make sure that you don't seal it up completely or you may end up with a mold problem.
Add a coat of well buffed wax, 303 protectant (has a UV block in it) on top of that and you should be good to go.

[TRBenj]

That plan sounds fine. Just wipe the gel down with acetone before buffing in the spring. That will remove the wax easily and wont harm the gel.

[Center87]

It may be best to wax it and then buff, cover it with a tarp and come spring time give it a wash and re inspect if need be re wax or better yet buff it with a wax polish from Mcguires. This is more work but your boat will look better and always maintain that showroom shine. I agree that if you leave the wax on you may attract fine dust and other debris that can harm your gelcoat when you remove the unbuffed wax after the winter. Acetone is a chemical that can be used to remove any wax from a gouge before you apply new gelcoat to the repair it can also remove some of the color so I would advise to not use it at all unless you are repairing your gelcoat.

Hope this helps,

[TRBenj]

It makes absolutely no sense to wax the hull and then buff it. Wax protects the gel, buffing removes it (leaving it smooth, hence the shine). The wax needs to be removed for buffing to have any effect. Also, wax will not attract dust- instead it will add a protective layer and make it easier to clean in the spring than if left unwaxed. Again, acetone will not harm gelcoat. I often use it to remove the residue left by polish before putting on wax.

[wakecrashin]

What kind of wax comes off easy in the spring?

[TRBenj]

Acetone will remove any wax very easily.

[jpduster]

'wax on wax off' ???

[SuperSquirt]

For the record, Correct Craft does not recommend using Acetone on your boat's paint.....it will eat up grit and all of your wax, and too much could ruin your paint job. That's the answer I got when I talked to one of their Orlando factory guys.

I say be careful, because I know some car mechanics use this potent chemical to flush automobile fuel systems and clean out exhaust systems.

[Hollywood]

Again, acetone will not harm gelcoat.

[8122pbrainard]

SS,
Have you painted your boat? Just wondering because of your acetone comment.

[SuperSquirt]

No, I have not had it painted, I thought about using it on the interior fiberglass because it wasn't buffed from the factory nor my dealer (had a lot of shop residue on it). Instead, I used a buffer and a little bit of cut wax and polished it.