Anecdotes from the Field - Waxing 101

The Stewards Last Stand

“They don’t make em like they used to.”

When it comes to boats, that statement has never been more true. Gelcoat needs proper protection to prevent the sun and other environmental factors from setting in, resulting in oxidation, and other blemishes that will eventually undermine the value of your vessel.

For years professional maintenance has consisted of yearly waxing/polishing, done with wool pads on a rotary buffer. When done with care, this process works. The goal is to stay ahead of it fading back. Depending on factors such as the boats use, age, and sun exposure, you may need wax once or even twice a year optimally. Surfaces that face south, east, or lay flat are most susceptible.

I hear detailing crews making a stir of excuses as to why there buff jobs don’t seem to hold up like they used to. From watered down products, to harsher UV rays, some points are valid and some are not. Many forget to consider the fact that gelcoat is going to degrade over time. That degradation is expedited by high sun exposure. And ironically, some owners are finding that the maintenance cycle many experience: yearly buff/wax once oxidation starts creeping back, you enter a routine of periodic restoration rather than pure prevention.

It’s no mystery that as a boat ages, years of cumulative polishing with wool pads on rotary buffers can amount to be harsh on gelcoat. The very act of making your boat shine like new is actually wearing down the gelcoat surface. You see it on older, well maintained, regularly waxed boats. When the wax fades, holograms and swirls made by heavy cut wool pads lie underneath. Next year’s wax job does more covering up, and cumulative swirling, than correction. And yet we’re all out here buffing away like theres no tomorrow. You and I both know, that old gel ain’t what it used to be.

The problem is when the wax fades after a season, and oxidation starts to grows back, that oxidation is actually your boat shedding a bit of gelcoat. Even with our yearly buffing and waxing maintenance, removing that light layer of oxidation is somewhat evasize.

Over time this can result in thin spots, or a dull/porous finish that only respraying can fix. I find this to be common on boats that receive unrelenting sun exposure all summer long. I’d also say its common with boats that receive yearly buff n’ waxing service, but forgo maintenance washing much of the year.

As a detailer, there is a noticeable difference in the gelcoat quality/oxidation level among my clients who receive wash care and those who do not. Forgoing wash care is the cardinal sin of boat maintenance. It’s all about upkeep. A freshly polished and waxed boat can fade in one season if wash care is neglected. At the end of the day, detailing work is only worth doing if it’s to be maintained.

If not, next thing you know you spent that money and the boat looks the same as it did before. Then the next detailer quotes you for an expensive three step buff job, and your introducing more aggressive cutting and wear on your boat.

Or worse, you pay a professional service to come out and run a compound and wax mixture into the boat, providing temporary relief. This is where the whole rotary wheel damage thing gets exacerbated. Some crews are faced with the conundrum of, “lets wax this chalky boat.” So they compensate for wax drying into the boat and a lack of cutting power by pushing harder with their buffer to get some shine out. This can lead to burning through the gel, and creates thin spots. It’s also a sure fire way to a job that won’t last. After the shine fades there will be swirl marks and dried in wax left behind everywhere.

If you don’t stay up on washing throughout the season, and your detailer is showing up with heavy cut compound every year, they’re doing you a major disservice as well. At that rate, it won’t be long until your boat needs a new paint job.

Depending on the age, condition, and most importantly, environment your boat is exposed to, yearly waxing sometimes isn’t enough to stay ahead of having to compound. Here’s why.

Any detailer showing up for routine waxing on a properly maintained boat is going to get great results with a one step wax/ light polish mixture. They apply the wax in sections by hand and then buff and polish off with a rotary wheel. Fresh wax fills the tiny pores in the gelcoat as the wool and rotary combination cut away at minor defects and oxidation in the surface. Your left with a surface that is hydrophobic, shiny, and new. Then it fades after one season, and when we come back next year we are basically start from square one.

Which begs the question…

When your detailer shows up for yearly buff n’ wax, how much protection are they really leaving behind?

The truth→

I can’t really say I have the answer to that question, but what I do know is…

If your boats not sitting in a covered slip; or finding some other form of shade throughout the season, your yearly wax is not enough protection. I’ve seen it on old boats and new, mother nature doesn’t mess around, sun exposure is a constant battle.

Wax is a sealant. It shouId be applied to properly polished gelcoat. The longevity of any sealants protective property is tied to the surface being properly prepared and polished.

In my eyes, in order to be worthy of a one step buff n’ polish with wax. A boats gel should be in nice enough condition so that a detailer can apply a section of wax, and let it dry before buffing it off. I believe this gives the wax its best chance to cure and hold on for the season.

Also consider it a litmus test to see if the wax will dry and soak into any deep oxidation that should be taken care of with compound. Not a half-hazard professional service using a 50/50 wax to compound mixture.

Many crews are too busy getting to there next job to prescribe the proper buffing steps. They take the one step job, and leave you the owner in the dark. Slap the stuff on, buff it off, and BAM! Looks “good” for now, but will not last!

Boats that have gone through a period of neglect can be brought back but you can expect the gelcoat to require multiple stages of compound and polishing. Even with proper cutting, polishing, and sealing, an unkept boat can take a couple years of routine waxing or successive compounding before a glossy hydrated finish is there to stay.

When we refine gelcoat through the process of compounding and polishing, we are preparing it for sealant. Meaning the surface has been polished to perfection and wax can be applied in large sections, dried, and taken off with a buffer or by hand with flawless finish.

I would think this process leaves behind a bit more protection than just buffing/ the wax in and off in the matter of a minute. The loop that keeps the cycle going is that a decent buff n’ wax job will briefly hide oxidation. If your noticing fading a month or two after service, your detailer should have at least recommended compounding.

It takes constant maintenance to keep a boat in waxing condition when its sits exposed to the elements all season. There are superior sealants to wax, that allow us to break the cycle of yearly restoration and provide true protection. In turn, our efforts can be focused on upkeep.