![]() ![]() If you trailer your boat, after a trip down the road give the hullsides a wash-down with a soap containing some gentle de-greasers (citrus-based ones, like Star brite Super Orange, are ideal).Let it remain dull, and it’ll detract from the boat’s overall looks. Get some metal polish and make it shine, and it’ll help set off the hullside’s mirror-like finish. Take the same attitude with chrome, stainless-steel, and brightwork.Either way, providing contrast for the gel coat makes the hull look even shinier. On the flip side, white rub rails really stand out when they shine along colored hullsides. The black rubber looks dull if you ignore it, but a wipe-down with automotive tire cleaner will make the rubber’s blackness deep and rich. These crystals can magnify the sun's rays, and UV light is the number-one enemy of wax-so leaving salt behind will rapidly speed up the wax’s break-down. Otherwise, when the saltwater dries it leaves crystals behind. After every trip in saltwater, douse every inch of fiberglass with freshwater regardless of how dirty it may or may not be.That way the shine will keep shining and the base coat of wax will stay protected. So every other Saturday plan to re-apply it. After a couple of weeks in the sun and rain, that gleam will be gone. But remember, though this stuff looks great it doesn’t last for long. With the base coat applied it's time to get the gleam going, by giving the boat a third coat of wax with a liquid carnauba-based product.The truly dedicated among us will rub, rub, rub from stem to stern-and then start all over again, giving the boat a full-length double-coating of love. But that thick, pasty stuff is more protective and lasts far longer. Your elbows will ache and unless your boat's a dinghy this job will take hours. Yes, this stuff is tougher to apply than liquid wax, and no, it doesn’t provide as much shine as a spray-on carnauba. Now set that buffer aside, and make your base coat of wax a thick paste wax.We agree it's a pain in the keister, but if you wax without cleaning first you’ll only seal in the imperfections and dullness that took root over the winter. Start the spring by hitting the hull with an oxidation remover and a buffer (after an initial wash-down, of course). ![]() Whatever you use, get down and past the oxidisation and then you're good to go with whatever sealant/polish you choose.Want your boat to look uber-awesome like this Vanquish 24 CC? Of course you do! I think the key to it all is the stripper. I also used gel coat sealer which made the whole lot look good too. I had a really mottled beach cat, used 30 seconds to clean it all up (with light wet sanding at the same time), then cut then Marine Penetrol then polish. You could also use 30 Seconds as a stripper. Poly Prep was good for getting rid of the Poly Glow again, then cut then polish but that's hard work. Good cut and polish is probably longer lasting. ![]() Costly because you have to redo it fairly regularlyĢ. I used Marine Penetrol as well on mine before the glow coats - it seemed to refresh the gelcoat.ġ. PolyGlow is easy to apply, like the guy says 8 coats and you're good, just wipe on.ģ. Goes down to the gelcoat and you can see where the oxidisation is occuring so you scrub through that too.Ģ. Poly Prep (the stripper) which takes off all the crap that's been put on there in the past x-ty years. ![]()
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