Pamela mentioned the Collinite wax. I ordered some and put two coats
on my hull and will do the decks and cockpit after I get her back in
the water. Easy to apply and it has a large amount of carnauba wax
in it making it resistant to everything including salt water.
The wax is called "Collinite Fleetwax".
The distributor is:
Frank Dacey
901 Emory Lane
Raleigh, NC 27609
919-954-1208
He's sending me brochures with my order. I'll scan and post if anyone
is interested.
Rummy
I contacted Collinite. Their number is (315) 732- 2282; they will
sell COD. I was going to use the gentleman in NC but they said MA
was out of their territory.
Jim Sequin
01 Sep 1998
I've used Nu Finish, Nu Finish 2000, 3 M Ultra Performance Paste wax
and Johnson Past wax. The Johnson has held up as good as any of the
other stuff. The 3M gave a slightly better finish.
Paul Lapointe
10 Mar 2001
Waxing is one of those chores that not only makes your boat look
great (especially the dark hulls, but stops the oxidizing of the
gel coat. Almost all areas can be waxed depending on the type of
wax. Real wax (with carnuba ) can be used anywhere on the hull,
topside, cabin top except for the area the cushions fit into. This
is true for either wax or silicone waxes......they make the cushions
really......really slippery. I personally wouldn't used the silicone
based waxes on the walked on areas, but others may have different
experiences than I. Several owners use the Collonite wax products
with great success......me included.
Rummy
28 Mar 2001
If you are referring to the bottom of the boat, that brings up a
whole new discussion. The previous owner of my boat never had the
bottom coated. Now I have blisters. Reason being: fiberglass boats
were never intended to be in the water constantly without having
bottom coatings. Two types....one to protect the fiberglass
(waterproof it) and two to prevent algae growth....fubgicide.
You can wax the bottom and use it this way if you are going to
trailer sail it and keep it primarily on the trailer when not
sailing. I have a wood block that matches the hull shape at the
bow and with a house jack, lift the boat enough to clean and wax
those areas. Jacking at the stern with wood support to do those
areas.
Rummy
28 Mar 2001
As Rummy pointed out to keep the boat looking good. We wax on the
trailer as it is a lot easier to get to the hull that way. I once
waxed by hanging over the sides. The chore left bruises on my
shoulders. We also wax the topsides and the seating areas but with a
wax/cleaner that does not leave the area too slick.
Bottom painting is necessary unless you have a lift or pull the boat
after each outing. We keep ours in the water - a lot less work that
way. Generally pull once a year for a major cleaning and bottom
painting. As we are in Florida we sometimes get to pull a couple of
extra times if a hurricane threatens. At such times I generally put
another coat of wax on the hull and touch up any areas where the
bottom paint is wearing off from our monthly cleaning.
We also have teak so about once every two years we have to touch up.
We use Armada which we find to be pretty simple and long lasting in
the Florida sun.
Bob on the "NoKaOi"
28 Mar 2001
I use Starbright with Tefron. I always put at least 4 coat on the
deck and 3 on the hull. I wax everything. It is much easier to
clean the boat if the boat is well waxed. And I even wax the settees
in the cockpit.
Steve
29 Mar 2001
Thanks to all who suggested Colinite Cleaner & Wax! Yes, it does
take 2 bottles of cleaner and 1 of wax.. you had that down to a
science! We got ChickieBabe spiffied up this past Saturday and
couldn't believe how easy it was to use... and fun too! Seriously
though, it looks like new and it actually shines :^) Last year we
used 3M's cleaner and polish, which took longer to do and didn't do
nearly as nice of a job, it just left a dull sheen. We're sold on
Colinite! Oh, and for those wondering if we waxe
Planning to launch her on Mother's Day, so have a few things yet to
do this week. Any tips on making new cabin cushions? Wanted to try
and get that done this week too.
Looking forward to spending the weekends on the lake again :^)
Dorene & Glen Barrera
S/V ChickieBabe
Chicago, IL
07 May 2001
Use the Collinite products. Practical Sailor tested all the popular
boat waxes a few years ago and Collinite blew all the rest out of the
water (pun intended.) It is a two part system but not at all hard to
use. Use the No 920 Fiberglass Boat Cleaner first. If the boat is
really hazed it may take two coats but it is worth the effort. Then
apply, following directions on the can precisely, the No 885 Fleetwax.
I am on a lake so I can't attest to salt water results. However, at
the end of the season the boat looked as good as when I finished the wax
application in the spring. Any dirt or scum washed off easily. You may not be
able to get it thru any of the usual outlet. if not contact Collinite Corp,
Utica, NY directly. I think they have a web site. Or you can call my
distributor here in NJ. His name is John Notte. 973-992-0386 (fax 973-992-
1652) He is Collinite's regional rep.
I use 1 or 2 coats of the cleaner, as needed, and 1 coat of the wax.
I was checking it just today and last years coat is still in great shape.
My boat is on a lake, salt water may be different.
Don't know if West Marine handles it. I always get it thru the mail.
John Notte is real easy to work with and will send it out immediately. If
I recall correctly, he sent it out right away and simply said to send a check.
You didn't indicate where you live so I don't have a feel for delivery
time.
Doing the entire boat took well under a day. But my hull is white
and I've always kept it in good condition. At the end of the season the boat
looked almost as good as it did just after being waxed. If you have a badly
faded gel coat it may take two treatments with the cleaner. To give you
something of a guide, my friend bought an '83 Catalina 25 (that is a big
hull with lots of freeboard) with a beige gel coat severely chalked. I
believe it took him two days, but the boat looked factory new.
I do know that, as a result of our use of the stuff, our marina now
stocks Collinite in the store. Sorry can't be more helpful about an
alternate source. Being in north Jersey, it is just too easy to get it
from Notte. Just don't look anywhere else.
Some more input re Collonite as per the Collonite rep.
1. Always use the cleaner before applying wax, even if the finish
appears good.
2. Apply the wax and polish the wax in straight strokes, not rotary
(swirls) strokes. You can use a buffer after polishing as a final touch.
If you have trouble getting Collonite locally, try:
John Notte
Collonite Corporation
57 W. McClellan Ave.
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 992-0386 Fax (973) 992-1652
Recommend Collinite Fleet Wax. This stuff does an incredible job on
gel coat and can restore a badly chalked finish to like new condition. It is
a two part system, cleaner and wax. You apply the cleaner until the finish
appears clean and has resumed a shine. On really badly deteriorated
surfaces you may need to apply more than one application. Then apply
the wax. One treatment usually last all season. Suggest No 920 Cleaner
and No 885 Wax. It would probably be wise to get two bottles of the
cleaner. Local price is about $15.00 for the wax and $7.00 for the cleaner.
I don't remember where you live, but here in New Jersey, our local
source is John Notte, D/B/A Jack's Wax, 57 McClellan Ave, Livingston,
NJ 07039. Phone 973-992-0386, Fax 973-992-1652. He is easy to deal with
and I think his price is very good.
Warren Gehrig
The best performance I've found is Collonite Fleetwax. BlewDaze has
a dark blue hull, and tended to look poor just a few weeks after spring
maintenance launching.
The Collonite products are marketed for aviation and marine use . . .
I thought something made for aviation applications must be tougher than
those developed for cars? The Collonite kept BlewDaze lookin' good for
the whole season. When she gets back home from Edenton (hopefully this
week), she'll get a good cleaning and treatment of Collonite Fleetwax.
Don't know how this will perform for our new brackish waters, but it sure
held up well in our Colorado freshwater venue!
Regards, Pamela
Add-on from Alex: as of May 1998, you could call Collonite at 315 732
2282
The results are worth the effort! I used #885 Fleetwax in a paste.
There are also liquid forms--#925 LIquid Fiberglass Boat Wax
and #870 Liquid Fleetwax. #920 is Liquid Fiberglass Boat Cleaner.
I got mine from BOAT/US. We now have a retail store nearby which
is a mixed blessing--good for the boat, bad for the budget!
Collinite is great wax and it's made just down the road from us in
Utica, NY, www.collinite.com on the Web.
Gary Sanford
Poliglow products
We saw a demonstration at the Annapolis boat show of a fiberglass boat
maintenance product and were sold on the spot. The guy took a piece of
fiberglass hull material that was without any luster or shine and
brought it back to like new gleaming surface with just a few swipes.
Of course it isn't that easy, because it is a two part system and the
first part, the surface preperation requires rubber gloves, You dilute
Poli Prep three to one with water and wear the gloves, apply a thin
coat on the surface and scrub vigerously. You make the boat color as
uniform as possible, so some areas may require more cleaning attention than
others.
After surface prep, (this might require use of 600 to 1000 grit wet/
dry paper if the poli prep does not get a uniform color) you will apply
Poli Coat. The directions say to not to apply it like a wax. Instead you
apply it like a varnish, allow to dry for 5 minutes and apply another
coat. You use their applicator and allow it to dry for a minute then
apply another coat. You are supposed to apply 5 coats. The final
results look like a new boat.
We bought the kit and will get around to using it when the snow melts.
The company is located in Fla and have a website of
www.poliglowproducts.com. BTW, the product was rated #1 by Pratical
Sailor (which means that if I had know it, I would not have bought it
since I distrust PS) But then Power Boat REports rated it #1 in 1997,
98 &99. Phone # for information and oreders is 800-922-5013.
Alex
I've used Nu Finish, Nu Finish 2000, 3 M Ultra Performance Paste wax
and Johnson Past wax. The Johnson has held up as good as any of the other
stuff. The 3M gave a slightly better finish.
I had excellent results using a 3M gel coat cleaner/wax liquid,
along with an 8" diameter auto buffer I bought at Sears. The
buffer has an orbital pattern, so it's less likely to leave any marks.
On a really chalky finish, I've also had good luck using Meguiars
fiberglas cleaner. It's a liquid, light-duty rubbing compound
that works well with the buffer. They also have a "Color Restorer" and a FG
polish that, when used in sequence, produce nice results.
Then Collonite Fleetwax as a final treatment. Gel coat isn't very
thick and too much pressure while you're rubbing or machine buffing
can take it off!
Gary Sanford
Caution about using a rubbing compound
I would look into using a white rubbing compound that is called
"polishing compound". It is just a very fine rubbing compound, and you
add water so it does not build up and cake on your buffing wheel. You
would want to use a power buffer for this job. I think you will find
that it will remove the oxidation without removing the finish. Of
course, if you dig in with the buffer, you can remove the gelcoat, so
you should be careful.
Alex Bell
...I would highly [suggest] stop thinking about using
compound/glazing etc. Your gel coat is thin enough and what left will
be rubbed off, you do want to own the boat for more than a year, right?, if I
recall correctly "New Glass" got the Fiberglas restores award from PS(some
one double check please), for wax I like fleet and it's cleaner.
MJM
Removing old wax -
Acetone will remove any wax on the hull. Available at Home Depot or
Lowe's or your local handy dandy hardware store. Rermove the wax, place the
decals and then wax over the area you cleaned. If you have old decals to remove,
heat them with a hair dryer. It heats the glues and the stickers come off.
Speed waxers -
I buff the wax and put on many coats. Last year was a test year so I
didn't add more coats of wax during the summer, just several before the
season started. This year I will continue waxing all summer to protect the
boat and make clean-up easier.
I noticed Rummy mentioned a "bottle". I use carnuba paste wax in a
can. Maybe that has something to do with why his seats become more
slippery than mine.
I have been applying the wax with a device called a "speed waxer".
It looks like a regular waxing pad with a handle attached. The handle allows
you to easily withdraw the pad from the can and apply the wax in thin coats.
If you apply the wax in thin coats it doesn't take much work to buff
it up. The work comes from removing the excess.
Defender sells the speed waxer--around $13.00. I use Trewax because
WM sells it and there's a WM nearby. I don't think there's anything
special about it. I may drop into a surfing store to see if they have
anything to say about wax since it was the surf board quip that got me
going on this tack in the first place.
Bill Effros
Carnuba wax and slippery seats
I just put a couple of coats of the Collinite carnuba paste wax on a
few weeks ago (hull, deck, seats), after first using the Collinite
fiberglass cleaner. While I haven't had the boat out yet, so far based on
hosing it down and messing around on it I agree with you that it doesn't seem
any more slippery than the unwaxed boat did. I'll file a real report
once we get the boat in the water and see how it works in action. I'm hoping
it will help me more easily clean off all the black soot/dust that seems
to fall on it out of the Baltimore sky, as well as provide some UV
protection.
David [Dawson]
I wax the seats and haven't had any problems. My seat cushions fit
very tightly and lock up when in place (even without the extra cockpit
cushions.) Steve built himself a set of cushions that do the same thing.
Since I sail with the extra cockpit cushions in place whenever anyone
else is aboard, the cushions never slide off depositing friends and family
under the leeward seat as Rummy has described.
Waxing everything with carnuba wax, including the seats, has made the
boat less slippery, makes clean up much easier, and protects the boat from
the elements.
Bill Effros
