Boat Wax-Shine On
by :
James "Doc" Lewis
It has been our experience that nothing so much insures the beauty and longevity of a fiberglass boat than the continual maintenance of a good coat of high quality wax. In this article we will explore the preparation, methods, and best practices for the long term maintenance of your boats gel coat through the use of wax. The Problem Gel-coat, the exterior finish on fiberglass boats, is a porous mix of polyester resins and pigments that must be sealed from the damaging effects of salt, dirt, weather, and ultra-violet (UV) radiation. The primary purpose of gel-coat is to protect the underlying core from water, air and sunlight, which in combination will quickly loosen the chemical bond and render the structure useless. Neglect this gel-coat, and it becomes more porous, resins oxidize and what remains is a faded, dull finish prone to absorbing water into the laminate and destroying it. In addition to the above functional definition we also need to say a few words about the beauty factor, the shine of a newly polished and waxed boat. In a great example of form following function, gel-coat kept clean and shiny, with a good coat of wax, will perform it's primary function pretty much in direct proportion to the way it looks. The Players Now that we've named the problem, what are the choices for solving it? The simplest solution would, of course be to keep the boat away from sun, water, and oxygen. I said simple, not practical. All of the "New", "Easy On-Easy Off", "Modern Chemical Miracle", products may look great on TV (we've tried them all too ;-) but in the real world of salt water, sun, fishing, spills, and air pollution, they simply don't hold up compared to the simple, natural, God made it, "Tree of Life", Brazilian No.1 Carnauba wax. Unlike the modern marvels of chemical engineering, Carnauba comes from a tree, the Copernica Cerifera palm tree, to be specific. The color and quality of the wax are governed by the age of the leaves and care used in processing of this hard, brittle, lustrous wax. It runs from a golden yellow in color to nearly white and has an unmistakable but pleasant "tree" smell to it. Due to the fact that carnauba is a natural plant by-product, it will not react with gel coat or painted surfaces. The Carnauba Wax acts as a protective barrier providing a very hard film over your boats surface that protect against sun and weather damage, airborne contaminates, such as acid rain, spills, fish remains, salt and bird droppings, etc. Carnauba even swells and closes its pores tighter when exposed to water. In addition, Carnauba dramatically reduces gel coat oxidation by diffusing the UV and infrared radiation from the sun which will oxidize and dull your boats finish. Interesting Carnauba Facts
It has been our experience that nothing so much insures the beauty and longevity of a fiberglass boat than the continual maintenance of a good coat of high quality wax. In this article we will explore the preparation, methods, and best practices for the long term maintenance of your boats gel coat through the use of wax. The Problem Gel-coat, the exterior finish on fiberglass boats, is a porous mix of polyester resins and pigments that must be sealed from the damaging effects of salt, dirt, weather, and ultra-violet (UV) radiation. The primary purpose of gel-coat is to protect the underlying core from water, air and sunlight, which in combination will quickly loosen the chemical bond and render the structure useless. Neglect this gel-coat, and it becomes more porous, resins oxidize and what remains is a faded, dull finish prone to absorbing water into the laminate and destroying it. In addition to the above functional definition we also need to say a few words about the beauty factor, the shine of a newly polished and waxed boat. In a great example of form following function, gel-coat kept clean and shiny, with a good coat of wax, will perform it's primary function pretty much in direct proportion to the way it looks. The Players Now that we've named the problem, what are the choices for solving it? The simplest solution would, of course be to keep the boat away from sun, water, and oxygen. I said simple, not practical. All of the "New", "Easy On-Easy Off", "Modern Chemical Miracle", products may look great on TV (we've tried them all too ;-) but in the real world of salt water, sun, fishing, spills, and air pollution, they simply don't hold up compared to the simple, natural, God made it, "Tree of Life", Brazilian No.1 Carnauba wax. Unlike the modern marvels of chemical engineering, Carnauba comes from a tree, the Copernica Cerifera palm tree, to be specific. The color and quality of the wax are governed by the age of the leaves and care used in processing of this hard, brittle, lustrous wax. It runs from a golden yellow in color to nearly white and has an unmistakable but pleasant "tree" smell to it. Due to the fact that carnauba is a natural plant by-product, it will not react with gel coat or painted surfaces. The Carnauba Wax acts as a protective barrier providing a very hard film over your boats surface that protect against sun and weather damage, airborne contaminates, such as acid rain, spills, fish remains, salt and bird droppings, etc. Carnauba even swells and closes its pores tighter when exposed to water. In addition, Carnauba dramatically reduces gel coat oxidation by diffusing the UV and infrared radiation from the sun which will oxidize and dull your boats finish. Interesting Carnauba Facts
- Pure Carnauba in its natural state is harder than concrete.
- Typical retail waxes contain 3% to 5% Carnauba by volume.
- Less then 5% of retail Carnauba waxes contain Brazilian No.1 Carnauba, the finest of all waxes.
- The greater the concentration of Carnauba, the greater the level of protection and the higher the quality of shine.
- 3 things are needed in order for the chemical reaction which causes oxidation to occur.
- Oxygen
- Heat
- UV Radiation
- A protective layer of Carnauba wax keeps airborne contaminants from reaching the gel-coat and starting a chemical reaction.
- This wax layer diffuses (refracts) both UV and infrared radiation from the sun. Without it the radiation is absorbed by the pigment in the gel coat causing it to over heat, and trigger the chemical reaction that will dry out, dull and oxidize the surface.
- A waxed boat will have a lower surface temperature than an unwaxed one. The darker the color, the greater the difference