Confused on waxing...

Grit dog wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Never heard of clear coat on gel. Maybe it's a RV thing not a boat thing.
Be careful about the 400 grit advice. It's not that simple.
Yes for verrrry bad oxidation one would possibly start with 4-600 grit and then work up thru several stages to polish but 400 grit alone will just leave the surface dull AND scratched.
Most oxidation will come off with a med/heavy cut compound then polish.

Oh, someone be specific please on the differences between a "gel coat specific" wax and non gel wax.
I can say for certainty that after years of fiberglass boat ownership that there is no wax that messes up gel coat. Some last longer , some get a deeper shine out of dark colors. None of them are detrimental to gel coat.

FYI. In the early 80s. Gel coats began to be covered with clear coat. At first only on metal flake, then as the technology progressed, on all gel coats, and paints. As the repair Fiberglass "doctor" for new boats. It was my job to make sure every boat's finish was perfect. I assure you. Gel Coat was covered with Clear Coat. We had to learn a whole new way of polishing boats.

Before clear coat, You could in fact bring back a badly faded boat with 400 grit water paper, WATER paper being the key. then just buff it, and wax it. What you did was just take off the top layer of the gel coat. Now with the gel coat being covered with clear coat. You can't sand it any more, and can't wax it with an abrasive wax. As it does scratch it.

Now, any Clear Coat safe wax will work on a fiberglass Gel Coated finish.

Fact is. the FIRST ting that happens to a boat during the building process, IS that it gets waxed. Yep you wax the Mold, which is made of Gel coat covered glass. IF there is to be a special design, it is put on backwards at this time. Then you spray the mold with Clear coat, then Gel coat, and then you start laying up the fiberglass. When finished. It is popped out of the mold, already Waxed, clear coated. Ready to go to the trim shop.

In todays world of vacume bonding. It's a little different.

Getting off topic for the OP, but his question is prolly sufficiently answered by now anyway....
What types of fiberglass boats receive clearcoat?
I only have experience with smaller boats, ski and wakeboard boats primarily. Is this something done on larger boats that are typically moored to negate the need for anti-fouling paint to prevent gel blisters?
I've sanded/polished/'glass and gel repaired quite a few different boats , 90's and 2000's models and none of them are clearcoated. I'm sure of it. First swipe with a buffer or wetsanding comes up color.

I don't buy the fact that wax "builds up" in gel coat pores either, rendering a dull finish over time, unless someone waxes their boat a whole lot more than my OCD buddy who prolly waxes twice a month and his still shines like he bought it in 06.

All of the metal flake colors no matter what size. Metal flake tends to leave the finish rough if not covered by Clearcoat. It's not real thick. I would say you would start getting caught on the metal, after a few passes with sand paper. When I repaired a cler coat boat. I filled the holes with glass, and gel coat. Sanded it smooth, and then had to spray clear back onto it. Then ever so gently. Feather the clear spray out to cover all sanding marks. Then after buffing. I wiped it with a CLEAN acetone rag to get the overspray off. Buffed it again, waxed, and was done. Clear coat was hard to fix, and get it right. So there is a chance they stopped clear coating normal colors.
All of the metal flake, and metallic boats were clear coated. Fishing boats, and ski boats.

Terryallan wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Never heard of clear coat on gel. Maybe it's a RV thing not a boat thing.
Be careful about the 400 grit advice. It's not that simple.
Yes for verrrry bad oxidation one would possibly start with 4-600 grit and then work up thru several stages to polish but 400 grit alone will just leave the surface dull AND scratched.
Most oxidation will come off with a med/heavy cut compound then polish.

Oh, someone be specific please on the differences between a "gel coat specific" wax and non gel wax.
I can say for certainty that after years of fiberglass boat ownership that there is no wax that messes up gel coat. Some last longer , some get a deeper shine out of dark colors. None of them are detrimental to gel coat.

FYI. In the early 80s. Gel coats began to be covered with clear coat. At first only on metal flake, then as the technology progressed, on all gel coats, and paints. As the repair Fiberglass "doctor" for new boats. It was my job to make sure every boat's finish was perfect. I assure you. Gel Coat was covered with Clear Coat. We had to learn a whole new way of polishing boats.

Before clear coat, You could in fact bring back a badly faded boat with 400 grit water paper, WATER paper being the key. then just buff it, and wax it. What you did was just take off the top layer of the gel coat. Now with the gel coat being covered with clear coat. You can't sand it any more, and can't wax it with an abrasive wax. As it does scratch it.

Now, any Clear Coat safe wax will work on a fiberglass Gel Coated finish.

Fact is. the FIRST ting that happens to a boat during the building process, IS that it gets waxed. Yep you wax the Mold, which is made of Gel coat covered glass. IF there is to be a special design, it is put on backwards at this time. Then you spray the mold with Clear coat, then Gel coat, and then you start laying up the fiberglass. When finished. It is popped out of the mold, already Waxed, clear coated. Ready to go to the trim shop.

In todays world of vacume bonding. It's a little different.

Getting off topic for the OP, but his question is prolly sufficiently answered by now anyway....
What types of fiberglass boats receive clearcoat?
I only have experience with smaller boats, ski and wakeboard boats primarily. Is this something done on larger boats that are typically moored to negate the need for anti-fouling paint to prevent gel blisters?
I've sanded/polished/'glass and gel repaired quite a few different boats , 90's and 2000's models and none of them are clearcoated. I'm sure of it. First swipe with a buffer or wetsanding comes up color.

I don't buy the fact that wax "builds up" in gel coat pores either, rendering a dull finish over time, unless someone waxes their boat a whole lot more than my OCD buddy who prolly waxes twice a month and his still shines like he bought it in 06.

Grit dog wrote:
Never heard of clear coat on gel. Maybe it's a RV thing not a boat thing.
Be careful about the 400 grit advice. It's not that simple.
Yes for verrrry bad oxidation one would possibly start with 4-600 grit and then work up thru several stages to polish but 400 grit alone will just leave the surface dull AND scratched.
Most oxidation will come off with a med/heavy cut compound then polish.

Oh, someone be specific please on the differences between a "gel coat specific" wax and non gel wax.
I can say for certainty that after years of fiberglass boat ownership that there is no wax that messes up gel coat. Some last longer , some get a deeper shine out of dark colors. None of them are detrimental to gel coat.

FYI. In the early 80s. Gel coats began to be covered with clear coat. At first only on metal flake, then as the technology progressed, on all gel coats, and paints. As the repair Fiberglass "doctor" for new boats. It was my job to make sure every boat's finish was perfect. I assure you. Gel Coat was covered with Clear Coat. We had to learn a whole new way of polishing boats.

Before clear coat, You could in fact bring back a badly faded boat with 400 grit water paper, WATER paper being the key. then just buff it, and wax it. What you did was just take off the top layer of the gel coat. Now with the gel coat being covered with clear coat. You can't sand it any more, and can't wax it with an abrasive wax. As it does scratch it.

Now, any Clear Coat safe wax will work on a fiberglass Gel Coated finish.

Fact is. the FIRST ting that happens to a boat during the building process, IS that it gets waxed. Yep you wax the Mold, which is made of Gel coat covered glass. IF there is to be a special design, it is put on backwards at this time. Then you spray the mold with Clear coat, then Gel coat, and then you start laying up the fiberglass. When finished. It is popped out of the mold, already Waxed, clear coated. Ready to go to the trim shop.

In todays world of vacume bonding. It's a little different.

Also a former boater who has tried just about every product made to try and keep a black gel coated boat sitting in sun docked at a marina 6 months a year. Two products I settled on were Nu Finish as my wax and 303 as my protectant for vinyl seats and upholstery. Also used 303 on the black gel every few weeks. When I sold my 8 year old boat at top dollar the black gel looked like new. After thinking of switching to Rejex or something new for my 35ft. class A, I decided why switch from the success I've enjoyed with Nu Finish on my boat and first class A. Only thing I do different is I use cheap dollar store furniture polish on the front cap and chrome wheels as a touch up spray for a fast shine before trips. Eagle1 does make a real nice spray on wax too if I see it on sale.

There are some very good waxes/protectorants out there, and a LOT of stuff that is just time-wasting. The best I've found so far are S100 and Meguiars. S100 goes on easy, do NOT let it dry to a haze, and wipe it off with a micro-fiber towel. Small sections at a time. I don't go over the decals, they don't need a wax. Its best to get the first coat of wax on when the RV is new. Subsequent applications are much easier.

I use that 303 stuff on leather, like my Harley seat. Excellent protection, and doesn't make the surface slippery.

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:
I've read a number of the threads on waxing and it all tends to just confuse me. I'm looking at waxing ours for the first time this fall (bought it brand new last fall), and it will be my first time through the process.

The manual says 'wax with any standard wax,'

How do you go about it? Do you wax everything, or do you somehow avoid the decals? I want to take the best care possible of our rig, but I've never waxed an rv in my life (haven't waxed a car in 20 years), so I'm looking for a little clarity on what people do.

Thanks!

You haven't waxed your cars for the last 20 years but now are worried about the new camper? Huh........
Just like you stated your manual says above. Get some wax and wax it. No confusion needed. A wax discussion is just like an oil discussion. You'll get 100 different opinions.
Go to Autozone pick out your wax based on whether you want to hand apply or spray it on, cost of the wax, color of the bottle whatever it's that simple.

Never heard of clear coat on gel. Maybe it's a RV thing not a boat thing.
Be careful about the 400 grit advice. It's not that simple.
Yes for verrrry bad oxidation one would possibly start with 4-600 grit and then work up thru several stages to polish but 400 grit alone will just leave the surface dull AND scratched.
Most oxidation will come off with a med/heavy cut compound then polish.

Oh, someone be specific please on the differences between a "gel coat specific" wax and non gel wax.
I can say for certainty that after years of fiberglass boat ownership that there is no wax that messes up gel coat. Some last longer , some get a deeper shine out of dark colors. None of them are detrimental to gel coat.

Rascally Road Warrior wrote:

Wrong. Any car/paint wax works the same on gel. There are "marine" specific waxes that are supposed to last longer, but that's it. Prolly "rv" wax too!
Personally I only use Turtle Wax ICE now. It lasts about as long as any other wax and it's spray on, wipe off and NO white residue on trim, door handles around decals, etc. At $10 a bottle it aint cheap but can wax the whole truck in about 5 min.

Rule No. 1:
Don't use automotive sealant or polishes on gel coat finishes. There are exceptions but if the manufacturer doesn't specifically recommend their product for gel coats, don't use it! Use only polishes and sealant that are designed for gel coats.

Another problem shared by both carnauba waxes and automotive sealant has to do with the very nature of gel coats. Gel coat is porous. Seen under a microscope, your RV’s flat, smooth gel coat surface is millions of tiny holes! These holes, or pores, fill with microscopic grime, which promote gel coat oxidation. Think of this oxidation as "plastic rust". The contamination in the pores is eating away the gel coat from the inside, filling the pores with a dull, chalk. As the chalk fills more and more pores, the entire gel coat surface will take on a dull, whitish finish. Carnauba waxes and automotive sealant do not remove pre-existing micro-contamination in the pores. Worse, they seal the contamination in place where it continues to oxidize from the inside, under the protective wax. Gel coat is a totally different animal then paint... it is porous so it sucks up product like crazy… when oxidized like that any and all automotive products are a waste of time and money... and conventional ways of detailing go out the window.

Cleaner waxes work real well. They get down into the surface, and even remove many shallow scratches. I use MeQuire's Cleaner Wax. You can really tell the difference in the color after you are done. Easy on, and off.

I once made my living repairing, and cleaning boats. You can do a lot with GelCoat. 400 grit water paper will bring it back to like new shine. However once they started putting Clear coat on them. All the rules changed. You now have to use a more gentle, and much less abrasive wax. A good cleaner wax that is clear coat safe, does a great job.

If it has a Petroleum Distillate base, then you can expect it to remove the decals over time. They usually are made from a vinyl material and don't like the this kind of wax. Also heard if you have to "shake it up to mix the contents then don't use it. But that was a long time ago.
Just my take on the subject.

Nu finish once a year on the side, twice on the cap...or rejex on the cap.

Nufinish is a wipe on and off easy to use product.