Confused on waxing...

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.