Ok got the one 18 Hobie cleaned up buffed and polished whew ! Now do I wax it or use sealant ? I've always used wax it looks good for a while but doesn't last ! never used sealant does sealant last the whole year ? what works best Gelcoat labs , 303 , Poli Glow , 31 marine or ?

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H14
H16
H18
H18
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i like newglass2

some like car wax (i don't want to hold a power buffer for hours)
some floor wax (pass)
some like other sealants ...

i think the end is the same ... you either reapply every x months or it fade/stains
pic your fav way to apply

x months = uv, salt, and all other exposure you have. If you wash your boat after use and tarp it, it will extend the reapply interval -

for me .. it's 10 laps around my boat with newglass2 2x a year


i would not use 303 on my decks or gunnels or anywhere my butt, feet or hands would be during inboard and trapping. that stuff is pure lubricant.



Edited by MN3 on Aug 10, 2018 - 08:50 PM.

The only thing I have used on my boat is Starbrite Marine Polish, keeps the gelcoat super slick and shiny, I haven't waxed it at all.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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in812

Ok got the one 18 Hobie cleaned up buffed and polished whew ! Now do I wax it or use sealant ? I've always used wax it looks good for a while but doesn't last ! never used sealant does sealant last the whole year ? what works best Gelcoat labs , 303 , Poli Glow , 31 marine or ?

On both my cats and my motor boat I always use Maguires marine wax after cuttimg / polishing

https://www.amazon.com.au…ium-Marine/dp/B0007TR47G

Wax helps protect the gelcoat from UV and contaminantes, in my experience if you dont wax it you will be polishing it again sooner. I hear 3M do some pretty good stuff too (I use their cutting compound) but the Maguires works so well I have never bother to look at which of their vast range of products to use instead.

Also dont use car waxes, some of them turn a funny colour when immersed in salt water

Ants

Klasse and like one other are the only sealants that can survive upward of a year. Everything else is pretty much gone in a month or two regardless of what the bottle says.

Newglass 2 lasts for about 8 months of non summer fl sun
or about 4 months of including summer sun (tarped during the week used most weekends, left on the beach for the weekend)

so 2x a year
IF you keep up with it, you just have to put a couple coats on (with a synthetic shammy) to reseal in the shine (and it is very shinny)

IF you wait till it start to fail and yellow, you need to strip it, and use acid or other to get the discoloration off you hulls first. it seals in any stain you may have

in812

what works best Gelcoat labs , 303 , Poli Glow , 31 marine or ?

I have been using this Starbrite product for years and it seems to work quite well. Once you have your hulls shined up nicely apply twice a year to keep them shiny and slick.

https://www.walmart.com/i…with-PTEF-16-oz/51201190

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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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martyr

Starbrite Marine Polish

how many coats / laps around the boat per application?
how often?

aquaaddict

Maguires marine wax after cuttimg / polishing

how many coats / laps around the boat per application?
how often?

Quote

cuttimg

???



Edited by MN3 on Aug 13, 2018 - 07:16 PM.

tamumpower1

Klasse

how many coats / laps around the boat per application?
(you said) how often

Guess I was hoping for the new miracle potion ? Guess it all has drawbacks so I just order some more 3M wax I know how to deal with that ! (Hold the buffer for hours LOL)
Thanks for all the replies



Edited by in812 on Aug 14, 2018 - 12:57 AM.

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H14
H16
H18
H18
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MN3

aquaaddict

Maguires marine wax after cuttimg / polishing

how many coats / laps around the boat per application?
how often?

Quote

cuttimg

???Edited by MN3 on Aug 13, 2018 - 07:16 PM.

Cutting: using abrasive compound to 'cut' back the surface a fraction to remove surface contamination. 'Fiberglass restorer' in its simplist (and most often its lightest) form, some products are more aggressive and depends how you use them (pressure and speed), how much you need depends on how bad it has gotten.

Applying wax is normally the easy part, normally just one coat easy on and buff, you should not need to spend hours with the electric polisher, thats what you do before waxing with the 'restorer' to cut the surface gradually redusing pressure / insensity to to get rid of swirl marks etc. Just like painting all the work is in the prep before waxing.

(above all in my experience of hanging around boat yards, others may do it differently)

Ants



Edited by aquaaddict on Aug 14, 2018 - 04:11 PM.

I apply one good coat by hand, remove by hand, then use a buffer, once a year so far.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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MN3

i would not use 303 on my decks or gunnels or anywhere my butt, feet or hands would be during inboard and trapping.

Agreed.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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