To wax or not?

L&I Detailing

L&I Detailing

New member
So the other day my team and I were working on a large sportfisher and happened to be in a row with some other really large boats as well. The boat next to us was a 65' Donzi (dwarfed the 50 ocean we were working on) absolutely beautiful and she has a captain who lives on her and maintains her from the aesthetics to the mechanics and everything in between.

We got to talking because his boat was absolutely glistening and I asked what kind of wax do you use. He goes I dont really use wax only on the sides and in the cockpit where she gets fished other than that NO WAX cause all it does is trap dirt. Instead he just uses collinites fiberglass boat cleaner #920 to give it that just waxed look and keep it clean. Also note that the boat spends its winters down in palm beach so it see the florida sun also. And what he does wax he uses NU Finish.

Curious of everyones opinions on whether or not to wax. Also note this captain used to work for Viking Palm Beach so he knows his stuff!
 
Any wax that you put on a boat is going to come of pretty quick IMO If it was me I would be looking for a sealant. That said the Collinite is a product designed for marine use, their insulator wax is really tough / durable. NU Finish is a cleaner product must like Klasse AIO
 
L&I Detailing said:
So the other day my team and I were working on a large sportfisher and happened to be in a row with some other really large boats as well. The boat next to us was a 65' Donzi (dwarfed the 50 ocean we were working on) absolutely beautiful and she has a captain who lives on her and maintains her from the aesthetics to the mechanics and everything in between.

We got to talking because his boat was absolutely glistening and I asked what kind of wax do you use. He goes I dont really use wax only on the sides and in the cockpit where she gets fished other than that NO WAX cause all it does is trap dirt. Instead he just uses collinites fiberglass boat cleaner #920 to give it that just waxed look and keep it clean. Also note that the boat spends its winters down in palm beach so it see the florida sun also. And what he does wax he uses NU Finish.

Curious of everyones opinions on whether or not to wax. Also note this captain used to work for Viking Palm Beach so he knows his stuff!
Click to expand...

I have actually had a conversation similar to this with several paint chemists and high-end detailers. The debate was whether paint that was waxed often or paint that was never waxed but polished often would look best after many years. Of course it always came down to the specifics, but in the end the general conclusion was the paint that was polished often (but not waxed) would look the best IF you still had a measurable paint film left.

By using the Collinite 'cleanser' which is actually an abrasive polish often I am sure the boat looks amazing as the dead and oxidized paint is constantly being removed and a fresh surface exposed. However, by constantly doing this process the captain is thinning out the surface.

I have no doubt that if wax was used often (which would provide some barrier against oxidation) that it would need to be polished LESS often, thus maintaining the same great looks while reducing the rate at which the captain is scrubbing away the finish.

Quality waxes and paint sealants are not going to 'attract or trap' dirt or dust. They create a barrier that helps repel these particulate.

Also keep in mind that Donzi's are painted with a basecoat/clearcoat similar to a car's finish, so the same rules of care apply. If I went out and polished by car ever 3 months (and never waxed it) it would look great for several years until I removed the clearcoat.

So while the captain may be doing a great job and keeping the boat looking great, I think there are better and less invasive ways that will do just as good as a job.

As far as him knowing there stuff, I have seen plenty of body shops (some paid upwards of 100k a paint job) who subscribe to some old theories of paint car and will never change their ways.
 
Todd Helme said:
I have actually had a conversation similar to this with several paint chemists and high-end detailers. The debate was whether paint that was waxed often or paint that was never waxed but polished often would look best after many years. Of course it always came down to the specifics, but in the end the general conclusion was the paint that was polished often (but not waxed) would look the best IF you still had a measurable paint film left.

By using the Collinite 'cleanser' which is actually an abrasive polish often I am sure the boat looks amazing as the dead and oxidized paint is constantly being removed and a fresh surface exposed. However, by constantly doing this process the captain is thinning out the surface.

I have no doubt that if wax was used often (which would provide some barrier against oxidation) that it would need to be polished LESS often, thus maintaining the same great looks while reducing the rate at which the captain is scrubbing away the finish.

Quality waxes and paint sealants are not going to 'attract or trap' dirt or dust. They create a barrier that helps repel these particulate.

Also keep in mind that Donzi's are painted with a basecoat/clearcoat similar to a car's finish, so the same rules of care apply. If I went out and polished by car ever 3 months (and never waxed it) it would look great for several years until I removed the clearcoat.

So while the captain may be doing a great job and keeping the boat looking great, I think there are better and less invasive ways that will do just as good as a job.

As far as him knowing there stuff, I have seen plenty of body shops (some paid upwards of 100k a paint job) who subscribe to some old theories of paint car and will never change their ways.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer Todd, always curious of getting other peoples opinions on stuff like this its pretty interesting.
 
I couldn't imagine not using wax on a boat. The air here on the gulf coast is so salty, it only takes a few days before oxidation starts to kick in. I've been using 3m's AIOs, they have restorer + wax and cleaner + wax, both work great
 
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