Opinion Time............maintenance on the outside

Everywhere every boater goes, there is always someone who has an exceptionally clean and shiny boat. The logical question is always, "Whatda ya use on yer 'barge?' "

The answers always vary and I have yet to find a group of boaters that all agree that XBrand boat cleaner/glazer/polish is the best.

Generally speaking we can 'assume' that fibreglass is fibreglass and if that is the case there must be ONE or TWO products that are generally accepted as the best....

I know what I use......."What do you use?"

PS..let's stick to reasonable priced products, not those that require one to give up their first born, and as well, products that are readily available to all boaters.

Thanks for your time and your answers.

Imron, 3M bottled wax every 18 months, and I mostly go cruising to 3rd world countries, where my old barge looks relatively good!

3M products are the only products on allowed on our 'barge'. It works, is available at West Marine, and easy on the gas money! BUT, I agree, there must be a product that works, is easy to apply, lasts, and is cheap. Waxing the boat su cks

I try to achieve the chalky dusty look ... I believe in extending a courtesy to others out on the water by reducing sun glare. Actually, the boat is due for a refinishing and we are looking to go either Interlux Perfection or Awlgrip and it unfortunately looks like next year due to all of the prep. Coming from the car wash, I have access to some really amazing detail products but they just do not have the longevity in a marine environment. With the amount of time it takes to get the boat done, it really doesn't pay since it doesn't last long

I have used Collinite products but as Dave said...it sucks waxing the boat.

First I wash with Soft Scrub, then:

Step one: (Only if needed) Apply 3M Finesse-It with an electric polisher, then buff to a shine.

Step two: Clean and polish with Collinite 870 cleaner wax.

Step three: Wax with one or two coats of Collinite 885 Fleet Wax (paste wax).

Consistently use FLITZ on all the anodized aluminum.

Still experimenting with the fiberglass finish products; I'm thinking like Al - after 25 yrs, a paint job is in order and well deserved.

My brother bought Flitz at a show ...it did an beautiful job on our stainless rub rail. He used the round ball buffer on other parts and frankly...it is just like the show demos...it did an excellent job...For the eisenglass we used a product recommended by a local marina owner called 210 ??? I don't have the bottle here so I do not know the manufacturer BUT....IT IS GREAT STUFF. It cleans and polishes so well, it produces a nice optical clarity for whatever it is that the eisenglass has and it removes the black rub marks where the bows of the enclosure rub the eisenglass. I would recommend it to use.

BY the way: Last night I was driving by Garden State Marina in Pt Pleasant and they had some new 38-42 footer on the lot and at 11PM, you could see the glare and highly reflective surface all over that vessel....Man, it sure looked pretty...then I realized if you bought it and spent $650,000.00 or more, you would have a hard time enjoying the boat since to keep that shine, it is a major ongoing process.
I like the chalk now that I realized that

knuckle47 said:

BY the way: Last night I was driving by Garden State Marina in Pt Pleasant and they had some new 38-42 footer on the lot and at 11PM, you could see the glare and highly reflective surface all over that vessel....Man, it sure looked pretty...then I realized if you bought it and spent $650,000.00 or more, you would have a hard time enjoying the boat since to keep that shine, it is a major ongoing process.
I like the chalk now that I realized that

Click to expand...

I know there is a process that "they" now do that makes it so you never have to polish your boat again. A friend of mine had a 36 Doral and he had it done...but like he said....he will never get his money back when he sells it. The procedure cost him close to $30,000.00 but all he does now is wash the boat with water....and man...does it shine !!

Have used it all 3M, Buff Magic and polish, Collinite...this year tried the Starbrite cleaner wax followed with the Starbrite Premium Polish with PTFE, been very happy with results and much easier than a lot of the others.

Thanks for the opinions everyone...I use Formulae Five....I think it takes about a micron of Gel off the boat and really makes the boat shine when buffed.

I do have some 56 MARINE RV / Meguiars wax (liquid) on board as well. A couple of bottles were given to me but I have yet to use it.

I think I will try some of the 3M products and I am very interested in the FLITZ as I have a lot of anodized aluminum on the boat.

Have a nice week.

I prefer the McGuires products. Use cleaner wax on hull, and the two step process on the enclosure panels with good results.

I used 3M Cleaner wax for years, until someone who works at my marina tipped me off that the detailer's use Garry's Royal Satin Cleaner Wax. Royal satin is half the price and works much better, I'd never go back to 3M.

In many of the car wash seminars I have attended on detail chemicals, the prime reason for chalking and lackluster finishes is oxidation. Conventional carnuba wax is made from palm. The reason so many "sealants" enjoy the reputations they have is due to their no wax formulations.

I have seen that Poly-Glo used in many applications and it sure seems to add a nice low level gloss to old surfaces and it lasts a few seasons. I have also seen the process for removing it. Holy Mackeral !