Fiberglass Boat Care?

[bassadict69]

I have a Fiberglass bass boat that is 9 years old. I have hit it with a little wax over the years & ALWAYS wipe it down immediately after putting it back on the trailer. However, I have never done a proper cleaning, polish & wax routine on it.

The paint & gel coat still look pretty good...maybe a really light haze if anything at all.

From what I understand, I need to wash the boat real good, then use something like the Color Restorer #44 , then follow with some polish #45, then some wax either #56 or #63.

Does this sound right? Can it all be applied by hand? Any special procedures for using the polish or Color Restorer?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

Sounds right.

For a product like M44 you usually would work this pretty well against the finish to remove the oxidation, (that haze), but you only need to get as aggressive as you need to get to remove it and reveal a more clear and glossy surface.

Then remove any leftover residue and proceed to apply the M45 Polish. For this product you work it in like you would work in skin lotion to your skin if your skin was dry. After wiping it on and working it in you then wipe it off.

Neither the M44 or the M45 need to dry, that's for waxes only.

Then proceed to apply your choice of wax and let it fully dry before removing it.

[bassadict69]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

I heard that on some polishes, it has to be worked in until it activates (or something like that) & will kind of change tints when it reaches that point & has done its job... Is this polish like that?

Paint still looks really good so I am thinking the #44 should be pretty easy & quick to use. Most people say they can't even see the slight cloudiness that I see in some spots on the boat.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

I heard that on some polishes, it has to be worked in until it activates (or something like that) & will kind of change tints when it reaches that point & has done its job... Is this polish like that?

No. Work the product, wipe it off, pay attention to the finish as you're working, focus on the finish.

P

aint still looks really good so I am thinking the #44 should be pretty easy & quick to use. Most people say they can't even see the slight cloudiness that I see in some spots on the boat.

M44 is fairly aggressive by itself, you might want to do a test spot, that is work a small section like a foot squared and then wipe off the residue and inspect the results.

This is Fiberglas gel-coat you're working on correct?

A less aggressive option would be to pick up a bottle or can of our M50 Boat Cleaner/Wax, this is a fairly strong cleaner/wax and applying this with a little passion and a piece of terry cloth, (the nap of the cloth will give your product a little more bite), you can probably remove the haze and leave the finish clean, polished and waxed in one step. You can still go ahead and apply a second coat of a different wax for more protection and in essence be using the cleaner/wax as a cleaner.

Our M50 is very popular for large things like boats and Motorhomes because a lot of times people would like to tackle a large job using a one-step approach so they don't have to go around the boat or fill in the blank 2 and 3 times, which is a multiple-step approach.

You could also use the M50 as your cleaner, then polish with M45 and then use a different wax after this, again using the M50 as your cleaner since it is fairly aggressive, (not abrasive, just has good cleaning ability using diminishing abrasives and chemical cleaners), cleaner/wax instead of using the very aggressive M44

Just so thoughts, it would be helpful to be there in person to just do the test spot and quickly see what it will take to get the results you want.

[bassadict69]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

Yes, it is fiberglass gel coat.

If the #44 is that aggressive, I probably do not need it. I will look into the #50

I definately appreciate all your help!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

Look for the liquid M50 Cleaner/Wax, sometimes it's nice to introduce a liquid to a oxidized surface as the chemical cleaners can easily penetrate into the chalky resin and go to work for you.

Also remember that application material is just as important as product selection, usually auto stores and marine stores will carry applicator pads, in the Marine line we offer both foam and microfiber which tend to be gentle to the paint, so for the cleaning step you can try one of these types of applicator pads as we ALWAYS recommend people to use the least aggressive product to get the job done and using the least aggressive product also includes application material.

For a little more bite however you can take a quality terry cloth towel, cut out a section about 4" to 5" inches square and then fold it over and use this as your more aggressive applicator [material] for the cleaning step.

Try both ways, soft material and terry cloth material and see which is giving you the best results.

For the polish and wax application, definitely use either the foam or microfiber applicator pads for effective application of both the polish and the wax.

[bassadict69]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

When I wash it, should I use something like Dawn dish soap to remove all the old wax & quick detail stuff I have used over the years.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

When I wash it, should I use something like Dawn dish soap to remove all the old wax & quick detail stuff I have used over the years.

Lots of people like to do this, Meguair's doesn't recommend it and instead recommends using a non-detergent wash that won't dry out your gel-coat.

Besides that, whatever you end up using for a cleaner, whether that's M50 Cleaner/Wax or M44 Color Restorer, both will completely strip off whatever is on the surface and leave you with a clear, clean shiny base.

This is cleaning the surface the right way, not stripping by using a strong detergent which is the kind of sage advice all the other forums on the Internet are famous for.

[bassadict69]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

That is definately good to know! Thanks!

I did find out I already have the Meg Wax I need...I am assuming it is still good after sitting in the shed all winter.

Now I just need to find a dealer around here to find the rest of the stuff.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

I did find out I already have the Meg Wax I need...I am assuming it is still good after sitting in the shed all winter.

Shake it up well if it's the liquid version, when you pour some out it should have a uniform looking appearance.

Then do a test spot with it and see what kind of results you're getting.

[bassadict69]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Care?

So, just to be sure I have this right, I can use the cleaner/wax as a cleaner & still be able to follow it up with the polish then the wax even though the #5014 includes a wax? Just wanting to make sure the polish can still do its thing even though the wax was in the cleaner used first.

Thanks again for all your help...I found a boat dealer here locally who sells your products so at lunch today, I picked up a bottle of the cleaner/wax & had him order me a bottle of the polish (& more to put on the shelf since he didn't stock it). I hope to get started this weekend but with limited time, I will only be able to do a little here & there over the next couple of weeks.