I’m a new owner of a fiberglass kayak … had plastic for several years … and am looking for some advice on care & maint.
fiberglass boat
I too have a fiberglass canoe,a scott lil canoe
and try to maintain it’s appearance.When i return
home there is always a ring around the boat that
carwash solution takes care of.We have a company
in NC called duragloss that make fine car care products that i have used for 20 years.I simply
wax the canoe with a clearcoat polish by them
and wipe it off,just like a car,helps with
scratches also.
Wax not as good as…
I did some research on boating, and fiberglass. I read where “WAX” actually increases the drag in the water on a fiberglass boat. Don’t use a wax.
I went to the local boat shop, and asked for the best thing to put on my fiberglass kayak to protect it, and make it smooth.
He sold me a bottle of “Star Bright Marine Polish with Teflon”, 3 years (and several bottles) ago, and I think it is super. It also has “extra” UV protectants right in it. A big plus is the Teflon in it, as it makes the boat easy to keep clean. Dirt and oil scum from the water just wipes right off. A couple of us did reviews here on P-Net for this stuff. Read them and get the details.
This is not an abrasive polish, like automotive polishes, but more of a cleaner protectant.
Put 2 coats on it, within 30 days, and you will have a slick, well protected kayak.
Congrats on your new boat!
Love that stuff.
I started using it after a Fiberglass Repair shop recommended it to me.
Only drawback is the boat becomes very slippery. Make sure you have perimeter deck lines on your boat to grab if necessary.
Try to store it so it can dry inside and
out. There is a phenomenon called hydrolysis which affects resins to varying degrees. Old polyesters were sometimes quite susceptible, while vinylester and epoxy are much less affected. What happens is that water works into the composite layup through microcracks, and then interacts chemically with the resin. Under some circumstances this can cause marked blistering under the gelcoat. I had an old ('73) Mad River canoe blister so badly that I finally cut it up and put the pieces out at the curb. But an old Moore bought about the same time never blistered at all.
I just figure that with the thin layups of most composite boats, it’s best to let the layup dry thoroughly as the boats lay around between trips. I think the drying is more important than trying to seal water out of the layup, which is very difficult given normal use.
Try to store it so it can dry inside and
out. There is a phenomenon called hydrolysis which affects resins to varying degrees. Old polyesters were sometimes quite susceptible, while vinylester and epoxy are much less affected. What happens is that water works into the composite layup through microcracks, and then interacts chemically with the resin. Under some circumstances this can cause marked blistering under the gelcoat. I had an old ('73) Mad River canoe blister so badly that I finally cut it up and put the pieces out at the curb. But an old Moore bought about the same time never blistered at all.
I just figure that with the thin layups of most composite boats, it’s best to let the layup dry thoroughly as the boats lay around between trips. I think the drying is more important than trying to seal water out of the layup, which is very difficult given normal use.
Wjlatsha, the Star Brite stuff has the
same effect as “Wax” to the hull in terms of slowing the boat down. If anything the wax will be ‘faster’ since it wears off more readily.
Does work fine for protecting finish though.
No problem
As long as the boat is covered and water cannot pool in the boat or cover, you’ll have no problems. Setting it on the ground is OK, but you might get some moisture buildup that could cause mold or staining where the boat contacts the ground. Elevating it, even just an inch or two, would be preferable.
Waxing ANY kayak is a waste of paddling time, IMO. 
What about sitting in on land?
Thanks for all the great advice!
I think I’ll stick to Simple Green to clean, and I’ll look into Star Bright …
Any problem occasionally sitting in the baot on dry land?
Research your reply on the internet
I researched this on the internet, and found several sources saying the same thing. A Wax adds drag to a hull in the water.
A Polish, makes the water sheen, and slide off.
I wish I had the sources handy, but I did find this at several sources.
Check it yourself!
Happy Paddling!
Just to be safe…
Just to be safe, I use curved foam blocks under my hull, when I sit in it on a hard surface.
I soft grass, I sit in is without the foam.
I didn’t see it mentioned, but 303
is a UV protectant that is not slippery when it dries.
Oh, yes it is, even if buffed according
to instructions. It is more slippery than Armorall based on my recent tests.
what kind of boat is it?
some folks do all of what you describe,which is reasonable for the expense,after a few years of heavy use you might find yourself putting it under a tree upside down and not caring,and it’ll still work in the water.
Regarding sitting in it on a hard surface that depends on the shape of the hull, some shapes are tolerant of sitting on a flat surface and some are not.