I bought a used Prijon Eski in really good shape. The seller said he waxed it twice a year. The boat really looks good. What is the current thinking on this? What kind of wax? Years ago I used an aircraft wax whith no abrasives at all called “Slipstream.” What do you “Fiber” folks do?
303 protectant
when I get around to it.
to wax or not? don’t bother
If you want your boat to shine, you may wax it. there is no real advantage however and it has no in water performance enhancement if you were wondering. it may make scummy, muddy film (like we have in Winnipeg) wash off easier but that’s about it. your boat has UV inhibitors and if stored right doesn’t get enough sun for serious fading to worry about. a boat hull actually carries along with it a micro film of water and the next layer of water slides past it. everything i’ve read (John Winters among them) says it has no hydrodynamic advantage and i dont’ think it even does much for appearance in my experience. dissenting opinions are indeed welcome and of course patently wrong ; ]
Wax on - Wax off
– Last Updated: Sep-03-04 10:50 PM EST –
I wax my boat, if only to keep it looking new. It also helps to keep it cleaner when paddling in scummy waters. It also helps it slide easier when sliding it up on my Thule hydroglides and Saddles. One down side is that it makes the boat slippery when handling it. Personally I like it when my boat has been freshly waxed...it just feels newer. I use a high quality boat wax from 3M.
I wax the deck often…
But never the hull…
Just tried Dupont Teflon Car Wax and really like it… I even tried it on my car,
GH
Wax vs. Polish
I’d avoid “wax”. You want sheeting action, not beading (beading loses speed) when water hits it.
Polishes are the way to go (the easy rub on wet/wipe off dry stuff not the paste/buff stuff). Aviation, marine, and better auto polishes are all similar.
The ones with Teflon keep the boat a bit cleaner/easier to wash off and give good protection.
I’ve used Starbrite Premium Marine Polish with Teflon. Done two boats and have over half the bottle left. You could probably get something similar cheaper at WalMart of an Auto store - but divided by 4 uses - none are that expensive.
Once or twice a year is plenty. One caution - boat can be much harder to handle on land after it’s been polished - especially when wet.
I stopped waxing and polishing…
the yaks a long time ago.
It makes them too slippery when loading them on the vehicle and carrying them around.
I use 303 on any of the rubber parts or vinyl for it’s UV protection, and I use silicon spray on any cables or rudder slides.
Cheers,
JackL
1 Like