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Polish and Waxing Your Yacht - What Do You Use

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by RAchten, May 10, 2015.

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  1. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The second paragraph is directly from REJEX's website. They designed it, they manufacture it, they should sure as heck know what's the best way to apply their product. I have used it, but not in a very long time. One time in the winter it went on great and lasted great. Then another time in the Summer it turned into a smeared mess. You couldn't get this haziness out of the gelcoat where it didn't 100% wipe off, and on and on. When applying it, it just wouldn't go on right.......

    How do you apply it "out of direct sunlight" when the temperature is over 85F AND not get it rained on for 12 hours here in South Florida in the summertime? Do you rent a covered slip? Take 3 weeks to wax the boat at sunrise and sunset? It's just not feasible.
  2. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    "Yeah, I haven't tried any of those. "

    "I have used it,"

    Sorry if I'm a bit confused.

    As to how I managed to use it, I only used it a few times in the past and didn't have any issues. Maybe I just got lucky.
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I don't physically wax boats myself anymore and haven't since about 2004. Not entire boats anyways. I may wax a small area myself, such as the transom or part of the aft deck, etc..... I use a very good detailing company who has been in business a long time and I have used the same 2 guys since 2003. They also try a lot of various products on the handful of boats they manage long term. They also have a lot of other customers and wil use a customers favorite brand if asked to. Generally I stick to Collinite fleet wax on the boats I manage, however once in a while a boat has a gelcoat that doesn't "pop" or really shine or last a long time with Collinite. In that Case I have had them apply/use and experimented with various other waxes. Some of those I have had them use and have experienced have been 3M with scotchguard, Meguiars flagship, Rejex, Exhaust guard, and even tried this new stuff from Sudsbury. Whether I'm the one that is physically putting it on, or I'm standing there watching them use it on a boat I manage in the midst of doing another project, it's pretty much the same thing. On a Silverton the 3M wax lasts a full year on that boat, don't ask me why.......but doesn't last as well as Collinite on most other boats, for example.

    What I copied and pasted is directly from Rejex website and has mirrored my results with it. The boat I had done in the winter time, it was in the low 70's and dry out, it went on great and lasted a long time. The boat I have done in the summer, it went on like mud, smearing everywhere, was hard to get off, and the final result was not good nor did it last. Also different boats have different gelcoats, some respond to each wax differently.

    My comment was towards not trying Zaino, Exhaust Guard, Pro Polish......I considered using Zaino on my vehicle, but honestly the process was too much of a pain to switch it over for me to get into. On that I prefer to wash it with car wash and put 1 coat of a good cleaner wax on it such as Meguiars or Zymoil and wipe off.
  4. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    I don't either other than helping the mate from time to time. Or when I want to test a new product.

    I've used Zanio for years on cars and boats. Don't find the process any different than "waxing". Other than it comes out as good or better and lasts longer. Plus it's easier to apply and if you apply a fresh coat you can leave it on over night, all day or longer if need be. And the haze just wipes right off. Can't say the same for waxes. In fact, as I'm sure you know, Collinite paste wax has to be buffed out before it fully dries.

    But as with most things, YMMV.
  5. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    I've used Zaino on my cars ever since I discovered it a few years ago. Super easy to apply and just as easy to remove, but I've never applied it to gelcoat, nor direct sunlight. I always thought of it as a 'boutique' wax for car nuts. Given the price of Zaino, I'd probably opt for an over-the-shelf brand to cover a large boat.

    Maybe the dull automotive finish that has become popular for kids trying to be different will trickle down to yachts. Then we can be proud of our chalky gelcoat. ;)
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    When I looked at Zaino, to do it initially it said I needed to wash the vehicle with joy dish soap to remove old wax, then had to wax it with one type of zaino (Z-aio or ZFX) is mandatory, then 24 hours later another type and under a certain temperature and out of sunlight..... seemed like way too much work and way too complicated for a Ford expedition daily driver when I get 6 months of protection out of Zymoil or meguiars gold, especially since I don't want to wax that big of a vehicle twice, 2 days in a row. So I never bothered with it.

    http://www.zainostore.com/beginners.html
  7. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    When you look at that Zaino link, I can fully understand why you didn't bother using the wax. For shine's sake, wax shouldn't be a scientific operation!
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Exactly, now if I had a restored 1967 corvette convertible sitting in my garage, I'd go through the effort. With Zaino, once you go through that process, from then on you just use the zaino wax only.......so then it's not bad...... But the directions and steps are crazy including using a specific brand of cotton towels......
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2015