www.iFourWinns.com

Jvalich is probably right --- most of the wax probably comes off on plane...but a little must still be there, as I've found that cleaning the hull (after having lightly waxed it before the trip) has been easier after a 2 week stint in the marina without bottom paint. Maybe it keeps "some" of the baby barnacles off of her!?

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JustBreathe
'05 230 Horizon

Waxing the bottpe scertainly won't hurt. For me it's a matter of a time/benefit ratio. the 288 vista is A LOT of hull. It takes me two days to wax everything abouve the waterline.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

Oddly enough sailboater (racers) sand the hull. have read somewhere that waxing actually will affect the top speed (slower). not being a hydro engineer, though I did stay at a holiday in. Am at at a loss.

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2006 FW 203 FS
2005 Dodge Laramie 1500
2003 CRF 247F SuperMoto racer
2001 CBR1100XX

Interesting. Maybe its the same physics behind a golf ball. Little pockets of air increasing distance because of less drag.

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Former owner of:
1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 5.8L VP
2006 Four Winns Horizon 260 8.1L VP
2007 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

Current boat
2004 Sea Ray 290 Sun Sport Twin 350 Mags

http://nauticalease.com/ This product line has almost everything for your boat cleaning needs. I have used the polish, vinyl conditioner, bilge cleaner, boat soap, deck cleaner and the spary boat cleaner and loved all of them. especially the spray boat cleaner. It makes your vinyl look brand new with very little scrubbing. Highly recomended. Happy boating!

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Shane 318 Vista

I am a fresh water boater with a boat that stays in the water at a lake all summer. Not sure I buy the argument that wax will come off after 2 minutes on plane.

I wax mine and my hull stays cleaner and is easier to clean than others on the lake who do not.

My counter arguement is if the wax would come off, why doesn't the green algae that adheres to the hull also come off. It is rather easily wiped off with a sponge with just water. But it doesn't come off by just running the boat.

When we purchased our boat, the dealer said the same thing about household cleaners and said he uses Meguiar's products for his two boats.

But I have never cleaned a boat, let alone used the products on a boat. Do know they are amazing for the car...

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

I do alot of fiberglass work and you definately want to stay away from household cleaners on fiberglass gelcoat boats as well as clear coat automobile paints. The hard chemincals in those cleaners remove and dry up the oils in the microscopic pores. The best care for your boat would be to use a safe boat wash or a car wash. Depending on what you want to accomplish by removing oxidation or light swirls, Meguiars makes a real nice product called Color Restorer which is for light oxidation, next step up would be the Heavy Duty Oxidation Remover which is more aggressive and the most aggressive you can use would be One Step Compound for severe defects or oxidation. Those products are considered a cleaner poish, where the diminishing abrasives abrade the surface to remove the oxidation then break down and turn to a polish to give high gloss. You can also add a extra step in there after your cleaner to use a Pure Polish which is rich in oils to feed the gelcoat to slow down the oxidation process. Then you want to lock in your work with wax. I prefer the Meguiars Flagship Premium Marine Wax. I will apply 2 coats of wax.. I will put on a thin layer of wax on the whole boat and then remove where I started off. Then I will wait 30 minutes or so and then repeat. After that my boat looks like its glowing. I use a high speed rotary buffer, but becareful if you never used one.. You can burn through the gelcoat in no time.

All boats will oxidize from being exposed to the elements. The automobile clear coat system and gelcoat system are two different paint systems. A clear coat paint will oxidize over time, but a boat can real fast. I alway wax as much of the hull as possible. I do not see any speed performance and I do not see any loss of wax. Sheeting water off the boat is not a sign you have a good wax on the boat. Since a boat is sitting in the water and hull is exposed to water all the time its in there you will have a lower life expectancy of the wax on the hull, vs everywhere else.

3M also makes some nice marine products. I stick with Meguiars for all my compounding, polishing, waxing need for any type or repair work I do, whether its marine, or auto.

Nick

Thanks for the information Nick. Will be opening a spot in the garage for all the boat goodies. Will make sure I have plenty of items for keeping her in the best condition.

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

I wash my boat after every outing and a good coat of wax makes the lake grime come off much easier.

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SOLD! 2006 30th Anniversary Vista 278
"Conch'd Out!"

http://vista278.com