Has wax seen its day? Can you recommend a boat sealant?

I started auto detailing in the UK back in the 80's. Then, there were only a handful of products to choose from and wax was king. A few "sealant" type products started creeping in and cost a hell of a lot of money for the customer. There was one that came in a ready loaded sponge, so you prick the sponge with a blade and it would ooze out and there you have it. Each sponge was enough to cover a car and to be honest, its was no better than a decent wax.

It was very rare for anyone to use anything other than wax. Today, there's a myriad of products to choose from, all fighting for a slice of the pie: wax, wax paste, liquid wax, sealant, sealant wax, hybrid sealant etc etc and I haven't even started on ceramics yet... graphene anyone? So with this in mind and with sealants getting better and coming down in price, is there a place for wax on gelcoat anymore?

I understand some people prefer the warm lustre of a good wax on their car bodywork, but is it relevant on a white motor yacht where most people are just desperate to keep some protection on there? How long does a decent wax last on a boat, 3 months, 4 months if you're lucky. I just washed a boat that had been buffed and waxed in one of Miami's big marinas a month ago and there was absolutely no wax left on the brow, or other horizontal surfaces at all. Completely void and because of that, it had started to oxidise again. The buff and wax was carried out by someone who's been in the business for over 30 years. I get the feeling that this wouldn't have happened with a good sealant.

Even with this glut of products, there doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there on gelcoat sealants. I've done some background and cars are well catered for, but not boats. Amongst many others, I've looked at Jet Seal, Meguires mirror glaze, Wolfgang deep gloss, Rejex, Meguires liquid wax and NXT and the only one that's dedicated to gelcoat appears to be Gelcoat Labs! To be fair, some say you can use them on boats or fibreglass, but then go on to say don't apply in direct sunlight or humid conditions!

Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent gelcoat sealant and how long could you expect them to give protection. Twice that of a wax, three time? I know that's a difficult question because every case is different, but I'm looking for a rough idea. I'm thinking 8 months perhaps, give or take.

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Originally Posted by Totts

Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent gelcoat sealant and how long could you expect them to give protection.

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Have you considered a gel-coat "coating"?


I switched over to showing coatings in my boat classes when the technology became available.

I've never met any boat owner that didn't want the longest lasting option.


:)

Ceramic coatings, yes, I'm really keen on them, but I'm thinking of when people don't want to spend that much money. Sealant are useful in this case as they're more comparable with a decent wax in price

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Originally Posted by Totts

Ceramic coatings, yes, I'm really keen on them, but I'm thinking of when people don't want to spend that much money.

Sealant are useful in this case as they're more comparable with a decent wax in price

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I understand - just had to ask. Your answer clears up any questions I had.


When it comes to the longest lasting boat sealant I really don't know which brand is best.

From what I know, neither wax or sealant is going to last as long as any of your customers or you - hope and dream about.

The marine environment is simply HARSH on gel-coat. Gel-coat already oxidizes easily so that's part of the problem.

The best answer is the answer no one wants to hear and that is,

regular maintenance


Ugh.... washing, polishing and re-sealing. I get it.


We sell a Gel-coat Wax/Sealant in the Marine 31 line and it works as good as anything in this category. I don't have any experience with REJEX but for some reason - it's coming to my mind.

I wonder how long SONAX Polymer Net Shield would hold-up on the side of a boat?


SONAX Polymer Net Shield - Closest thing to a coating without being a coating



:)

Maybe give Duragloss #501 a shot ? It would clean up the oxidation and also leave a layer of protection. Plus, no worries using it in the sun. Use a combo of #501 with their #601 Bonding Agent to increase the durability.

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Originally Posted by 57Rambler

Maybe give Duragloss #501 a shot ? It would clean up the oxidation and also leave a layer of protection. Plus, no worries using it in the sun. Use a combo of #501 with their #601 Bonding Agent to increase the durability.

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I second that.

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Originally Posted by Mike Phillips

I wonder how long SONAX Polymer Net Shield would hold-up on the side of a boat?

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Mike, is it possible that PNS is too hydrophobic and will cause the boat to float in air rather than water?

Thank you for your replies, there's some interesting answers and the SONAX Polymer Net Shield looks very good, I've done some background on it now. Great on a car, but I think it would work out quite expensive on a 65' boat.

I know that anything from the Meguires line is going to be pretty good, so may go with one of those.

I'm currently looking into Technicians Choice TEC 582, which comes in at a good price, is flexible in terms of things you can do with, that is, use it neat, diluted or even mixed with your wash down soap to top the initial application. You can even use it on the interior. All the reviews I've seen are positive.

I have some questions though... is it suitable for gelcoat thats in good shape and does it have UV protection properties?

I've tried calling their customer support and was patched through to someone but there was no one there... come on TC, help me out!