Marine wax VS. Car wax

[Dferr]

I'm curious to know if there are any boat restoration experts who have an opinion on whether auto wax is safe for fiberglass. I've read that some car waxes have chemicals that can be damaging to fiberglass gelcoat. Is it safe as long as the bottle says "safe for fiberglass"?

[t-n-t]

Safe for fiberglass is different then made for fiberglass. You should use Boat wax.

[goose69]

I have been around boats all my life and the the best wax is call fx and cost $20. It is a high Teflon silicone wax sold at auto parts stores.

[Ewok]

From the car products isle, I have used Meguiars NXT on my boat and it did pretty well, but not as well as Meguiars 100% carnuba marine wax, the marine products seem to last a bit longer. I just tried Hulu Polymer Sealant on my boat this season and it's still silky smooth and the water beads right off. Of course I wipe down after every trip with babes or BB Hot Sauce. I like Hot Sauce better for the finish on the boat, but it smells bad.

[Hula Boat Care]

Having worked for Meguiar's and 3M in the automotive and marine worlds, here is my humble opinion and is a generalization.

The thought process that car wax cannot be used on fiberglass is not true. What is important to take into consideration is what is the wax designed to do ( UV protection, add gloss, hide swirls), what is it adhering to, and what environment is it subjected to.

A car wax is designed to be exposed to the sun, elements like exhaust fumes, stuff like bird droppings and the occassional washing or rain. Also Painted surfaces are significantly less porous than fiberglass. These factors impact the resin system which is used in the wax.

Marine waxes usually offer more protection from UV and water while giving a bit of gloss. The resin system used to get the polymers to bond to a more porous fiberglass surface is a different animal. Ultimately a marine wax will allow the polymers to adhere better and last longer in the environment it is designed for.

I can ramble on but will stop here before I bust out my chemistry set