• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Wax on the deck?

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Something in another thread sparked a random question.... do any of you wax your decks? If so, what product(s) do you use?

My boat is a grungy mess every spring when it is time to scrub off months of wetness. Oftentimes it is a job for hands-and-knees with a bristle-brush to get the grunge off.

It's occurred to me to apply some sort of wax to protect the deck, and make it harder for grunge to "stick"... but I also don't want to make the deck slippery.

Any experiences, good or bad?

Bruce
 

steven

Sustaining Member
I have never waxed the deck on the theory that I do not want it to be slippery (I do wax the hull every time I do the bottom).

However, someone (not on this Forum) suggested that the gelcoat wear/damage that I now have on the front of my cabin top maybe would have been prevented if regularly waxed.
I'm skeptical. But I would be interested in others' views and experience.

--Steve
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Well, I don't wax the nonskid surfaces, which on my boat are specialized gelcoat.

But goodness, yes, I have the decks waxed twice a year, and the hull once a year. Deck: $300. Hull and Deck: $750. I have learned to remove canvas covers and to wrap some hardware in painters tape against overspray from the polish. Of course we can do it ourselves, but I watched the guy on the Tartan 38 next door for a couple of years, 70 years old in knee-pads bent over all day. I feel the maximum age for waxing your own boat is 55, when I quit windsurfing for the same reason: you look like an idiot compared to everybody else.

Old unwaxed gel coat, doesn't that absorb every spilled drop of wine or stomped potato chip?
 

Pat C.

Member III
Wax the deck areas without non skid with Collinite Fleetwax, very good product, and lasts long too. Doesn't have any abrasives like many other marine waxes do. It does go on hard though.

Wax the non skid with Aurora Sure Step, it's a wax that is designed for non skid surfaces. Doesn't make the non skid slippery at all, and gives it the protection it needs.

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]https://www.collinite.com/marine-wax/fleetwax-paste-wax/

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]https://www.auroramarine.com/store/sure-step.html

[/FONT][SUB][SUP]<strike>
</strike>[/SUP][/SUB]
[/FONT]
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
My nonskid was apparently waxed when I bought it, and the boat was frankly dangerous for a little while until it got a bit grippy again. I'd be wary of waxing it, but would definitely wax the gelcoat parts that don't get stepped on.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
Having just finished my third day of compounding, waxing, and buffing my hull,

20190523_141649.jpg

I'm skeptical that waxing old, oxidized gelcoat does much. It takes quite a bit of work with a Makita buffer and cutting cream to get it down to smooth gel coat. Until you do that, what are you protecting? Your oxidation?
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
That looks great.

when-see-5b1098.jpg
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Thanks, all

I did a full compound/buff/wax in 2017, and waxed the topsides and all the smooth parts of deck and cockpit last spring. Didn't get it nearly as shiny as Kenneth's (that looks gorgeous), but happy with the results. Probably time to do it again.

So far, though, I've been careful NOT to get wax on the non-skid, for fear that it'll get slippery. The downside of that strategy is that I spend a lot of time scrubbing winter grunge off the nonskid areas each spring. I'd love to find something that would give the grunge a less friendly surface to stick to, without making it hard for *me* to stick to.

I'll look at that Aurora "sure step". SuperSailor, if you happen to think of the West product you use, I'd give that a look too.

Bruce
 
Last edited:

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Something in another thread sparked a random question.... do any of you wax your decks? If so, what product(s) do you use?

My boat is a grungy mess every spring when it is time to scrub off months of wetness. Oftentimes it is a job for hands-and-knees with a bristle-brush to get the grunge off.

It's occurred to me to apply some sort of wax to protect the deck, and make it harder for grunge to "stick"... but I also don't want to make the deck slippery.

Any experiences, good or bad?

Bruce
I do not wax my deck but I do use StarBrite's non-skid cleaner. I find that it works quite well. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/star-brite--nonskid-deck-cleaner-with-ptef-quart--539189?recordNum=1
 

G Kiba

Sustaining Member
Got this recommendation from a racer friend some time ago. Silicone grout sealer (Meant to be used to seal tile and concrete floors). It prevents stains and mildew from penetrating porous gel-coat, is non-skid almost sticky, and seems to work pretty well on my 46 year non-skid deck.
 
Last edited:

bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
I'm searching for a solution for improving the chalky look and the performance of the nonskid. My biggest source of deck fouling is green algae and scum growth over the rainy winter and spring and purple bird droppings during blackberry season in late summer. So far I have found reference to:

Woody Wax http://woody-wax.com/fiberglass-non-skid-deck-wax.php
Aurora Sure Step https://auroramarine.com/store/sure-step.html
Starbrite http://www.starbrite.com/item/non-skid-deck-wax
Grout Sealer

Practical Sailor gives high marks to Woody Wax so I am leaning in that direction. https://www.practical-sailor.com/uncategorized/nonskid-waxes

Can anyone give insight about how long some of these options last? Is this a yearly operation? Monthly? Did the grout sealer flake off after awhile?

Thanks,

Doug
 

Marlin Prowell

E34 - Bellingham, WA
Do NOT use Woody Wax! Seriously. We read Practical Sailor and followed their advice. It was a big mistake.

You spray on Woody Wax and rinse it off. Sounds easy. Woody Wax puts a white wax coating on your boat, and what rinses off will leave a stubborn white wax streaks down the side of your hull. If your boat is pure white, then you won’t notice. Our deck is a light tan color, and it turned the entire deck a lighter color. Made the topsides look quite oxidized. Plus the rinsed wax ran over the non-skid and put white residue in the grooves of the non-skid.

Because the fiberglass was originally oxidized, we didn’t suspect the wax was the problem. We did oxidize scrub the deck before applying Woody Wax. We thought our fiberglass was too faded and oxidized to bring back to its original color.

The next year we taped off and varnished the handrails. When we pulled off the masking tape, it pulled off the wax, and the original boat color returned. Some scrubbing on the deck confirmed that the Woody Wax was the problem.

It took several rounds of scrubbing with Barkeepers Friend to remove the wax and restore the boat‘s original color. We‘ve tried 3M waxes, but are now true believers of Colonite products. We used Fleetwax (885) on the hull and 925 on the topsides. Best wax we have tried by far.
 

JPS27

Member III
I tried the above products on my gelcoat. I did not have the problems stated above with woody's wax, which I prefered. But it's effect didn't last long. My non skid was slick like ice no matter what i did. And it looked fairly good. I eventually went with TotalBoat nonskid paint. Works great. Not too difficult to put down.
 
Top