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BoatingLAB Tests: Waxes

We test eight waxes for ease of application, quality of shine, and beading.

I stood in the marine store and looked at 75 feet of shelving lined with dozens of bottles of boat wax, reading descriptive words like premium, ultra, UV protection, nano technology, exceptional, durable and easy-on. In some products, the label carried three or four superlatives. The average price for a 16-ounce bottle was $22.96, not counting the $4 bottle of Turtle Wax we tested. The highest was more than $55. What a dilemma. You know it and I know it, but what we don’t know is what really matters when buying a wax for the boat. What works best?

Bottom line is that, at an average $1.44 per ounce with between 8 and 10 ounces required for waxing a 21-foot boat, that’s a pretty stiff bottom line. So BoatingLAB decided to see who put on the best shine.

How We Tested

To measure shine and application qualities, we taped off eight spots on the white gelcoat panel of a well-oxidized boat. We used enough wax to coat each spot of roughly 144 square inches and rubbed it in until we had created a uniform coating on each test panel, taking 90 to 120 seconds per spot. We let the spots dry and then buffed. We then reapplied the same waxes to the same spots for the second round of gloss tests. Most waxes boosted their score, as we expected after the second trial.

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To measure the gloss, we held a black ruler with yellow hash marks against the gelcoat and peered down the side of the boat to see how many inches of the ruler we could read in the reflection.

Some of our waxes were designated “cleaner waxes,” a moniker that suggests it is better equipped to remove oxidation and chalk from gelcoat. Some were simply polishes, but we used each the same way, regardless of designation.

How We Scored

Gloss After One Coat of Wax – 1, 2, 3 or 4 (inches), 4 being best.

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Gloss After Two Coats of Wax – 1, 2, 3 or 4, 4 being best.

Color Shift of Panel After Wax – 0 for heavy shift through 5 for no color shift.

Cost Rank – We scored costs high, medium and low, high earning a 1, medium a 2 and low a 3.

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These scores were added to get what we called an “overall approval factor,” the higher the better.

We found each liquid wax applied easily in under two minutes, which resulted in no score awarded for application time.

We would love to have tested wax durability, but leaving the test boat in a checkerboard state of slickness wasn’t going to be acceptable to our guinea pig’s owner. Darn the luck!

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marine polish

Attwood Premium Marine Polish

Attwood Premium Marine Polish Attwood

Promises: UV inhibitors; biodegradable bottle

Not a cleaner wax, the instructions recommend using Attwood’s Cleaner Wax on oxidized surfaces before application. We skipped the cleaner and applied.

Results: A combination of impressive shine, no color shift and modest cost gave this wax an overall high score. It’s one of only three that did not improve gloss with a second coat. We needed a cleaner wax to do that.

marine polish, boat polish
Attwood Premium Marine Polish Attwood
boat wax, fleet wax

Collinite’s No. 870 Fleetwax

Collinite’s No. 870 Fleetwax Fleetwax

Promises: Radiant finish; incomparable durability

This is a cleaner wax, marketed to provide a hard, long-lasting shine, and also marketed heavily to the recreational vehicle and aviation industry. It is sold to remove dirt, grime and oxidation.

Results: Collinite’s thin liquid wax didn’t have a flow nozzle, so dispensing without spilling took care. We were surprised we saw no improvement in reflectivity after a second coat. Its cost rank was above average.

Fleetwax
Collinite’s No. 870 Fleetwax Fleetwax
boat wax, fiberglass polish, best boat cleaners

Flitz Polish for Metal, Plastic and Fiberglass

Flitz Polish for Metal, Plastic and Fiberglass Flitz

Promises: No ammonia; safely cleans, polishes, protects

Advertised on the back label as a cleaner, Flitz was one of two waxes formulated for metal but recommended by the label for fiberglass.

Results: Scoring an average “2” in reflectivity, there was no improvement after a second coat. The green dyed wax left a green tinge on the gelcoat. The hull staining and high cost factor earned it one of our lowest scores.

Flitz, boat polish, fiberglass polish
Flitz Polish for Metal, Plastic and Fiberglass Flitz
boat wax, boat polish, premium wax, marine wax
Meguiar’s Premium Marine Wax Meguiar’s

Promises: Protection from UV damage; enriched color and shine

Advertised to remove light oxidation, the product description suggests using the wax only after the surface has been cleaned and restored to a “like new” or “average” finish.

Results: The wax worked well and quickly with good cleaning capabilities to remove oxidation, boosting shine. It has a clean, pinelike aroma, rather than the petroleum odor most of the other waxes had.

boat wax, boat polish, premium wax, marine wax
Meguiar’s Premium Marine Wax Meguiar’s
liquid wax, marine wax, marine polish, boat wax

Scotchgard Marine Liquid Wax

Scotchgard Marine Liquid Wax Scotchgard

Promises: Protection from UV rays; exceptional durability and gloss; pleasant tropical scent

Touted as using “reactive chemistry that bonds to your boat’s surface,” Scotchgard’s label makes no reference to cleaner qualities.

Results: The shine accomplished and the price rank put it in the middle group of contenders. We found the scent of the product to be petroleum-based with a hint of alcohol, not tropical.

liquid wax, marine wax, marine polish, boat wax
Scotchgard Marine Liquid Wax Scotchgard
turtle wax, boat wax, marine wax, best boat waxes

Turtle Wax Hard Shell Car Wax

Turtle Wax Hard Shell Car Wax Turtle Wax

Promises: Hard shell lasting up to 12 months

We don’t ordinarily fear using auto wax on boats, but a neutral color or no dye in the wax would be a smarter choice for Turtle Wax, even if that’s inconsistent with its marketing mechanisms, i.e. green like a turtle.

Results: Its high luster saved it from the dismally low score it should have gotten. It tinted the white gelcoat green, completely negating the cost/shine benefit factor by doing so.

turtle wax, boat wax, marine wax, best boat waxes
Turtle Wax Hard Shell Car Wax Turtle Wax
marine wax, boat wax

West Marine Pure Oceans NanoTec Fiberglass Polish

West Marine West Marine

Promises: Biodegradable; superior protection; citrus scent

Not a cleaner wax, the citrus base of the wax is reported to be more environmentally friendly than petroleum bases. We could not verify that claim.

Results: Its citrus odor made it pleasant to work with. It was the thickest, creamiest liquid wax we tested and so easy to get just where we wanted it. Its value price (fourth in cost factor) and shine gave it a high overall score.

boat wax, marine wax
West Marine Pure Oceans NanoTec Fiberglass Polish West Marine
marine wax, boat wax, best boat wax

Woody Wax

Woody Wax Woody Wax

Promises: No rubbing or buffing; nonslick wax finish — even blood hoses off

This petroleum-based “wax” has an oily character. It is advertised to work on fiberglass and to be particularly beneficial to nonskid decking. Application is to wipe on and to not wipe off.

Results: Its high cost and low luster lowered its score significantly. It also stained the gelcoat an oily brown — exactly the color of the compound. There was no discoloration of metal, and we recommend this product for protecting aluminum marine structures.

marine wax, boat wax, best boat wax
Woody Wax Wood Wax
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