Waxing my Boat

[uaplumber23]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'm new to owning my own boat. What part of the boat should I be waxing? I realize the sides, but how far down do I go? Do I go down and around the bunks and to the bottom of the hull? As far as the top, I'm guessing I should go as high as I can? What about around the outdrive? I just bought some 3m Boat Wax and I've heard it pretty good wax.

Thanks
Bryan

 

[Boater420]

I'd wax from the top down to the waterline on the boat. Anything that sees the elements should get some wax including the out-drive. As far as the bottom of the boat...that's up to you but it can't hurt.

 

[Stingrayaxe]

Uaplumber,
I just finished mine up this weekend. In the spring I do a cleaning wax on the exterior of the boat from top to keel. I follow up with a finishing wax to seal it. A mechanics creeper comes in handy for the bottom. Yes I also wax the out drive. I wax any gel coat on the interior of the boat. Usually this just needs a finish coat unless there are any bad spots that need special attention. I might redo the exterior sides down to the water line throughout the season as needed.

 

[CliffA]

when I owned smaller trailer boats I asked the same question about waxing the hull....as usual I did a 'deep dive' into research.....from what I read it is suggested that the only reason you may want to wax the hull below the water line is simply for looks while the boat is on the trailer....test have been conducted that show any wax on a hull below the water line will quickly get abraded away by the water as the boat is in motion.....tests also show by waxing the bottom of a hull you will slightly reduce your top end speed.....in fact the owners of race boats will actually rough up the bottom of their hulls with sand paper to gain a few extra mph.....a rough bottom will cause tiny air pockets between the water surface and the hull which lessens the drag friction and lets the hull slip through the water more easily.....a slick waxed hull will try to stick to the surface tension of the water and cause drag on the hull.......

this is not to be confused with keeping the bottom of the hull clean.....of course you must keep the hull clean for optimal performance....

I do not have the links to the web sites I was looking at but they should not be too hard to find if you are interested.....

is this going to be enough of an effect on your boat for you to actually measure and feel?......maybe not but I find it interesting....maybe I need to get out more often...:smt009.....

cliff

 

[Stingrayaxe]

CliffA
I've heard that about waxing the bottom. I do it more for looks. I hate that brownish crud look on the bottom. I'm sure the wax comes off quickly. It's more for a good deep cleaning.

 

[uaplumber23]

Thanks for the replies guys, you've been very helpful!