| It has been our experience that nothing so much | | | | dramatically reduces gel coat oxidation by diffusing |
| insures the beauty and longevity of a fiberglass boat | | | | the UV and infrared radiation from the sun which will |
| than the continual maintenance of a good coat of | | | | oxidize and dull your boats finish. |
| high quality wax. In this article we will explore the | | | | Interesting Carnauba Facts |
| preparation, methods, and best practices for the long | | | | - Pure Carnauba in its natural state is harder than |
| term maintenance of your boats gel coat through the | | | | concrete. |
| use of wax. | | | | - Typical retail waxes contain 3% to 5% Carnauba by |
| The Problem | | | | volume. |
| Gel-coat, the exterior finish on fiberglass boats, is a | | | | - Less then 5% of retail Carnauba waxes contain |
| porous mix of polyester resins and pigments that | | | | Brazilian No.1 Carnauba, the finest of all waxes. |
| must be sealed from the damaging effects of salt, | | | | - The greater the concentration of Carnauba, the |
| dirt, weather, and ultra-violet (UV) radiation. | | | | greater the level of protection and the higher the |
| The primary purpose of gel-coat is to protect the | | | | quality of shine. |
| underlying core from water, air and sunlight, which in | | | | How Does It Work? |
| combination will quickly loosen the chemical bond and | | | | - 3 things are needed in order for the chemical |
| render the structure useless. Neglect this gel-coat, | | | | reaction which causes oxidation to occur. |
| and it becomes more porous, resins oxidize and what | | | | 1. - Oxygen |
| remains is a faded, dull finish prone to absorbing | | | | 2. - Heat |
| water into the laminate and destroying it. | | | | 3. - UV Radiation |
| In addition to the above functional definition we also | | | | Eliminate one or more of these and you slow the |
| need to say a few words about the beauty factor, | | | | process. |
| the shine of a newly polished and waxed boat. In a | | | | - A protective layer of Carnauba wax keeps airborne |
| great example of form following function, gel-coat | | | | contaminants from reaching the gel-coat and starting |
| kept clean and shiny, with a good coat of wax, will | | | | a chemical reaction. |
| perform it's primary function pretty much in direct | | | | - This wax layer diffuses (refracts) both UV and |
| proportion to the way it looks. | | | | infrared radiation from the sun. Without it the |
| The Players | | | | radiation is absorbed by the pigment in the gel coat |
| Now that we've named the problem, what are the | | | | causing it to over heat, and trigger the chemical |
| choices for solving it? The simplest solution would, of | | | | reaction that will dry out, dull and oxidize the surface. |
| course be to keep the boat away from sun, water, | | | | - A waxed boat will have a lower surface |
| and oxygen. I said simple, not practical. | | | | temperature than an unwaxed one. The darker the |
| All of the "New", "Easy On-Easy Off", "Modern | | | | color, the greater the difference |
| Chemical Miracle", products may look great on TV | | | | Using a high quality paste wax applied over a clean |
| (we've tried them all too ;-) but in the real world of | | | | polished surface will give you 3 to 4 months of |
| salt water, sun, fishing, spills, and air pollution, they | | | | protection here on the Emerald Coast. This doesn't |
| simply don't hold up compared to the simple, natural, | | | | mean the wax is gone in this time but the |
| God made it, "Tree of Life", Brazilian No.1 Carnauba | | | | appearance and protection will begin to fade rapidly. |
| wax. | | | | (based on our own experience, independent testing, |
| Unlike the modern marvels of chemical engineering, | | | | and the reports of most of our clients) |
| Carnauba comes from a tree, the Copernica Cerifera | | | | For more information on the properties of different |
| palm tree, to be specific. The color and quality of the | | | | waxes, please see Wax Comparison Table |
| wax are governed by the age of the leaves and | | | | Tying It All Together |
| care used in processing of this hard, brittle, lustrous | | | | By keeping the wax protective layer up, (3-4 |
| wax. It runs from a golden yellow in color to nearly | | | | waxings per year) your boat will always look good |
| white and has an unmistakable but pleasant "tree" | | | | and you shouldn't need any hard yearly compounding |
| smell to it. | | | | to keep it that way. This will save you money right |
| Due to the fact that carnauba is a natural plant | | | | now and add years to the time before the boat will |
| by-product, it will not react with gel coat or painted | | | | need to be painted. |
| surfaces. The Carnauba Wax acts as a protective | | | | On the boats that we've maintained for several |
| barrier providing a very hard film over your boats | | | | years we usually give it a thorough going over with a |
| surface that protect against sun and weather | | | | very fine compound in the spring just to give it that |
| damage, airborne contaminates, such as acid rain, | | | | "bright" look. This removes only a very thin layer of |
| spills, fish remains, salt and bird droppings, etc. | | | | oxidized pigment to give the wax a solid base to |
| Carnauba even swells and closes its pores tighter | | | | adhere to. |
| when exposed to water. In addition, Carnauba | | | | |