You have a boat, right? Love your boat? Enjoy your boat? Dream about taking your boat out to cruise the lake, hit some sets behind it…sure you do. So why not take a few steps to keep it looking good?

The two most common mistakes people make is not keeping wax on the outside, and not protecting the inside. The UV rays from the sun are constantly working to fade your gel coat and seats.
Most of us agree if we spend even a few hours in the direct sun we should wear sunscreen, your boat is no different! A good quality wax applied to the outside of your boat. Meguiars is the brand most boat builders and dealers use and trust to protect their product.
A common question is “Should I buy a Marine was or just get an automotive product- Wax is wax right?” Not quite! Here is what Meguiar’s states: Meguiar’s Marine products are specially formulated for gel coat and linear polyurethane (LP) surfaces, which are chemically different than automotive paints. Modern gel coats and LP coatings are harder and more water resistant than automotive paints. Their unique chemical compositions demand special ingredients that are specific to these marine uses and formulated for use in marine environments. Automotive products will not achieve the same high quality results on boats.
While how often you wax could be up for debate. If your boat is stored outside where the sun can hit it, a good application of Marine was should be done 2-3 times a year. And that is assuming the rest of the time your cleaning and maintaining the boat you are not using products that can strip the wax you have applied. Again, using the right product does make a difference.

So, quite a bit of info about the outside of the boat. But what about the inside? Before you start waxing your seats, there is a better way. The most known and trusted product is 303® Marine & Recreation Aerospace Protectant. There are some other good brands out there too, but remember you don’t want anything that has SILICON OILS!! (sorry Armor all) Here is the details on 303 from the company’s web site: Aerospace’s marine formula is a premium protectant designed to safeguard boats and boat equipment against the damaging effects of daily exposure to UV rays. It’s safe for use on outdoor gear and apparel, too.
Simply spray on and wipe dry to restore color and luster, repel stains and prevent fading even in the harshest marine conditions and sunniest climates. Aerospace Marine will even help keep fishing gear clean and prevent inflatable boats from sticking together during storage. And because it’s 100% free of grease-producing silicone oils and petroleum distillates, Aerospace is safe to use on all your outdoor materials—vinyl, rubber, fiberglass and more.

We covered two type of products you can use to help protect that boat. Remember this was just protection, neither actually clean your boat…Look for another article soon on cleaning!!