The best way to maintain a fiberglass boat is to wash with a mild detergent, then wax. This needs to be done frequently to avoid the fiberglass from oxidizing.

If your boat has oxidized one way you can fix the problem and get the boat to shine like new again is to purchase a fiberglass restorer and wax combination. 3M makes some really good products for this.

The restorer wax usually has a fine grit to it. So when you are applying the wax and removing the excess you are really lightly sanding off the oxidation that has built up on the boat.

The reason the boat doesn’t shine is that the surface of the boat is no longer smooth. It has microscopic divots. These divots need to be buffed out before the shine can be restore. If we do not get rid of these small indentations then oxygen can be trapped underneath the wax and still allow more oxidation to form.

If the wax doesn’t work you may need to sand the entire boat with a wet 400 to 1500 grit sandpaper. Before you start to sand you need to clean the entire surface of the boat to be waxed with alcohol to remove any wax or contaminants on the boat. This will help reduce the microscopic divots we discussed earlier. Then re-wax and polish.