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