Wax

[beekeeper]

Has anybody waxed the outside of their wooden paddling boat? What kind of wax? Any advantages, drawbacks or problems?

beekeeper

 

[Kayak Jack]

Drawback. Any repair will have difficulty getting glue to adhere. Paint will not adhere well either. Keep the wax in your ears, and off a boat. :wink:

 

[seedtick]

we wax - usually pledge furniture wax or something like that - also makes it easier to clean when you take it out of the water

when revarnishing, don't just varnish over the wax, clean throughly, sand, then varnish

 

[oldsparkey]

One of the boats ( kayak) I tried/used the Johnson's past wax on it and it sure makes it easy to clean. Only did the part above the water line and deck since the bottom was painted with the Brightsides Teflon paint.
I'm very happy that I have not had to re-varnish it and am not looking for the day that needs to be done , which should be a long time down the road , it is keep inside when not in use.

Chuck.

 

[beekeeper]

Thanks guys for the replies. I have some Johnson's Paste Wax I thought about using to reduce scum build up and maybe act as a poor man's Teflon bottom. Come to think about it I have some boat wax with Teflon in it for my Bumble Bee bass boat that might work. Don't know if this has any application for boat building, but I used paste wax to prevent parts of wooden baits from sticking together when epoxying them. Test for yourself befor using!
Any recommendations for removing the wax? Acetone, denatured alcohol, or maybe mineral spirits?

beekeeper

 

[graybeard]

I've always heard cheesecloth or 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits. Uncle Sam had us use an industrial floor buffer, a cotton tee shirt, and warm water (GI Party). We cheated and had one of the women in the flight sit on the buffer for extra weight.

Here's the word from the horse's mouth:

How can I remove SC Johnson® Paste Wax from my furniture or floor?
To remove SC Johnson® Paste Wax, use a mineral spirits solution.
For sealed wood furniture:
· Pour a small amount of mineral spirits onto the surface.
Caution: Do not let mineral spirits run or drip off surface.
· Use a clean, folded cloth and circular washing motion to clean the surface.
· Wipe surface dry immediately with another clean cloth.
· Continue cleaning section by section until all wax, polish or soil are removed.
· Change cloths frequently to avoid redepositing the wax, polish or soil.
· Can re-use SC Johnson® Paste Wax after this. Rewax or repolish, if desired, to restore shine and protection.

For sealed wood floors:
· Pour the mineral spirits on a 2 sq ft area.
· Use a clean, folded cloth and circular washing motion to clean floor.
· Wipe floor dry immediately with another clean cloth.
· Continue cleaning section by section until all wax/soil are removed.
· Change cloths frequently to avoid redepositing the wax/soil.
· Can use SC Johnson® Paste Wax after this. Rewax/repolish, if desired, to restore shine and protection.

 

[beekeeper]

Thanks Mr. greybeard.

beekeeper

 

[Kayak Jack]

First, try waxing a patch along the waterline, and then going into scummy water. See if any difference is worth it.

 

[beekeeper]

First, try waxing a patch along the waterline, and then going into scummy water. See if any difference is worth it.

Waxed one side and the bottom of the boat for a test. Used spray on furniture wax, past wax and automobile wax to see which might work best.

None kept the slime from leaving a line.

The waxed side was much easier to clean and the slippery bottom helped in sliding the boat. I would say waxing is worth while. I will use the spray on furniture wax because it is easy.

beekeeper