Waxing your kayak?

I looked around forum, didn't see anything. But do you guys wax your kayak? I'm talking about mainly the bottom. Does it help in the water? Or is there something better to use?

I've seen people recommend adding a coat of UV protectant but not wax. I can't see where it would hurt anything but not sure how it would help. If your bottom isn't slippery enough then you may have bigger problems. I'm referring to technique of course for those of you with dirty minds.

The UV protectant often cited is 303 Marine and Aerospace Protectant.

My kayak is only a bit over a month old so I haven't tried anything on it yet. Native Slayer Propels are sort of shiny; other kayaks have a flatter finish. I think there is little doubt that enough sun exposure will eventually dry out almost any plastic material. Scraping the bottom, too, surely pits the plastic a bit.

One product we used to use on our auto dashboards was Armor All. I suppose a car's dashboard, look at one exposed to the sun after a few years, sort of shows what eventually happens to weather-exposed kayaks. I think the general idea is these protectants are absorbed into crevices and pits, act a bit like sunscreen, and maybe more or less chemically bond at least somewhat with the plastic. Else, it'll all wash off very fast.

Just a guess that the bottom of the boar is less an issue (Not exposed to sunlight as often on the water and in most storage situations) than the top but hitting all sides with a protectant occasionally likely makes sense.

I do follow the manufacturer's recommendation and rinse off my kayak after each outing. No pressure required, just a rinse. I let mine, at least I have this summer, air dry in the shade, and I make sure I have drained any water from down in the bilge by leaving a hatch open so it can evaporate.

Maybe this will extend the life of a kayak by several years?

Brad

The theory sounds good--wax the kayak, it'll repel water, and then glide through the water better. It doesn't work. Just use the 303 and keep it clean.

Thanks for the input.

Great advice above! Wax actually slows down your kayak by making it harder for the water to release from your kayaks bottom. 303 is great stuff and protects better than most other UV protective products.

I wax my kayak all of the time.
Removes all of the hair and makes it faster just like olympic swimmers.

Well, waxing can be, actually is, an issue on very fast boats. On fast boats, they often sand them, rough them up a bit, and the resulting roughness creates tiny air bubbles and these bubbles reduce drag. Think here of an air hockey puck.

But, for a boat that has been bottomed waxed, it will actually slightly increase the speed out of the hole . . . for a different reason. With no imperfections, there is less area for surface tension to act on than one with a gritty or dirty bottom. At low speeds, the air bubbles are not yet in play from sanding.

As regards kayaks, neither sanding with light grit sandpaper nor waxing with a high quality wax, will make much measurable speed or acceleration difference . . . at all. There is simply not enough speed or acceleration for either to come into play. A roughed up bottom would be a total waste; a waxed bottom would have the tiniest of advantages going from, say, 0 to 3 MPH.

So, it gets back to aesthetics: a nice shiny clean boat, and maybe a bit of protection from a wax coating.

For my money, I'd use the 303 as it is specifically formulated to combat UV damage, a primary source of plastic drying out and becoming brittle. And, I believe it adds a bit of sheen, too.

If you wax a kayak first, then my guess is the 303 protectant likely won't do the job as well since it might block the 303 from adhering and/or penetrating into your plastic.

If you wax, just wax; if you do the 303 UV treatment, do just it. Not both.

Brad

When I was a kid paddling and racing canoes with my dad, we would buff and wax the whole boat. The only difference is his canoes were kevlar. I dont know...may need to be more like a surf wax not like a car wax. The surfaces are very diffrent.

It all makes since now... The only difference now is Christian claims slime is his new wax method.

Any coating you put on it that has UV protection will add that value at least, plus add a layer (albeit marginal) of protection against the dreaded Ray HUbbard oil slick. The drive well in my Hobie always gets a "water line" where the oils on the water collect. If I hit it with 303 or even wd40 before I launch the clean-up is much easier.

Does it make it pedal any faster? I wouldn't know,,,,, I am a slow motion cruiser any way.

Christian surfboard wax is very sticky and bumpy, it is applied to offer better grip between the board and the feet.

Somehow I doubt you would notice any difference in speed in the water. But UV protection is a good idea especially if uou have a kayak that is on the more expensive side. If its a kayak you can stand up in be careful not to make it slick where you would be standing, kinda like putting armor all on your steering wheel.... bad idea....

This ^

Wax like on a surf board is used to help grip the board. ie more friction. That would not be good on a kayak hull.