My boat is a 2006, I just got it in August. It will not fit in my garage and I don't have a carport. I did purchase the heavy duty custom cover and always cover it when not in use. I take it to the carwash and wash it off and come home and wipe it down after every outing. I just put 2 coats of wax on it this week, including the pad. Is there anything else that I should be doing? How often should I wax the boat, can you over wax a boat?

Just curious, why would you wax the pad?

I normally wax my boat about 2x a year.... everytime I pull it out of the water, I wipe it down with bassboat saver, it keeps the scum line from building back up.... if you take it to the carwash, I would not use, the soap function. I do not wax my pad, as it actually slows your speeds and I use my boat about ever weekend the weather is not unbearable.

I had heard that waxing the pad actually helped with speed, don't remember where though. I actually did the whole bottom to try and help the muck not stick as bad. I never use the soap function, just the rinse.

Waxing the pad or bottom of the boat will, as catsalesman said, slow you down. In fact most boat racers will actually sand the running surface of their boats to create a rougher texture. This helps to eliminate the bond of water to fiberglass and decrease friction. Waxing will cause the water to "stick" to the fiberglass and create drag. This is a process used in very high performance boats and probably will not effect the performance of your boat much. Waxing the bottom will make it easier to get off underwater stumps.

I will usually wax the entire boat in the spring, then the top cap and waterline down once every 6 weeks depending on the water time till October, this is due the higher levels of chemicals in the water during boating season, and the heat of the sun. Wax again at in Nov. and maybe again in Feb. depending on water time. Another thing to protect is the upholstery, keep it clean and protected, anything that the sun or weather might contact. I use Aerospace 303 pretty regularly on seats, dashboard, front control box motor mount and cables and hose, again anything that the sun can deteriorate.

PS: Dont forget the trailer and rubrails.

What wax do you guys use. I need to wax my top can. It is looking dull.

I have the 3M Marine Wax, and the Meguires Gold. I alternate the two waxes.

Yeah, I've got to go with the 3M Marine wax. Good stuff. I'm going to cheat this time, though, and have it detailed at the shop that is going to do some repair work for me. Call me a cheater!

Hand job it or do you use a buffer?

Hand job? My arms are nowhere near in shape enough to hand wax the deck! I use an electric buffer. Let me rephrase that. I had apply the wax, then use the buffer for the shine. I'm going to try and wait on taking the boat in, so I will probably do a coat on Saturday or Sunday, so that I can take the boat out on Monday or Tuesday. That oxidation is really getting on my last nerve. FYI: I had purchased the wax at Walmart, but Academy carries it, too.

I use the 3M. then when of the water I use Kicken Bass with UV protectent. Like putting sun screen on.

I just use Bass Boat Saver over the entire boat about every 3 trips out. It is easy to apply and works great, just don't do the trailer where you are going to step with wet shoes. I learned the hard way and had a huge knot on my shin for the entire day.

Have a customer that just updated boats from a 1984 Cajun that the gold gelcoat still shined. Had to ask what he used on the boat. He said he used Pledge furniture polish on it a couple times a year since new. Shure worked on this boat. Getting the finish back on a boat can be a real pain. Hav`nt found anything that works better than wet sanding down to fine sandpaper then compounding. Good Luck