Washing, Polishing, and Waxing

[MarkC]

Been scouring the web about this topic and what an assortment of possibilities.  Meguairs, collinite, Mothers, Rejex, Griots, Duragloss, Sea Shield, to name a few.  Then there is cleaners, wash and wax, oxidation removers (light, moderate, severer), one step does all, polishers, wax ( paste, liquid), on and on.  Electric polisher, orbital or non, cordless?  Foam pads or wool?  By now you can see my quandary.  I enjoy the research but have yet to come to a solid conclusion.  I like the powertool rather than elbow grease method.   I'm thinking one steps products don't do as good a job and multiple steps.  Don't know which is better...foam pads or wool (I think some of these thread refer to auto paint jobs rather than fiberglass). If you begin with a new trailer can you get by with just washing and waxing with a periodic oxidation removal?  Depending on use and exposure.  Definitely a big job and looking for the best solution.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Overland
edited title to remove all caps

[Overland]

I think that the most recommended polish here is Duragloss, which I can personally attest to, but also many owners have had good success with other products like 3M marine wax, Maguires, etc.  Some people really like Rejex, but I personally didn't care for it.  Some searching will probably provide you with a handful of threads on the topic.  

Many of us use a mixture of 4 parts Duragloss 923 and 1 part Duragloss 952 in a spray bottle for cleaning the interior and as a touch up spray on the exterior, cleaning off bugs and such.  I don't know who first came up with that mixture, but it really makes the interior shine.  

On the exterior, I think waxing twice a year is the typical recommendation, adjusting for use, climate and storage conditions.  

I don't know if I remember a discussion here on which type of pads to use.  

 

[mossemi]

5 hours ago, Overland said:

 

Many of us use a mixture of 4 parts Duragloss 923 and 1 part Duragloss 952 in a spray bottle for cleaning the interior and as a touch up spray on the exterior, cleaning off bugs and such.  I don't know who first came up with that mixture, but it really makes the interior shine.

I give credit for the Duragloss products and recipe to Bruce and Cheryl Norton.  They are full timers from North Carolina.

topgun2 can correct me if I am wrong, he's good at that.

Mike

 

 

[Overland]

That certainly may be the case. The Nortons introduced me to Duragloss when I was picking up our trailer. 

Edited November 9, 2019 by Overland

[topgun2]

Yep - as far as I'm concerned Bruce and Cheryl get the credit for this one.  I'm not sure just how they came upon these products from Duragloss other than the Duragloss Company is located in North Carolina.  I'm also not sure how they came up with the detailer/liquid wax combination, but I do know that it really works on all surfaces (yes, that includes the mirrored surfaces) inside the Oliver.  A light spray, wipe with a micro-fiber cloth, flip the cloth over and wipe again and you're done without streaks and/or haze- its so easy. 

[SeaDawg]

As our Oliver has the same type of marine gelcoat as our boats, we've  stayed with the marine paste wax we use on the boats, 3M Marine Ultra. It's not inexpensive, but one can lasts for several applications, and it's formulated for fiberglass and the harsh marine environment .

It's worked well on the sailboat ( now over 40 years old) , the powerboat and the Oliver.  The wax lasts, even in the Florida sun.

It's been one of the top two paste wax products in Practical Sailor's testing over the decades.

Sherry

Edited November 9, 2019 by SeaDawg
Typos

[SeaDawg]

I found this great article from Practical Sailor, with many links that may be of interest to you , from equipment to waxes and polishes. Practical Sailor is like the consumer reports of the sailboat community.  No ads accepted,  no commercial contributions.  Happy research.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/waxing_polishing_boat-10430-1.html

[Pat Maundrell]

I became an expert at our Sailing Club, for my ability to bring back to life the most neglected Fiberglass Sailboat imaginable! It has been my experience that the most important ingredient is often the most overlooked and it free.

Any guesses? It simply Elbow Grease! Your best defence in keeping your Oliver looking like new is to keep it Clean, I mean really cleaned, then Waxed and Polished with a Power Buffer. In extreme cases Wet Sanding maybe required before various levels of Rubbing Compound and then Waxing/Polishing. It called Detailing! 

 

[SeaDawg]

Btw, 3m UltraMarine is no longer available.  We switched to Collinite paste wax. Also high quality, high percentage of carnuba.

[dewdev]

I just posted under General Discussions, Oliver Fiberglass Cleaning  a comparision of cleaners and waxes that I tried on my 2018 Oliver that I bought last December. Settled on some great products.

Hope this helps

Richard

[jordanv]

So while researching the price of waxing our camper (I’m not sure I trust myself to do it) I was recommended by a local boat/rv detailer to put a marine coating on our trailer. 
 

He said this coating would last at the very least 3 years, and would not require waxing, only requirement is the usual washing, and wiping down with a compound after. He mentioned that the wax eventually just melts off in our sun and heat here in Louisiana and has seen a lot of success with the marine coating. 
 

His price was 3,600 which doesn’t sound terrible if it means I don’t have to wax. 
 

Anyone have experience with this? Would this void our fiberglass warranty?

 

What would you do?

[John E Davies]

32 minutes ago, jordanv said:

His price was 3,600 which doesn’t sound terrible if it means I don’t have to wax. 

I was on board until I got to this part. He is trying to rip you off. You can get an awful lot of regular exterior detail jobs for that money, a local shop charges about $250 for a small egg trailer (or similar boat). I would rather put that cash toward something tangible like 300 AH of lithium batteries…..

The very best thing you can do to keep your Ollie looking great is to get it under cover, not a cloth one, to keep the sun, ozone, sap and critters off it. An extra $1200 annually might help pay for covered storage. How much does that cost where you live? Around here it is $350 per month, if you can even find a place, which is one (small) reason I had an RV Bay attached to our new home five years ago. It was a $30,000 option, but I got insulated and sheet rocked walls there and in the garage too. I have already saved over $20k compared to a rental, and that doesn’t include gas money and my wasted time driving back and forth to the storage lot.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[jordanv]

1 minute ago, John E Davies said:

I was on board until I got to this part. He is trying to rip you off.

Well it didnt take long for me to figure this out either. I just spoke with Jason over at Oliver and he balked at that price as well. He said many customers have called asking about the cremaic / marine coat and he reccomends it if I can afford it. He said he has never heard of anyone paying that high. 2,500 was the highest he heard of.... the lowest price he heard was $750.

He is kindly going to get me in touch with some possible connections here in Louisiana to get that job done.

Thanks for the advice!

[jordanv]

In case anyone is interested. This company came inadvertently recommended to by Jason over at Oliver. The detailer he recommended uses their products so this is why I say inadvertently.

I spoke with Christian on the phone, who can be seen in this video using Glidecoat's cermaic coat on a 12 year old RV.

He recommends the 30' DIY kit and says that it is pretty simple to use. I mentioned to him my hesitancy about doing this DIY and he assured me that it would not be too difficult + would not need to worry if I also used this buffer, as it wouldnt be powerful enough to damage the Oliver clear coat easily: https://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-buffer-value-kit.htmls DIY

Product link:

https://www.glidecoat.com/product/rv-ceramic-top-coating-kit/

 

The total price to do this DIY would be around 700-800 dollars including the buffer. Then, every 2-3 years it would require me doing the re-coating which he told me should not be as labor as intensive after the first round.

[routlaw]

John at what size shelter are you getting those quotes of $350 per month. Where I live there are enclosed 12x30 storage shelters for $185 per month. For the last 6 years I have rented an open but overhead covered shelter for just barely over $100 per month, but this past year the new owners have increased the prices twice for a total of a near 60% increase in one year. I told them to take a hike and left, but still looking for an appropriate place to store especially during the winter months. I don't have the option of building an onsite storage where we live in the downtown historical area.

[Landrover]

4 hours ago, jordanv said:

Well it didnt take long for me to figure this out either. I just spoke with Jason over at Oliver and he balked at that price as well. He said many customers have called asking about the cremaic / marine coat and he reccomends it if I can afford it. He said he has never heard of anyone paying that high. 2,500 was the highest he heard of.... the lowest price he heard was $750.

He is kindly going to get me in touch with some possible connections here in Louisiana to get that job done.

Thanks for the advice!

If you check out any  Rv mobile detailer. Last I checked in Florida the going rate was $10.00 per foot wash and wax.

[John E Davies]

59 minutes ago, routlaw said:

John at what size shelter are you getting those quotes of $350 per month. Where I live there are enclosed 12x30 storage shelters for $185 per month. For the last 6 years I have rented an open but overhead covered shelter for just barely over $100 per month, but this past year the new owners have increased the prices twice for a total of a near 60% increase in one year. I told them to take a hike and left, but still looking for an appropriate place to store especially during the winter months. I don't have the option of building an onsite storage where we live in the downtown historical area.

I am going off searches from five years back, They ranged from $300 to $400, but I don’t things have improved here. If you could squeeze into a 10x25’ hole, you would not be looking at too bad a fee, about $200, but a 12x40+ is $$$. A couple of examples are attached, you have to go by the regular amount, not the “move in special”. There just are not any affordable big units around where I live.

I think a 12x30 would be perfect for an Ollie, and at less than $200 you should go for it. If that is the long term rental fee. Does that include electricity? That size would give you some extra floor space for camping gear or other personal stuff.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[routlaw]

Thanks John, it does not include electricity to the best of my knowledge and definitely not temp controlled. Normally I assume most storage sheds do not come with electricity. Agreed there would not be tons of extra room but just enough to store a few other items. Doors are 11 foot high so enough clearance for an Ollie. 

[routlaw]

The Glidecoat system is quite the process and not cheap either. The results seem impressive however.

[SeaDawg]

Our neigjbor paid an outrageous price for ceramic, on his 28 ft boat, on his lift.

It didn't last two years in the Florida sun. He sold the boat. I'll stick with wax. 

[John Welte]

How long does it take to wax the trailer?   Are there any power tools that make the job easier?   In looking at the "leaking" thread earlier,  it appears that some people have had leaking issues,  so I would assume that prior to waxing, a person goes around and inspects and reseals any areas.   

[Mattnan]

Yes inspection, washing and waxing!.  My Elite II takes me 2 days.  I do a few hours at a time and am happy with the slow pace.  I do it all by hand using McGuire's.  Wax on wax off!!! 

We just got back so Beacon is ready for a bath and wax.  Our next trip is not until right after Thanksgiving when we head to the Mother Ship for a full service and check before we head South to Naples FL then west to the Grand Canyon, Utah and route 66.  We plan to be on the flat almost 5 months. 

[SeaDawg]

How long does it take you to wax your car? Or, truck? Multiply by two, to safeside, as the roof is bigger.

[jordanv]

1 hour ago, John Welte said:

it appears that some people have had leaking issues

Where do you inspect to prevent leaks. Is this just making sure the window seals weep holes are clear?

[Jim_Oker]

1 hour ago, John Welte said:

Are there any power tools that make the job easier?

One of these buffers (or similar) will make the wiping off/buffing in of the wax a bit less strenuous and maybe a bit faster. I got one of these because I have a small boat and a van roof that needed oxidation buffed out with a few rounds of polishing compound - I definitely didn't want to do that by hand. Then I finished with paste wax rubbed on by hand and buffed off/in with the  Shurhold. Worked well for me. There are single action electric buffers like from DeWalt that will do such jobs even faster but you run more risk of burning the surface you're trying to polish and buff. Not being a pro I figured I was safer with the dual action Shurhold. Thanks to a reco from SeaDawg I found some great articles on the process and reviews of tools etc. at the  online  Practical Sailor magazing.