Ok, I see where the problem lies. Some of you think wax and polish are the same thing. One is a protective coating, the other smoothes the surface. Polishing compounds can and are added to wax. I never said sand your hulls,I said don't put wax on them if your racing. I assume that your hulls are polished and smooth.

Malc,I would say forget about the performance question for now. I would suggest you wax your hulls and see how long it takes before the hulls discolor. Now remember how much work you put in to waxing the hulls. Also wax does not nessesarly clean the discoloration on the hulls. This means you will have to use something like snobol first to clean them. Then once they discolor take the snobol wipe them down and see how long it takes for them to discolor again. Decide for yourself which type of maintenance leaves you more time to sail and is simplest and cheaper and....Oh yea, silly. I don't know how much you sail but my boat goes in on friday and stays in until late sunday and it takes about a month and a half before the discoloration gets to the point that I want to clean them. 10 minutes with snobol and they look like new.

The link offered has some incorrect info. Stars and Stripes, the 12 meter had a material that was applied in sheets that had a adheisive backing. Not a polish. Also any gain no matter how small can be important. I'll take 1 foot ahead over one foot behind at the finish line anyday. One of the Tornado sailers was helping another couple with the rigging on their boat in a effort to remove weight. He said they would work on the ounces and that would soon become pounds.

One more thing,orbital buffers that are used for waxing. Some quality orbitals have a very smooth action. Others are brutal. I would use caution vibrating the hull. It could cause a separation of the foam from the outer laminate.

Have Fun
Mike