Hi Greg,

Jake is right. An invisible spectrum of ultraviolet light photo degrades just about everything on your boat; including the alum. mast, vinyl coating on the shrouds, for sure the tramp and stitching, all rubber fittings and shroud adjuster covers, etc. The gelcoat on your hulls is an especially UV sensitive plastic. I can't think of anything it doesn't degrade. It'll get your boat cover too. Oh yeah, it's what causes skin cancer and it's what we're supposed to avoid like the plague.

I haven't used Jake's product but I have used 303 Protectant for years on all my boats and outdoor gear. Lots of hardware stores carry it, as does West Marine. I know Wax is popular with sailors but it takes quite an effort to apply it, and as you know it wears off very fast, and is rapidly broken down by UV light waves, and worse yet it's hydrophilic. This means it attracts water so it'll add a small amount of weight to the boat and increase drag as you sail. 303 came out of the space program and is commercially available. It's the only thing that engineers know of that works long term, but nothing lasts forever. A note of caution, silicone, polymer sealants, and wax, all prevent the 303 from being absorbed into the gelcoat's pores and so will be ineffective. So all the stuff that doesn't work very well, will prevent the stuff that does work well, from working. It comes in a spray bottle. Spray it on the hulls and wipe the surplus off and that's it. I would put two thin coats on to begin with and do it again once or twice a season. The first couple sailings after application my hulls are super slipper. Now when I reapply it on the sides of the hull where my feet walk up and down when I'm out on the wire, I put it on with a rag that has very little 303 left in it. The first time I sailed after applying it the wind was blowing pretty good and a wave hit me not far from the beach. I went flying off the hull and around behind the stern and watched my shiney boat slowly flip.

I coat everything on my boat including the mast, block and tackle, etc. but exclude the tramp. Mine is new and slippery enough already and I use a storage cover. I also use it on my life jacket, trap harness, cat trax wheels, canoe paddles, storage bags, wet suits, dry suits, and anything neoprene just loves the stuff. Just about anything that's out in the sun a lot. It restores the original color to some extent.

I recently bought five older boats. One is a 1975, the others are 1980s and an early 1990 model. None had ever been covered, not even during winter, and all looked like they were surplus from World War II. Today with new rigging, lines, and sails, and gleaming hulls, all look like they're contemporary boats. If you have an older boat that has suffered a lot of oxidation to the hulls and not been regularly maintained, you'll probably want to use an oxidation remover first. This is because the oxidized gelcoat builds up on the surface as kind of an uneven mat and it won't produce as smooth and glossy a finish as it would, had it been removed first. West marine sells something called "Fiberglass Color Restorer for $10.00 per pint. A pint should do a whole boat. Although two of my boats required a quart apiece. What ever you choose to do, quite waxing. Good luck.

Daniel