: High quality automotive waxes without "cleaner" will give the best
: performance for UV protection and will be the longest lasting. Mother's
: Pure Carnuba and 3M Perfect-it don't have the solvents that Maguire's Gold
: has, so there would be less chance of it etching your varnish, but there
: is very little chance of that happening regardless. Maguire's and 3M's
: polishing systems are routinely used for polishing fine furniture even
: with traditional varnish.

: It would be best to avoid anything with silicone, but keep in mind that a
: whole range of products of all description are used on cars, and cars are
: routinely repainted without contamination. Hence, there are plenty of
: things to get rid of wax when you're ready to revarnish.

: If you decide to wax, go for it.

: m

Hi Mike and Patrick,
Waxing a kayak doesn't give any hydrodymanic advantages you could use or notice, it will on a surfboard, they're generally going a heck of a lot faster than kayaks. Surfers only wax the top of the board, which is telling.

The ultra-slick surface will have all the disadvantages Rob mentioned.

Wax on a car gets stripped off when the paint is knocked back to undercoat. Some shops strip down to bare metal.

If it's for show shine, you could go the route of buffing the varnish instead of waxing. It would bead water just like wax but is easier to hold onto when wet.

Mike Savage
South West Cork