Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
I wax down to the splash rail. Most aluminum boats today are actually painted with automotive paint, so they really can shine up well, and protection of that finish is key to keeping the boat looking sharp.
The reason one should not wax the bottom of the boat is because wax causes water to bead off, which increases the surface to water friction. When there is no wax on the hull, water can attach more easily (on your car it does not bead up) and has less friction because water can sheet off itself easier than it can off of another material.
Now...on our boats that might reach 60mph with the largest rigs and largest engines with optimal set-ups, one might see a drop off of speed by maybe 1mph, if that even. Those of us who have a 40mph rig probably would not see much of any difference.
One other thing I know people have tried to do to increase surface tension is to sand the bottom of the hull perpendicular to the direction the boat travels. The grooves in the hull trap water, allowing passing water to glide right over it. With our tin hulls, we probably would not see anything different here either.
A racing boat on the other hand...a mph could be the difference between winning and losing?
Steve
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