How to De-Wax a Boat

You've lovingly waxed your boat before every season, but now it's scratched. The fiberglass needs repair. If you decide to paint the boat, you want to paint the boat, not the wax job on the boat. Before you can repair that scratch or paint the boat, that wax must go. You have to dewax the boat, using a chemical that to strip the wax from the boat the same way you strip wax from a floor.

Things You'll Need

  • Acetone or commercially produced dewaxing chemical
  • Soft, clean cloths
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Instructions

    • 1

      Scrub small, easily manageable areas of the boat's surface, about 3-by-3 feet, with a soft, clean cloth saturated with a dewaxing agent such as acetone or a commercial dewaxing compound.

    • 2

      Turn the cloth as you scrub each area, so that you are always scrubbing with a clean cloth surface. Re-soak the cloth with the dewaxing chemical as required to keep the cloth damp.

    • 3

      Allow the dewaxed boat to air dry.