I read that you are only supposed to wax a fiberglass boat with special boat wax otherwise you will ruin the boat's gelcoat. I just bought a used fiberglass Stratos and the seller said that when he bought it new the dealer told him that regular car wax was fine. The seller said he used spray on/wipe off wax on the boat twice a year. 

 

Wax Fiberglass Boat - Special Boat Wax or regular Car Wax?

 

Also, do you do anything special like heat the wax with a blowdryer or do anything special?

Check out Pro-Tec. They make a whole product system to use. I use the sealer twice a year and every time I get off of the water I use Eagle 1 wax as you dry and wipe the boat down with that. Adding heat to the wax will only melt it off. 

http://protecproducts.com

Bow To Stern (BTS).  Works on fiberglass, plexiglass, vinyl, rubber, and even helps prevent mold on carpet.  Spray on, wipe off. 

http://www.btsproducts.com/

26 minutes ago, Glenn said:

Bow To Stern (BTS).  Works on fiberglass, plexiglass, vinyl, rubber, and even helps prevent mold on carpet.  Spray on, wipe off. 

http://www.btsproducts.com/

 

So is regular car wax bad for boats or just not as effective?

Car wax is fine to use on a boat. It's not going to harm you gel coat. Your best bet is to find a quality one that has uv inhibitors in it.

"Can I use car wax on my boat ?"

"The simple answer is YES.  When it comes to protecting and the visual enhancement of your boat, any wax that can be used on your car can also be used on your boat. But with that said, this is still an answer to an oversimplified question that is much more complex than figuring out which wax is best for your boat."

 For more professionally based info regarding Car wax vs Boat wax check out the links below

http://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/boat-wax.html

http://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/best-boat-wax.html#best-boat-wax

A-Jay

 

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

Bow To Stern (BTS).  Works on fiberglass, plexiglass, vinyl, rubber, and even helps prevent mold on carpet.  Spray on, wipe off. 

http://www.btsproducts.com/

I have stopped recommending this product after a few years use. My bass boats primary color is white and after using BTS routinely the boat turned a dull yellow, over time. Either the BTS turned it yellow or did not prevent something else from turning the boat yellow(above the water line). I used Mothers brand cleaning wax to return it to white and it was very evident where I had waxed and it returned the boat to a bright white. May be fine on colors but I would test it after using the BTS for a while. Just my observation...

Weird.  I've been using BTS for years and my boat looks brand new, even though it's 13 years old! I don't have any discoloration at all.

An alternate would be 303.  I used to use that before I discovered BTS.  It's decent, but the boat didn't have the deep showroom finish until I switched to BTS.  Nonetheless, its a  good product.

My Ranger came with some Lucas Slick Mist wax.  I love the smell and the shine.

Bow to Stern for me.  I use it all the time and like Glenn I have had not discoloration on a predominately white boat.  The key is to put 3 coats on the boat for a good seal.  Wipe it down with a wet cloth and dry if necessary.  Put a new coat on every month or so and you are good to go.

BTS is pretty much the best thing I've found.

On 8/12/2016 at 1:29 AM, tcbass said:

The seller said he used spray on/wipe off wax on the boat twice a year

Thats what I do, Maguiars spray wax and Detailing mist in between spray wax.