Our Test For The Best Rubbing Compound – How to Remove Oxidation From a Boat Hull

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering the best way to remove oxidation from a boat hull. Lucky for you, we went on a quest to do some research and test some popular products on the market to help you with your decision. In this article you’ll find a real life test as well as information we’ve put together on each of these products. We had the opportunity to test each one so you can be sure you know what you’re buying.

Before we get into the products we tested, we put together a few pieces of information about your boats hull and oxidation in general. If you already know everything you need or want to get strait to the results just skip past it and get right to the good stuff!

What Causes Boat Hull Oxidation?

There are many factors that can cause oxidation on your boats gel coat. These factors include UV rays from the sun, different chemicals that may come in contact with it, and imply elements in the weather and water that are harsh to the gel coat. In time, the nice shine and luster that your boat came with will turn into a dull chalky surface. This will eventually become a damaged gel coat if not taken care of and protected so it’s important to remove oxidation from a boat hull before it becomes too bad.

How Do I Prevent Future Oxidation?

It’s important to not only remove oxidation from a boat hull, but protect it from future oxidation. Fortunately, this is simple to do. A simple application of wax on your boats hull will ensure it stays protected from the elements. There are many different waxes on the market designed specifically for marine applications so finding a wax to protect your boats hull should be an easy task.

Whether you wax your boats hull yourself, or have a professional do it is up to you. Regardless of how it gets done, just be sure to do so between each boating season or once a year to keep it in top condition. If you keep up with waxing, you won’t have to remove oxidation from a boat hull in the future!

Our Test, Results, and Information on Popular Products to Remove Oxidation

In this section, you’ll see a quick guide we put together including products we personally tested to remove oxidation from a boat hull. We’ve not only included data from the manufacturer, but also included pictures so you can see first hand how each product did. With all of the different products and rubbing compounds out there, we wanted to make sure we helped you make the best decision on which one is right for you to remove oxidation from a boat hull.

Read on to find the best product for you.

Star Brite Presoftened Paste Rubbing Compound

Star brite is always continuing to come out with great products when it comes to the marine industry. They didn’t fall short when they made their Rubbing Compound Past to remove oxidation from a boat hull. This paste can be applied by hand or by buffer and helps remove stains and medium oxidation. It’s hard to tell exactly what “medium oxidation” entails, but you can se by the pictures it did a great job on our test boat.

• Cleans medium oxidation and embedded dirt
• Can be used on fiberglass, metal, and painted surfaces
• Removes scratches and scuff marks
• Restore original color and luster

Container Size

• 14 ounce

Test Results

In our test to remove oxidation from a boat hull with Star brites Rubbing Compound Paste, we applied the product by hand. Once we had a finish that we liked, we removed our painters tape you could see the fine line between the before an after. What a difference we found it made.

---

Meguiar’s Oxidation Remover

Meguiar’s is another well known company that has been making reputable cleaning products for cars and boats for many years. They have come out with something that is great to remove oxidation from a boat hull in their Oxidation Remover. This compound is designed specifically for marine and RV applications so it can handle the tough atmosphere your boat sees out on the water and in the sun.

• Removes light to moderate oxidation, water spots, scratches and stains
• Brings a shine back to the applied surface
• Restores color
• Can be used on gel coats, fiberglass, and painted surfaces

Container Size

• 16 ounces

Test Results

In our test to remove oxidation from a boat hull with Meguiar’s Oxidation Remover, we applied the product by hand. Once we had a finish that we liked, we removed our painters tape you could see the fine line between the before an after. We could could clearly see the difference it made and the shine starting to come back to the hull after use.

---

3M Marine Restorer & Wax

We heard some good things about 3M’s Marine Restorer & Wax when it comes to the ability to remove oxidation from a boat hull. Because of this, we wanted to test it out for ourselves and see how it worked amongst the others.

One of the things that caught our eye is the fact that 3M has not only created a competitive rubbing compound, but they have also blended it with a finishing wax to not only remove oxidation and stains, but apply a layer of wax to protect your hull from future abuse. This is extremely convenient as there’s no need to apply a rubbing compound and wax in two separate steps. Simply apply Restorer & Wax one time and it takes care of two steps in one. Your boat will be left stain free, shiny, and protected from the elements all in one application. We summarized some of the key features of Marine Restorer & Wax below.

• Equipped to work on marine applications exposed to extreme environments
• Removes medium to heavy oxidation, water spots, rust and other stains
• A blend between a rubbing compound and wax
• Leaves surface glossy an protected against UV light and other elements all in

Container Size

• 16.9 ounces

Test Results

In our test to remove oxidation from a boat hull with the 3m boat oxidation remover, we applied the product by hand. Once we had a finish that we liked, we removed our painters tape you could see the fine line between the before an after. We could could clearly see the difference it made and the shine starting to come back to the hull after use.

---

Star Brite Liquid Rubbing Compound

In typical Star brite fashion, they had multiple products to choose from to remove oxidation from a boat hull. We decided to test both the paste listed above, and the Liquid Rubbing Compound you see here. Similar to the paste, the Liquid Rubbing Compound is listed as being able to remove stains, medium oxidation, and scratches. It can be used on fiberglass, metal, and painted surfaces.

If you prefer a liquid over a paste, this might be your preferred product to remove oxidation from a boat hull. As with the paste, this compound can be applied either by hand or by using a buffer. Here’s a few properties of the Liquid Rubbing Compound listed out below.

• Removes stains, medium oxidation, and light scratches
• Works on gel coat, fiberglass, painted surfaces, and metal
• Liquid formula as opposed to a paste
• Restores original color and luster

Container Size

• 16 ounces

Test Results

In our test to remove oxidation from a boat hull with Star brite Liquid Rubbing Compound, we applied the product by hand. Once we had a finish that we liked, we removed our painters tape you could see the fine line between the before an after. We could could clearly see the difference it made and the shine starting to come back to the hull after use.

---

Protect All Fiberglass Oxidation Remover & Color Restorer

Protect All Fiberglass Oxidation Remover was a product we don’t see as much in the marine industry compared to the other big marine brand names. This made us inclined to try it as a test to remove oxidation from a boat hull. It clearly states it can be used on not only boats but also RVs, and other road vehicles. It’s build to remove oxidation, water spots, stains, and other unwanted imperfections on your boats hull. Not only is it made to clean these items, but it’s one step formula will also polish and seal the surface once it removes the bad layer.

The color of your boats hull will be brought back and restored to original color. This product can be used on fiberglass, gel coat, enamel and painted aluminum. The best part about it is it will leave the surface protected to keep it in good condition moving forward. Needless to say, we were pretty excited to test this product to remove oxidation from a boat hull after hearing all of this.

• Removes oxidation, wax build-up, stains, light scratches, and water spots
• Restores color and luster
• Works on fiberglass, gelcoat, and painted surfaces
• Polishes and seals surface after cleaning

Container Size

• 16 ounces

Test Results

In our test to remove oxidation from a boat hull with Protect All Fiberglass Oxidation Remover, we applied the product by hand. Once we had a finish that we liked, we removed our painters tape you could see the fine line between the before an after. We could could clearly see the difference it made and the shine starting to come back to the hull after use.

---

Final Thoughts

With all of the different products out there to remove oxidation from a boat hull and bring it back to its factory shine, it’s challenging to know which is the best to use. Some products sound great and don’t perform as well while some of the least heard of products may be the best. We hope this guide and test has helped give real life examples that are useful in making a decision on which product works best for your needs.

Don’t forget if the rubbing compound you select does not have a wax mix in it, you will want to follow up the rubbing compound treatment with a coat of wax. This will ensure your boats hull stays in great shape and is protected from the elements into the future!

---

Smooth Sailing Marine is powered by product recommendation partnerships.

If we have helped you in your product decision or marine project, you can help us by purchasing through our links. We thank you for your support, we couldn’t be here without our awesome readers!