The 26 waxes—arranged in a clockwise spiral. Our fiberglass test panel was left outside for one year in New England.

On Aug. 3, 2003, Powerboat Reports placed outdoors a tired old fiberglass panel to which had been applied 26 kinds of waxes, along with one liquid plastic and one Teflon coating. The object of this test was to determine which, if any, of the finishes—hand-applied to the weathered panel—would restore some gloss and last a full year. Which products would provide protection for the gelcoat for 12 months, and even still have a bit of shine left?

The topsides of a fiberglass boat can remain new-looking for years—if kept clean and coated with something that resists weathering. New gelcoat seems as impervious as glass, but it isn’t; it’s porous, and…