Any thing they use when they race kayaks for less cohesion or what ever you would call it? Thanks

Well John, there was a discussion on this forum a year, or so ago on this subject and something was mentioned about some kind of stuff that racers use. I'm betting that the right paddle and technique will make a way bigger difference than anything that you smear on the boat.

Hey Dog: if you have a composite boat, better to invest time/$ in keeping the gel coat on the hull side in good condition - not pristine, we all use our boats, but avoid big gouges and scrapes.

the less uniform the surface the more drag. Wax won't overcome deep gouges and scrapes. In fact, if the wrong wax is applied, or any wax applied too thickly, more drag results.

For most of us chugging along at 3.5-4.5 mph, wax makes no difference anyway.

I think my boat will be pampered and smooth. I have a poly and I make sure to not drag it. I slip it off the back dock & floater over rubber rubber dock bumper.

Picked up my Solstice today it was a steal of a deal! It was like hitting Lotto! The boat was like new, new, new, few light small scratches on the top and the bottom is like new not a scratch. It was a bargain to good to be true. Tool it about 8 miles today for a quick round. I need to get a bilge pump in the AM only thing I didn't get with the boat. I think he used the boat three times. Popped the hatches and it still smells like glass. Kevlar boat to boot!

Just need to make the safety / rescue lesson on the 10-3.

Dam just a great boat for a SUPER deal.

Spraying it with a product called Rain-X makes it as smooth as.....
You know what I mean!

good idea thanks

Whatever you do, just don't use Crisco on your boat, Dog. I know it's cheap and plentiful, but as any really experienced sea kayaker can tell you, it's a magnet for Great White Sharks, Salties, razor-beaked Humbolt Squid, Giant Spider Crabs, and other aquatic denizens. Nuff said.

I put some Crisco on my wifes boat...worked great!!!

Rainex sounds interesting however I wonder if it wouldn't be similar to wax? From my days of racing performance sailing dinghies we stayed away from wax as it causes water to bead up, this actually slows the boat down - plus it makes it really hard to right after a capsize.

Some of the hotdogs were experimenting with long string polymers, we just used rubbing compound making sure it was applied only in the direction of water flow.

I thought the same thing about the wax Mike. I also do a little dinghy sailing and that is where I got the advice from. Some of the old timers told me about it.
I did some time trials with wax, over a set distance, then stripped it clean and used the Rain-x. My speed did increase while paddling (went a greater distance over a set time at a constant speed). Still couldn't believe it so also did some trials with the sail,same as above (in another kayak, with a steady light breeze), and the speed and distance did increase over a set time.
Your thoughts on righting after a capsize could be correct though, this stuff does make it really slick. Using the long string polymers is interesting but I've never tried this.