Boat Detailing Tips

[Airedale1]

I would love to detail my own boat (1988 Boston Whaler Montauk 17) but I don't know what products to use. I do the finishes of our cars with a Porter Cable 7424 XP buffer, clay bars and various pads and product.

My question is when doing gel coat what is a good product to use to clean and then to protect and what type of pads should I use for each step?

[rowinghelmet]

Does the boat need oxidation removal or restoration or just to be cleaned and protected for the season?

I've had good luck with 3M products when restoring boats that have faded/oxidized.

[Rich]

First, it depends on the shape of the hull.

Sometimes you need to start by wet sanding, and then progressivly work up to buffing. If it's in bad shape, you may need to do a few different grades of wet sanding, starting low, perhaps 400 or 600 grit, then progressing up to 2,000 grit before you start buffing.

You can also then move to a medium grade of buffing compound such as 3M Perfect it or 3M Super Duty rubbing compond, depending on how things look.

But if it's a medium to light haze on the fiberglass, or as a final step, I have had great results on a black hull (that willl easily show any defects) using 3M's 'Finesse-it II', the results end up looking like a mirror finish:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/3m--finesse-it-ii-finishing-material--P004_130_001_511

I've used both the 'blue' foam pads, or the recommended wool pad with a rotary buffer at 1500 rpm. Just read the directions.

After this I follow up with a good marine wax, last year I used Mequires flagship wax:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/meguiars--flagship-premium-marine-paste-wax--9309501

I've put this on by hand, or using an automotive type orbital buffer, then buff off with terry cloth pads with the same orbital buffer.

Note you can find these a lot cheaper on Amazon than West Marine, but the West Marine links are easy to get to. As an example, I got a gallon of the finesse-it-ii last year via an Amazon sale, for not much more than what West Marine charges for a quart. ;)

I'm sure others will have their favorite products. I hear people talk of 'buf-magic' and other things. I believe most of these products are similar and you can use whatever brand(s) are your favorite.

Just be careful and don't stop moving with a buffer, on some boats the gell coat may not be very thick, and you don't want to buff through it!

[Airedale1]

Thank you both very much. The hull is in excellent shape; it just has some very light oxidation on the sides and transom.

[Rich]

Give the 3M Finesse-it-II a shot then.

I'll be at GYC doing this to my boat this Saturday, stop by and take a look if you like.

[Airedale1]

Give the 3M Finesse-it-II a shot then.

I'll be at GYC doing this to my boat this Saturday, stop by and take a look if you like.

Thanks again, I will try to stop by. I am having numbers put on at Gator Signs in the morning.

[brk-lnt]

Thanks again, I will try to stop by. I am having numbers put on at Gator Signs in the morning.

I'd buff the hull and THEN do the stickers.

Personally I don't use terrycloth anymore, just all foam pads. The colors will signify different levels of "cut" or aggressiveness. I usually polish out minor oxidation with orange pads, and then buff with the white pads.

I'd recommend investing in a good RO (random orbit) polisher. This PC unit is pretty much the standard:
http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/

An orbital polisher will be even more aggressive (and faster), but if you're not familiar with the process you can burn gelcoat and paint pretty easy with a straight orbital unit.

Don't even go near wetsanding if you're just starting out and/or you're not familiar with the thickness of the gelcoat on your boat, too easy to sand through the color...

I use mostly Poorboys products on my cars and boats: http://www.autogeek.net/poorboysworld.html but there are lots of options, and for a casual user there's not a LOT of difference among them, stick with a name brand and you'll do OK.

The basic stages are Buff, Polish, Wax. It's time consuming at first, but if you get the base in order the ongoing maintenance is easier.

It'll be a while before I unwrap my boat, you're welcome to borrow my Porter Cable RO if you want.

[Airedale1]

I'd buff the hull and THEN do the stickers.

Personally I don't use terrycloth anymore, just all foam pads. The colors will signify different levels of "cut" or aggressiveness. I usually polish out minor oxidation with orange pads, and then buff with the white pads.

I'd recommend investing in a good RO (random orbit) polisher. This PC unit is pretty much the standard:
http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/

An orbital polisher will be even more aggressive (and faster), but if you're not familiar with the process you can burn gelcoat and paint pretty easy with a straight orbital unit.

Don't even go near wetsanding if you're just starting out and/or you're not familiar with the thickness of the gelcoat on your boat, too easy to sand through the color...

I use mostly Poorboys products on my cars and boats: http://www.autogeek.net/poorboysworld.html but there are lots of options, and for a casual user there's not a LOT of difference among them, stick with a name brand and you'll do OK.

The basic stages are Buff, Polish, Wax. It's time consuming at first, but if you get the base in order the ongoing maintenance is easier.

It'll be a while before I unwrap my boat, you're welcome to borrow my Porter Cable RO if you want.


Thank you for all of the great info and for the offer of borrowing your PC RO but I already have one.

[NHskier]

I started using Griot's Garage products last summer and found them to work quite well. Probably not as heavy-duty as some marine products but still work fine. Purchased their dual-action polisher and pads and have used Machine Polish 3 and Paint Sealant (all quite OK for gelcoat). Their detailer is great and less expensive than some others, plus you can get it by the gallon to save even more. I use their line on our cars too so I get more leverage out of all the products.

About the only thing I find I like better than the comparable Griot's product is 303 for vinyl.

[VitaBene]

I used the Meguiars 3 step kit on my white Wellcraft this past weekend- it worked extremely well with my Porter Cable 7424 and Griots pads! I could not believe how well the oxidation remover worked, just follow the directions (that is a challenge for me at times) and don't let it dry before wiping off. I also bought some lambs wool velcro pads for the Porter Cable- beats removing wax with that cheap buffer I used to use!

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M4966-Complete-Fiberglass-Restoration/dp/B00D8XCMMA

[Airedale1]

I used the Meguiars 3 step kit on my white Wellcraft this past weekend- it worked extremely well with my Porter Cable 7424 and Griots pads! I could not believe how well the oxidation remover worked, just follow the directions (that is a challenge for me at times) and don't let it dry before wiping off. I also bought some lambs wool velcro pads for the Porter Cable- beats removing wax with that cheap buffer I used to use!

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M4966-Complete-Fiberglass-Restoration/dp/B00D8XCMMA



Thank you, I will try that this weekend. Where did you get the Meguiars from?

[VitaBene]

Thank you, I will try that this weekend. Where did you get the Meguiars from?

I bought on amazon prime, was here in 2 days!

[Airedale1]

I bought on amazon prime, was here in 2 days!

Thank you; I ordered mine this morning thru Amazon Prime.

[Rich]

FYI... Parafunalia has a lot of this on the shelf there, or they can get it within a short period of time if it's not on their shelf.

I was running a little low on Meguires Flagship wax, and they had it there. Price wasn't too bad either. ;)