Restorer Wax

[JonLevis]

I just adopted the Manitou...she has been slightly neglected over the past few years and I plan to bring her back to glory. Only problem is the gel coat is dulled and chauky in some sopts. Has anyone had good luck with any product to help restore her youthful luster?

GO SOX!!!

[fatlazyless]

If the gelcoat is still ok, here's a thought....go to VIP Auto in Laconia, across from Midas Muffler on Union Ave....and get the 6" powerball waxer-ball made by Mother's Wax. It gets used in a cordless drill and works good for buffing out a combination one item, boat wax/slightly abrasive cleaner product. Faster, easier etc than hand buffing for large areas.

[Woodsy]

Jon...

I would have a proffessional detailer look over the boat before you attempt anything youself. The gelcoat might be better wetsanded then waxed. The Powerball FLL mentioned could very easily burn thru the gelcoat causing you some serious headaches...

Give John Spooner a call over at Diamond Shine... 603-293-0378. He is right in Gilford and is mobile. He does alot of the big boats for Silver Sands and most of the Hi-po boats. There is a guy who buys advertising here too, but I havent used him.

Woodsy

[brk-lnt]

The gelcoat would have to be very badly gone (IME) to risk burning through it, unless you're completely ham-handed about the process.

In any case, you are NOT going to be able to bring back any real luster by applying ANY product over the current "problem".

You will need to remove the oxidation that exists and then go through a regular wax/polish process.

Get a good quality orbital (not random orbit) buffer. You can spend a lot of money on this, but I have one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90820
(technically mine is the version 1 model before that one)
and have pretty well beat on it over the last few years and it is holding up fine. You have to be careful with HF tools, but this unit is fairly well regarded among people who do auto painting/detailing "on the side". I wouldn't use it in a commercial business, but you'd be unlikely to wear it out...

Forget the bonnets and such that you're probably familiar with for auto buffing/polishing. Get yourself some yellow and orange pads:
http://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-7inch-pads.html

Then get a good swirl remover product. I use Poorboys myself often, but for this purpose, there is not a world of difference:
http://www.autogeek.net/pbmssr16.html
http://www.autogeek.net/possmeabswre.html

Even for a badly oxidized boat you probably don't need to start with anything higher than the 2.5 "grit", but there is a 3.

I've done:
2.5
2.0
1.0
Polish
Wax

On a couple of boats that were pretty well gone to start with. One was a 20 year old Bayliner bowrider that had probably not been waxed since it was new. It came out looking like brand new. That one had some deep scratches that required a little wetsanding as well, but for the most part it was just the orbital and the Poorboys stuff above.

Plan to make 1 or 2 weekends of it, depending on the size of the boat and your own personal stamina.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

Jon, Knowing 1st hand what the boat looks like, you won't want to tackle that project yourself. I second John Spooner, if anyone can save it he can. But my guess is that whole boat is going to need wet sand before buffing, that boat hasn't seen wax in probably ten years. It's too bad it was let go that far. I wish you the best and look forward to seeing her cruising again.

[brk-lnt]

I just realized the boat you're asking about.

I'd hire that project out as well, unless you want to occupy the rest of your summer weekends with a DIY job, that'll take forever!

[cowislander]

I used this product on my 72 Chris Craft. You may not believe the claims on the web site, but they are true. As long as the gelcoat isnt gouged or scratched this stuf makes a faded or chalky gelcoat look new. I've had to reapply it every 3 years. I dont know why more people dont know of or use this stuff! http://www.vertglas.com/index.html

[Steveo]

I used this product on my 72 Chris Craft. You may not believe the claims on the web site, but they are true. As long as the gelcoat isnt gouged or scratched this stuf makes a faded or chalky gelcoat look new. I've had to reapply it every 3 years. I dont know why more people dont know of or use this stuff! http://www.vertglas.com/index.html

It sounds like it is just silicon

[brk-lnt]

It sounds like it is just silicon

I'm pretty sure I've seen other people describe this product and it is more like a "lacquer". It looks good from a distance, but looks less ideal up close (although this is probably subjective).

[VitaBene]

http://www.roadfly.com/magazine/7/porter_cable_buffer.1.html

Based on a lot of reading, I picked one of these up last year to replace my cheap buffer (that still works great as a compound or wax removal tool). The Porter Cable is an animal- but as Dennis noted you may have to wet sand the boat first (plenty of material out there on the web to read and except for your scale certainly a DIY job)

[BroadHopper]

I have tried all kinds of restorer wax. 3M, Cullinite, Mequirs et al. Some last 2 months and some last for the season. I always end up 'restoring' it again next year. Have a pro examine your boat. He will tell you if you need a good buffing, wet sanding or a repaint/gelcoat. Paint/gelcoat is very thin. You don't want to end up sanding it off.

I had a 20 year old Liberator that came out great using an orbital sander and rubbing compound. It was sored in doors in the winter and moored in a shady area. The current boat also 20 years old, was another story. It was stored outdoors and the slip was in a sunny area. It was heavily oxidized and wet sanding sanded the paint off. I have new paint and it looks great!

Give Diamond Shine a call. I value his opinion.

There is another way to cover a boat. It is like using a huge plastic material that covers the side of the boat. You can even had graphic to it. The company 'prints' the sheets on a printer. They have a five year warrantee on the product. It is a lot cheaper than paint.

http://www.racelinedigital.com/