Best Cleaner/Wax For Imron

[Sparky1]

Yeah, I know you're not supposed to buff/wax Imron (I assume my 58 is Imron), but it's time to put a shine on both my boats, especially the 58. I had the transom buffed shortly after I bought the boat, and it looked great... lots of depth and gloss. It just never worked out to have the rest of the boat done.

I've got a few orbital buffers of different sizes, but I'm not sure what type of cleaner/wax to use. I'm assuming the orbitals will provide enough power to get the job done as I'm a bit leary of higher speed units which can get a novice into trouble.

Temps are still relatively mild now, so I need to get this done before it gets too hot to mess with. Anybody have any suggestions/tips on what to use and how to use it?

 

[MikeP]

Don't use any wax at all. Use 3M Finesse-It II. A coat of polymer sealant like Awl Care afterwards will provide a "slicker" finish that will help keep dirt from adhering. But it won't make it any glossier than Finesse-it. Great stuff! It is recommended for machine polishing but works fine by hand but it's a lot of work, especially on a big boat!

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I had my boat polished with Yacht Brite Pro Polish this year and it looks great. I don't know much about this finish, but the results look good so far.

http://www.shurhold.com/chemicals_proPolish.asp

 

[Sparky1]

Don't use any wax at all. Use 3M Finesse-It II. A coat of polymer sealant like Awl Care afterwards will provide a "slicker" finish that will help keep dirt from adhering. But it won't make it any glossier than Finesse-it. Great stuff! It is recommended for machine polishing but works fine by hand but it's a lot of work, especially on a big boat!

Finesse-It was what was used to shine up the transom after removing that goofy name. I couldn't remember what it was called until you made this post. Sounds like double the work if it has to be followed with a sealant, then again I guess it doesn't "have" to be unless you want the extra added protection. I assume you think the extra effort is worth it over a single stage application which is what I assume Sky is talking about. I'll check into that as well.

I've had good luck on gelcoat using the Starbrite Teflon products, anybody use that on Imron before?

 

[egaito]

You know, you have to wash that thing before you start on polishing!

Just don't use the old compound and wax routine....too much grit followed by too much of a seal.

Granted, shes under cover, but Misty's shine will still come out with a good washing 5 years after she was hit with Finesse It.

 

[Sparky1]

I may be dumb, but I ain't stoopid. Of course I'll wash it before I do anything else. I'll even mop it down good, otherwise I'll be grinding crap into the paint. No way would I use anything as harsh as compound as it's not chalky or anything.

From the description, that stuff Sky linked to sounds pretty good. Where's the best place to buy Finesse-It and this other stuff? I'm pretty much limited to WM around here, but I've still got several hundred dollars worth of freebie coupons that I need to use anyway.

One last thing, will these products work OK with an orbital buffer and foam pad?

 

[MikeP]

Any auto parts store should have Finnesse-it. There is no real need for the sealant it just tends to keep the dirt from adhering for a longer period - it's not a required step in the process and doesn't add any protection per se.

 

[Trojan]

I have not been able to find Finnesse-II any place. WM use to have it. I used it on my old gel coat boat. But I could not find it. So I put turtle wax on my boat 4 years ago and it still shines like the day I put it on. Or should I say the admiral put it on.

BILL

 

[egaito]

I may be dumb, but I ain't stoopid. Of course I'll wash it before I do anything else. I'll even mop it down good, otherwise I'll be grinding crap into the paint. No way would I use anything as harsh as compound as it's not chalky or anything.

From the description, that stuff Sky linked to sounds pretty good. Where's the best place to buy Finesse-It and this other stuff? I'm pretty much limited to WM around here, but I've still got several hundred dollars worth of freebie coupons that I need to use anyway.

One last thing, will these products work OK with an orbital buffer and foam pad?

West has Finesse-it on the shelf in small bottles. They might even be able to special order the gallon size that pros tend to buy, so you can use your coupons and have enough for the whole boat.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Randy,
I've used the StarBrite polish with Teflon before. I think it worked just fine. If you can't find the other stuff, try a small area with that and see what you think.

 

[chris piazza]

Randy try 3M Imperial Compound and Finishing Material. This is a polishing compound that will take a little bit of paint off and bring the shine right back. Its not a very harsh compound so don't worry to much about burning through to the fiberglass.
3M Finesse-It II is simply a glaze only. Three easy steps, wash it, wheel it and than put the glaze on. You can follow up with sealer but like stated before they don't help the appearance only make the dirt come off a little easier.

Chris
Superior Nights 53C

 

[Maynard Rupp]

3M has another product that is almost the same as Finesseit II. It is called "foam pad polishing glaze", I believe. I used it and switched back to Finesseit II. The problem with a wax is the black streaks. I used turtle wax when we first bought or Hat and wow, did we get streaks. I called a tech rep at Hatteras and he said that my question was simple to answer. Finesseit II was his recomendation and that was a great choice. Some questions about our Hats have many good or controversial answers, this one is simple. Use Finesseit II and be done with that work for a long time. Now I have to win Sky over.

 

[Sparky1]

Randy try 3M Imperial Compound and Finishing Material. This is a polishing compound that will take a little bit of paint off and bring the shine right back. Its not a very harsh compound so don't worry to much about burning through to the fiberglass.
3M Finesse-It II is simply a glaze only. Three easy steps, wash it, wheel it and than put the glaze on. You can follow up with sealer but like stated before they don't help the appearance only make the dirt come off a little easier.

Chris
Superior Nights 53C

Thanks Chris. I used a 3M Cleaner/wax on gelcoat a few years back and was not impressed. It set up like concrete if you let it haze, and if you didn't let it haze, it smeared, left smudge marks all over the place, then set up like concrete. Maybe that specific variation is different, otherwise you'd be cussing it too.

Sounds like most are happy with Finesse-It (as was I with the way my transom looked), but what's the difference in it and Finesse-It II? Did one simply replace the other or is one more abrasive than the other?

I have a buddy in the auto parts business who supplies the local body shops, so I'm sure he could come up with this stuff. I'll save my West bucks for things I can't get someplace else as those smaller bottles are bound to be expensive compared to bulk sizes. I've got two of these damn things to clean up.

 

[chris piazza]

Talk with your buddy at the auto parts store and I am sure he will tell you to use a LIGHT compound on it first. I can't remember the name of it but it was a 3m product, brown in color and it worked great, did my whole boat this winter. I used a water spray bottle to slightly wet the surface first, wheel it and than wipe with a towel, worked great. Follow up with the glaze and the sealer if you wish.

Chris
Superior Nights 53C

 

[stormchaser]

Anything with PTFE (teflon) in it is snake oil. PTFE must be applied at over 500*F for it do do anything.

 

[GJH]

Did the Finesse-It II and Rejex thing a year ago (4000 nautical miles) and have been very happy.
Less and easier-to-remove ICW "Mustache", quicker wash downs, etc. Still lookin' pretty good if you ask me..

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

Anything with PTFE (teflon) in it is snake oil. PTFE must be applied at over 50*F for it do do anything.

It seems someone on this forum said that "teflon" is a must on any boat painted with Imron! (But OK, also seems a lot of endorsements for Finnesse-II.) Personally I wouldn't mind the extra effort of a sealer especially at critical areas famous for the build up of black streaks caused by accumulated dust and moisture. Tough to remove.

Good luck Randy on waxing your floating motor home!

 

[Sparky1]

Anything with PTFE (teflon) in it is snake oil. PTFE must be applied at over 50*F for it do do anything.

Got a question for you stormy, when was the last time you saw somebody waxing their boat in temps lower than 50 degrees?

Thanks for the input guys, did I mention I'm having a boat polishing party on June 27?

 

[Paul45c]

Yeah, do the Finesse-It. Stuff ain't cheap, but it's the best polish around marine apps I've ever seen. It's very gentle on the paint, and just don't heat it up too much with a really fast wheel. Unless you've got some really bad stains, I think applying with an orbital is the way to go. You'll also see that this product doesn't get all dried and caked up like the cleaner/wax you were talking about. There's a light haze, but not like a wax haze. You can wipe it off immediately, too, if you want.

As to whether you seal it with Awlcare or equivalent, let how often you wash down be the judge. If you can't commit to weekly or bi-weekly, at least, then I'd say seal it; you'll remove dirt that much easier with a sealant. I'd also recommend the sealant if you're hoping for just a tiny bit more gloss, since those polymer sealants definitely give you a little more showroom gloss.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I'd like more info about Rejex; anyone else have any experience with it?

Finesse-It works VERY well. I've used it on quite a few things and it gets the job done and comes off easily. Great stuff.

Best-lasting wax I've seen is Collinite paste wax. PBR gave it a very good review years ago before they got toe-tagged.