How to Polish

[Yacht Jim]

I can sure use some expurt polishing help. I offered to help share my limited knowledge to my wonderful dock buddy in order beautify the neighborhood. He always comments on the beautiful finish our 46c has. So I offered to help him but his plastic boat is loaded with oxidation. It gums up the buffer pads, white ScotchBrite pads, terry towels etc. and I am stumped as how to proceed and get through the crud in order to start polishing the gel coat. On our boat we polish with Finesseit_II, then a little Fleetwax and finish with Awcare. On his boat nothing cleans the oxidation off easily or cleanly. We've tried the Finesseit, 3m cleaner and wax, plain ScotchBrite pads etc. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[dsharp]

If the finish is that far gone you may have to use 3m rubbing compound and a wool pad . It doesn't take a lot of rubbing compound. Spread it out with a 3" paint brush and do a couple of square feet at a time. A wool pad builds up a lot of heat so keep it moving.

 

[TopHattandTails]

I've used Flitz on gel coat before as a rubbing compound withdrawal good results.

 

[the kuz]

Once a gel coat boat is really badly oxidied, I don't know anyway to get a long term improvement except with a paint job. A good friend (marina/boat yard owner) with 40+ years of cleaning/caring for boats says he has never found anyway/anything that really works well once oxidation gets bad on a gel coat (unlike some paints that will polish back a few times before wearing through). If asked, he tells customers that a lot of work will only bring very short term improvements. If there is a new product/process that will restore the shine for a year or more I would sure like to know - we have a 30 year old Graddy White that I plan to paint if we restore it.

Anyone got a solution that really works?

Regards, Bob K

 

[rsmith]

Forget all the other stuff. the only way to bring back gel cote is to wet sand it starting with 150 or 220 and working up to 600. Its a lot of work but there are no quick cures.

Oh yeah, I have seen some people use floor wax that will look good enough just to sell it but it gets yellow and gummy real fast.

 

[Boatsb]

Mr Smith is right but the 150 is way too course unless there is major damage. 320 -600 then polish and it looks like new.

I have played with DMSO many years ago but that was in another life. It was like magic to remove the hazed chalky finish.

 

[Genesis]

Collinite 920 works if it's not too far gone.

The best way to use it is with a cloth, doing small sections at a time (foot to two-foot square); you CANNOT allow it to dry on the finish.

If this doesn't get you where you want to go then into the wet sanding regime and that runs the risk of going through the gelcoat and it's tough if not impossible to know if you'll run into that before you do it. If you do it's linear paint time -- like it or not.

 

[Yacht Jim]

Thanks for all the help. I had to run up to San Diego for a week and will help the guys play with the various ideas when I return.
I'm thinkin that he will most likely not want to go the sanding route - but it may work the best. I agree that starting with 320 or finer may be better.
Hey Boatsb - When you're talking DMSO are you talking about the liquid that was a pain reliever used by animal doctors?? How do you use it and what does it do.
Thanks again

 

[Boatsb]

Its the same stuff and it may be in some fiberglass restorer waxes today. It was available to me through a buddy in the pharmaceutical business years ago. The price was right but he did warn me to wear gloves as it will penetrate the skin and soak it in to my blood stream.

 

[bobk]

Be very careful with DMSO (Tiger Balm). It has the unusual property that not only does it pass through the skin membranes, but it carries lots of other stuff with it like perhaps that wax etc.

Bobk

 

[Boatsb]

Its a trans-dermal delivery carrier. Whatever it contains will go into the bloodstream