Looking for buffing/polishing advice

rinker312

All, One of my projects for this year will be to finally try to buff out my boat and get her back to looking nice and shiny.  I should have done this years ago, and it would have probably been a lot easier, but there was always something else that had to be done.  My boat is all white, no colors to worry about.  So being that the boat is looking pretty chalky, I wanted to turn to some others to see what they recommend.  Personally, I have been reading about the 3m imperial compound and finishing material.  It seems as if this stuff cuts through the chalky finish and can get the boat back to a nice shine with just the use of this one compound, then follow this up with a good 3m wax.  If I wanted to I could use a finer polish like 3m finesse it  after the first compound if I felt I needed to bring out a better shine, but from what I have been reading, it seems like the imperial compound can really get me where I want to be without using the finesse it.  So, opening this up for discussion.  What have others done to restore the shine to their boats?  Anyone have experience with this imperial compound?  if so, opinions?  Somebody mentioned wet sanding to me, but it seems to me that I should be able to accomplish this without going to that level, even if I have to do multiple applications of the compound.  All opinions are appreciated.

OOPS, almost forgot.  What do I do with the non skid areas, like up on the front of the bow, and the swim platform?  Do I compound those areas also?  I am guessing so, but just want to be sure.

Thanks in advance.

Handymans342

B_D knows a special wax for the non skid. As far as the gelcoat, I am trying the 3M method as shown on a video on you tube. Search for it and watch it. 

rinker312

Yep I watched it. That is what gave me the name of this stuff. It seems great just looking to hear if others ever used it. 

Handymans342

I bought everything. Just waiting for the day the wrap comes off.

terrypage

I can confirm the 3m products are fab.  I used 1500 grade wet & dry to remove the blooming on my blue hull, then 3m imperial, finished with 3m finesse.  The result is fab.  I then waxed to protect the hard work.   Hard work but worth it.

terrypage

Handymans342

I hope mine turns out that good

rinker312

Looks great Terry. Sorry about all the questions below, but want to be prepared as possible for when I go through this.  So you had to start out wet sanding?  did you try a spot with just the imperial and it didn't get rid of the chalky look?  I am just wondering if I am going to have to wet sand first.  Supposedly the imperial is pretty aggressive with a wool heavy cut buffing pad.  My hull from the rub rail down is in pretty good shape, so I don't think I will have to wet sand there, it is above the rub rail that I have neglected.  How did your white look after the imperial?  Supposedly with white I read that I may not have to go the extra step of the finesse, just go straight to wax.  Also, how much compound, and wax did you go through?  Just wondering how much to order.  What kind of buffing pads did you use, and how many did you go through?  Did you polish the non skid on the bow?  Again, sorry for all the questions, but do appreciate you assistance. 

Handymans342

I am going to try west sand by hand and then the polishes in a small area first. I am not sure I got 1500 though. 

frenchship

Go to youtube and look at 3m gelcoat 
all the necessary Infos are there whatever you nee to wet sand or not.

TikiHut2

twice I posted the killer link to all things wonderful for gelcoat in this thread but it didn't post.
Hmmm.
SOOO one last time...

Terry had it right. Follow the instructions in this OCD gelcoat restoration link and it'll be as awesome as Terrys boat and the TikiHut. The only exception for me was using a $29 harbor freight buffer.
Good luck, Mike

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=117266

terrypage

Ok from start to 'finish' I used the power buffer with spong pad with a cutting compound (Blue cap 3m) on the hull and deck, wiped off the residue.  When I buffed I kept the spong wet to prevent burning the gel.  Where the colour was cloudy I hand rubbed with wet and dry, I was surprised how well it worked the colour came back.  Next step was buffer and 3m imperial, with magic results.   If you repeat the process until your happy (and I'm sure you will be) the next step is the 3m finesse, by this time I could see my face (ugh). Lastly 3m wax. I found 1 3m Imperial pot, the same with Finesse and 1 Tin of wax.   1500 wet & dry used on electric orbital sander will make life a lot quicker and more even.  The deck walk on cleans better with bio soap powder, not polish.   I used lambswool pads and got through 4.  Keep the speed on the buffer no more the setting 3  ( keep the pads moist not wet).   The finish is worth the hard work. Frenchship and TikiHut also give great advice at least they have to me in the past.  Good luck give me a call if I can be of any more help.

frenchship

No matter what other people do or say the best is still the link given from Tiki Hut2 above that I also been using for many years. If done properly the shine with last for 6 to8 months

Handymans342

I was told to use the 3M yellow vinyl tape as it holds up better than any masking tape.

frenchship

Masking tape is not a big thing as long as it hold. But if you use cheap tape and leave it on with the sun and water it would be a pain to remove  even a day or two after. If you use cheap masking tape remove soon as your done. Don't use cheap tape foe painting.

andy_f

For what it's worth, I followed these steps and was really happy with the results. http://www.fiberglassics.com/restoration/restoring-gel-coat

I think the common denominator is elbow grease. I also went with the Harbor Freight orbital.

frenchship

Andy, this quite similar as the other method suggested above even the product are almost the same. 
Paul

aero3113

 Collinite products work GREAT also.

http://www.collinite.com/

Capt Ron

I use Pro-Polish from Shurhold Yacht Bright with awesome results... no fillers and it's very easy to put on and off. If your gelcoat is faded I would compound first then finish with Pro Polish. On the non-slip I use Woody Wax. This will be the third year I used this polish and my 320 looks like it just came from the dealer and it's an 2007.

terrypage

Just the anti fouling now. A before and after picture.

terrypage

Cableguy Greg

Looks great!

Handymans342

I hope mine turns out that good. 

TikiHut2

It will but it's not magic sauce. A finish like that takes a proven technique and a full day of elbow grease on a 270 and probably 2 on a 342 if it's in need. It's something to be proud of when it's done and it'll add to the value of the boat. People certainly notice. 

Awesome finish Terry!! 

terrypage

It actually took two of us 4 days part time and lots of coffee.

JohnDiStefano

is the imperial more aggressive than 3m's superduty rubbing  compound?

terrypage

Never used it so I can't comment.  Trial and error (a labour of love) and lots of elbow grease.

rinker312

Just wanted to post an update on my progress.  I have been doing a ton of searching around for a place to order everything where the prices were not insane.  I ran across this web site.  http://www.showcar.us/  Turns out that they are pretty local to me too.  The only thing they didn't have was the imperial compound, but they said they could get it for me.  So as we were emailing back and forth we discussed their showcar brand products, and for the price of them, I just had to give them a shot.  So I stopped by this weekend and I picked up a quart of their heavy duty compound as a first step, then their power brite as a second step, and then collinite 885 fleetwax for the final step.  This was what they recommended, and the guy at the counter owned a 50 foot bluewater, so he was very helpful.  While there I picked up some of their leather and plastic cleaner, and conditioner, all the buffing pads and backer plates I need, and also a plate and pads for my drill and for doing hand polishing, microfiber towels, etc....  All in all I spent 165 and walked out of there with a whole box full of stuff, I was pretty impressed at what I got.  So then went to the boat and figured I would start out cleaning up the cockpit area.  I used the leather and plastic cleaner on the seats, and it did a good job, but still needed to use the magic eraser on some bad spots.  Then I put their conditioner on, called liquid cow, and this stuff really made them look good, and it has a uv protectant in it.  So although my polisher had not arrived yet, the guy next to me let me borrow his just to try a spot and see how the compounds would work.  We just did a small spot with all three steps, only using one application of the heavy compound, and i was very impressed with how it came out.  Also used the compound on a small spot of the non skid, and it really shined that up too, so I think I will do all three steps on the non skid also.  So just wanted to tell everybody about this place, I am pretty impressed with them and their products, and for less than a quarter of the cost of what I was going to spend.  Will post pics as I begin to make some progress. 

frenchship

Looks like good products, but do not forget the first step before compounding or sanding so you don't imbed dirt or anything else into the gelcoat with the compound.

Cleaning the hull: 

Before wet sanding or compounding can begin you should thoroughly clean the hull. For this process you’ll need a cheap rain suit, duck tape, rubber gloves and some ON & OFF, On & OFF Gel or FSR gel (basically acid) and you'll ultimately want a full face respirator rated for acids.. Duck tape where the gloves meet the raincoat so you don't get acid on your skin while reaching over-head, preferably DO NOT reach over head but rather do it from a platform or ladder to wash the boat. I find using On & Off, and a car wash brush, as effective, but far quicker, than applying FSR gel and they are both made of the same basic components (acids). Be careful these ARE acid based products!

Buy a roll or sheet of plastic and rip it with a razor knife into 12-inch wide lengths. Tape this to your dry hull surface at the water line using 3M green film tape (seems to work) at the top but let it hang on the bottom as a “drip edge” skirt. You do this so the acid in the ON & OFF does not eat the copper bottom paint and can drip on the ground vs. the bottom paint. Wash and rinse quickly a small area at a time and do this preferably before you before you bottom paint just in case. On & Off is basically FSR without the gel. However, you can wash much faster with ON & OFF than you can with FSR. The ON & OFF will bring back the white of the hull by removing the metals or tannins. Tannins are that rusty orange discoloration you get from the ocean over time that attach to the gelcoat. You'll be amazed at the difference in the color of your hull! Even hulls that don’t look bad look amazing after a thorough washing with On & Off. This is a very good place to start before waxing if your boat is older than a few years. Be very careful not to get On & Off or FSR on aluminum rub rails, metals, stanchions, cleats etc. because it will pit them. Only apply FSR or On & Off to a gelcoat hull! Allow about 20 minutes for the skirt set up and 1/2 hour for washing the hull.

Handymans342

what is this " on and off"?

frenchship

On off is a Cleaner that you can find at places like Westmarine . Or you can used diluted muriactic acid