Polishing Before and After

Bel_Mar_Pointe said:
So....do you guys really like the Harbor Freight polisher or just find it to be a bargain? I have been looking at the Makita which runs around $200 and of course is an excellent unit, but would not pass on a product that gets the job done for about a sixth of the price. I have read mixed reviews on the subject so far.
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I bought the Harbor Freight unit as well and have used it sparingly up to now. It seems like a pretty nice unit but if it breaks then so be it. When you only have to spend 30 bucks on one, it's no big deal. And if it lasts then you will feel you made a great choice. :smt038

Dave
 
I would also agree. I truly do like it. It's relatively light weight for a polisher and the price is an added bonus.

Doug
 
Ooops....hosed up the post.

Thanks guys! I think I will give the HF unit a shot, learn along the way, and upgrade to a better unit down the road if needed. The Admiral approval factor had something to do with this decision.
 
Bel_Mar_Pointe said:
Ooops....hosed up the post.

Thanks guys! I think I will give the HF unit a shot, learn along the way, and upgrade to a better unit down the road if needed. The Admiral approval factor had something to do with this decision.
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I think I'm going that route, too. It looks like a good compromise between the high-end machines I was looking at and the cheapo car buffer that I've been using.

Now I just need a sling in the shop to lift the boats off the trailer.:grin:
 
You can always go huck finn and walk around the marina trying out everyones tool.But they may have a square footage clause attached.LOL
 
Ahhhhh.....the Admiral just bought me the Makita kit for my B-day! "I thought you said that was the better one" she told me. Maybe they do get it, sometimes. Life is good....:grin:
 
Bel_Mar_Pointe said:
Ahhhhh.....the Admiral just bought me the Makita kit for my B-day! "I thought you said that was the better one" she told me. Maybe they do get it, sometimes. Life is good....:grin:
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You're screwed now. Now you have to go use it.
Let's see pics.
 
Nehalennia said:
You're screwed now. Now you have to go use it.
Let's see pics.
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So true.....I'll see what I can do for pics. I already polished the hull when I was on the rail in March but the topside needs some work. So Todd, do you have a preferred vendor or brand for pads? Also, have you found a need for a smaller setup than the 7" or do you handle the tight areas by hand?
 
Bel_Mar_Pointe said:
So true.....I'll see what I can do for pics. I already polished the hull when I was on the rail in March but the topside needs some work. So Todd, do you have a preferred vendor or brand for pads? Also, have you found a need for a smaller setup than the 7" or do you handle the tight areas by hand?
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I bought my posts through properboatcare.com
but you can also find decent pricing through the site that Jeremey mentioned which I believe is
http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net
 
Well I had arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday. I was supposed to go out for an overnighter today but the Admiral wasn't up for it. I couldn't sit still anymore and walking and standing wasn't too bad, although it seems to tire me out a little. Anyway I already had the boat at home(on a trailer) ready to head and so I busted out the Makita and Porter cable 7424(PC)and got about 1/4 of the boat done in the last two days. I think I've found a great combination of Meguiar's and SeaPower. I first threw some Meguiar's 49 on the Makita, then buff it off. Then I take the PC and some Meguiar's 45 polish, buff it off, then SeaPower cleaner wax and buff it off. It's amazing. I'm very happy. I can see myself straight on and even though looking at the boat at an angle looks good, you can really tell where I just did this compared to where I stopped when looking straight on. Just thought I'd pass along a decent combo of process and product.
You can see on the left of the "D" in Sundancer is where I stopped.
92af3158.jpg

My shoes
f39b306c.jpg


I stopped about where the mid-cleat.
ff61932c.jpg
 
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I ran out of the Meguiar's #67 I had and tried the #49 I have. It seemed to do well, but I am going to get another bottle of #67 to do a side by side comparison t #49. I know both seem to do really well, but I still have yet to compare directly.
 
I'm still using #67 and it's working great. I follow that up with the flagship wax and it's like a mirror.

Doug
 
Nehalennia said:
I ran out of the Meguiar's #67 I had and tried the #49 I have. It seemed to do well, but I am going to get another bottle of #67 to do a side by side comparison t #49. I know both seem to do really well, but I still have yet to compare directly.
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Ah yes, I remember this discussion. Let me know what you think.
 
Here is the results of my efforts (and alot of motivation having seen this thread so many times).

Inside shot....mine is on the right.

2010-04-24April2010007.jpg


And outside at spring launch.

2010-04-24April2010014.jpg


It was the results of 3M's finesse IT, a couple of coats of Maguires Polish and finished with a couple coats of Maguires Flagship.
 
Not a sea ray but I like these forums so I lurk a little.

Pulled the boat saturday and had at her. She has been neglected most of this year due to family deaths and unplanned events.

In the past I have used mostly 3M productson the boat, decided to use my higher end polish I usually reserve for my cars.

I used an orange pad with Menzerna Super Intensive Polish PO83, and my griots random orbital, followed up with 1Z einszett Glanz Wax.

It came out GREAT!!!! The Menzerna is fantastic on gel coat, I could not be happier!
 

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Looks nice. Menzerna probably gives the best shine on cars. Which product did you use.......the polish or the sealant or both?

Dave
 
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