SHould we buff and wax the top part of the boat?

Since we are talking about detailing I was using Meguiars M205 tonight. Is that a topcoat or do I need a wax over top of that? I had it on my shelf and tried it out on a few spots. I use the Flagship for the final coat but is it necessary with the M205?
 
Since we are talking about detailing I was using Meguiars M205 tonight. Is that a topcoat or do I need a wax over top of that? I had it on my shelf and tried it out on a few spots. I use the Flagship for the final coat but is it necessary with the M205?

The Meguiar's M205 is a finishing polish that can remove minor swirls and defects to produce a shine but it does need a top coat of wax afterwards for protection. Great product though. I've used M105 and M205 for years on my cars/trucks with great results. I believe they have a different product out which is specifically suited for marine use now though like 50, 49, 45 & 44.
 
I have both the Flex 3401 and Makita rotary with an assortment of different pads for both machines. I tried the Flex on the car and loved the finish even though I am a relative novice. Yet to try either on the boat though as have previously had it polished professionally as I am generally time poor. Just curious how the Flex fared - thanks for sharing your experience.

No problem! You’ve got two great machines there for a novice. Watch out or you’ll get hooked.
I tell people that you’d probably have to use the Flex as a hammer and beat a car with it in order to damage the finish, that’s how safe and easy it is to use.
 
The Meguiar's M205 is a finishing polish that can remove minor swirls and defects to produce a shine but it does need a top coat of wax afterwards for protection. Great product though. I've used M105 and M205 for years on my cars/trucks with great results. I believe they have a different product out which is specifically suited for marine use now though like 50, 49, 45 & 44.
I have the Meguiars Med Cut too but I hate using that. I can only do about a 1 sq. ft. section at a time. If it dries in the surface the only way I can get it off is to reapply it again. It's an orange color. The 205 is a whitish color. It goes on nice.
 
I have the Meguiars Med Cut too but I hate using that. I can only do about a 1 sq. ft. section at a time. If it dries in the surface the only way I can get it off is to reapply it again. It's an orange color. The 205 is a whitish color. It goes on nice.

Agreed, the M105 is a PITA too because it dries so fast. I have to keep spritzing it with a water bottle to extend the working time and it becomes so messy flinging it all around on everything.

I still have leftover M105 and M205 that I use occasionally as well to try and use it up and get rid of it but the newer M101 is better and the Marine products are even easier to use too.
 
I have the Meguiars Med Cut too but I hate using that. I can only do about a 1 sq. ft. section at a time. If it dries in the surface the only way I can get it off is to reapply it again. It's an orange color. The 205 is a whitish color. It goes on nice.

That’s why I’ve come to like the Gel Coat Labs products. They tend to let me do a larger section at a time without drying out on me.
 
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ok all , today I hit the foredeck with my trust "presta diamond cut" which is by far superior to any of the meguiars and 3m compounds ive used. I went at the non-skid with a compound foam pad from harbor freight on a rotary. after that , I scrubbed it with a medium-stiff brush and wash/wax to get all the product out of the low spots. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, and its not slick at all. I also applied new striping from hullstripes.com. the cabin tops were done with the diamond cut as well , I tried to capture the shine , but late afternoon light was hard. fyi , these surfaces were COMPLETE chalk to the point where your feet would get white even after a scrub and wash.
IMG_5179.JPG
 
ok all , today I hit the foredeck with my trust "presta diamond cut" which is by far superior to any of the meguiars and 3m compounds ive used. I went at the non-skid with a compound foam pad from harbor freight on a rotary. after that , I scrubbed it with a medium-stiff brush and wash/wax to get all the product out of the low spots. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, and its not slick at all. I also applied new striping from hullstripes.com. the cabin tops were done with the diamond cut as well , I tried to capture the shine , but late afternoon light was hard. fyi , these surfaces were COMPLETE chalk to the point where your feet would get white even after a scrub and wash.
View attachment 55752
Looks good. Mine is a little chalky but not that bad. I was using a wool pad with Presta Super Cut but it's tough to get down in the low spots. I was looking for a brush attachment to attach to my drill or buffer and go over it with that. I did find a few for about $20. Just wondering how hard it would be by hand with a stiff brush?Hope that would get the chalky out of it then go over it with the buffer and the M205. I would rather use Presta Gel Coat but I'm almost out and a small bottle is about $70...lol. I love the Presta stuff. Works better than anything I have tried. Maybe try the hand brush tomorrow night if it isn't raining.
Also need to get in behind the rails and cleats. Buffer won't quite fit. I bought one of those foam cones at Auto Zone that attaches to the drill but haven't tried it yet. Took the one cleat off the front and will try to get a few more off but need a second person for that. No plans to take the bow rail off this year though.
 
yeah , I don't know if it was the scrub action of the brush I used after buffing the "top" of the nonskid, but the end result I could not tell any chalkiness in the low spots. it looked pretty uniform. decks actually gleam now. I think the brush took advantage of the product left in the low spots and actually did some work
 
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View attachment 55752 View attachment 55753 View attachment 55754 View attachment 55755 View attachment 55756 View attachment 55757 View attachment 55758 View attachment 55759 ok all , today I hit the foredeck with my trust "presta diamond cut" which is by far superior to any of the meguiars and 3m compounds ive used. I went at the non-skid with a compound foam pad from harbor freight on a rotary. after that , I scrubbed it with a medium-stiff brush and wash/wax to get all the product out of the low spots. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, and its not slick at all. I also applied new striping from hullstripes.com. the cabin tops were done with the diamond cut as well , I tried to capture the shine , but late afternoon light was hard. fyi , these surfaces were COMPLETE chalk to the point where your feet would get white even after a scrub and wash.
View attachment 55752

Looks great. I have a 94 300 that i'm going to use the brush and 3m Finesse it II and wax on.

I'm going to order stripes from hullstripes next season. How do you like yours? The plan is to do the three above the water line, and possibly the two that you show in your pic.
chris
 
Looks great. I have a 94 300 that i'm going to use the brush and 3m Finesse it II and wax on.

I'm going to order stripes from hullstripes next season. How do you like yours? The plan is to do the three above the water line, and possibly the two that you show in your pic.
chris
they have been great. I replaced the original 3 stripe boot , with a two color. material seems quality and application is straight forward. I went with the "premium vinyl as opposed to the OEM.
 
they have been great. I replaced the original 3 stripe boot , with a two color. material seems quality and application is straight forward. I went with the "premium vinyl as opposed to the OEM.
Thanks for they reply. I'll replace mine next year.
 
I really nervous about waxing the non skid part of the bow... But i gotta do something because mine is really chalky.... Just don't want anyone to slip and get hurt... What are you guys using for the non skid?
 
I really nervous about waxing the non skid part of the bow... But i gotta do something because mine is really chalky.... Just don't want anyone to slip and get hurt... What are you guys using for the non skid?

I have been using the Shurhold ProPolish and it works very well.


Bennett
 
I used the Aurora Boat Scrub and Sure Step Deck Polish when we got our boat a couple of years ago. It is formulated for cleaning, de-oxidizing the non skid areas and the polishing. Did a great job and easy to use. Now I just hit it with a light coat of the sure step every spring and it lasts all season.
 

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