2023 Springtime Shine thread

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She is in, and she is glowing!
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mrsrobinson said:
I got a quote from the local detailer who does most of the boats at my new to me Marina. He uses products I've never heard of. Presta and Jescar. He swears by them, anyone have any experience with them?

Presta 131932 Ultra Cutting Crème for Removing P1500 Grit, Finer Sand Scratches and Swirls - 32 Oz. https://a.co/d/aDnjTNr

JESCAR POWER LOCK PLUS POLYMER SEALANT - 32OZ https://a.co/d/eU29oMj
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Two seasons ago I used Jescar compound…. the stuff was amazing….. German company…. They over engineer everything …. This time they got the compound right
 
Whew! The Cobalt is a little bigger than my old 185 Bowrider. Boat is stored inside, so oxidation is not a problem, but I am a bit obsessive on keeping my boats (and cars) looking good - in an odd way I enjoy the working on them. I spent yesterday on the boat - this is:
1. Cleaner wax (Star Brite)
2. Wax - Meguiars Flagship
3. Meguiars Marine spray wax for occasional touch ups.

Applied with my orbital polisher using Lake Country black pads and wipe off by hand with a microfiber. The work around the Cobalt lettering is a PIA, especially if that area is oxidized - I have heard of people replacing those with a chrome sticker. This is the first boat I have had that was not white, and while I really like the black, I am a bit wary of it.
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Still wet and highs of 50s here in Puget Sound area of Washington, but warmth is on the horizon. I've got the rotary and the DA ready, my plan is to remove the disintegrating original decals, hit those spots with the rotary and some heavier cut stuff to hopefully minimize the ghosting, then go over everything with the DA and Meguiars Marine One-Step.

Original owner always kept it garaged so hopefully UV exposure hasn't discolored things too much. I'd rather not wet-sand if I can avoid it--but I will locally if needed. This will be my 3rd spring with it, and haven't ever polished it yet.

How she sits right now, waiting for the sun...
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I buffed/compounded/waxed the stern yesterday. With no beers it looked ok afterwards, I did a little more, had another beer. Looked better, but not perfect. I turned the music up, had another beer, the job was finished, looked good enough ;-)
 
I have an older Portal Cable Orbital I've always used for light compounding and waxing. What color pad do you folks use for the pre wax light compounding step? I used white on the stern last week and feel it did not take enough off.

It could have been the product as well, I was lazy and used Meguiar's M6132 Flagship Premium Cleaner/Wax on the stern to test how good it could/would work/look knowing the boat's been in a covered slip since it was done last year. I looks good, not as good as some of yours though ;)
 
mrsrobinson said:
I have an older Portal Cable Orbital I've always used for light compounding and waxing. What color pad do you folks use for the pre wax light compounding step? I used white on the stern last week and feel it did not take enough off.
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If you're using Presta pads the white is for compounding (heavy cut) and green is for polishing (light cut). I've been very pleased pairing Smoove bubble gum with the green pads. I also used the Smoove compound last year with white, also a great experience.

FWIW I don't think color codes are universal. You'll probably want to confirm what the specific pad manufacturer says you should be using.
 
I thought about them not being universal. So I guess a better question is when you have minimal oxidation, would you use a light cutting foam or the polishing foam? I see light, medium cut, heavy cut, polishing, finishing, heavy swirl, light swirl, etc. I'd like to use a cleaner wax product with one application if that's possible.

I have Lake Country and Chemical Guys pads in the bag.
 
I typically use the Chemical Guys orange which is a medium/heavy cut even for light oxidation. The foam pads are typically designed for car clearcoat which is softer than gelcoat so even if it is a heavy cut pad it polishes gelcoat very well. Your compound is going to make a bigger difference in the amount of cut.
 
How does one know it's time to clean or throw away a foam pad? I used a white one on the stern locker area last Friday, it got pretty dark black, but it seemed to still be picking up stuff but who knows. In my opinion it was more caked with compound and wax then anything else.
 
mrsrobinson said:
How does one know it's time to clean or throw away a foam pad? I used a white one on the stern locker area last Friday, it got pretty dark black, but it seemed to still be picking up stuff but who knows. In my opinion it was more caked with compound and wax then anything else.
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I get rid of them the minute it starts to flatten out
 
I got a bottle of the chemical guys foam pad cleaner with my last shipment. I tried it once, just a mess in my opinion. I don't really understand the point of washing them, they are not that expensive. And it's one of those things I don't want to cut corners or try to save money on at the risk of not getting it done right. Now if I did this for a living, maybe I would wash them.
 
mrsrobinson said:
How does one know it's time to clean or throw away a foam pad? I used a white one on the stern locker area last Friday, it got pretty dark black, but it seemed to still be picking up stuff but who knows. In my opinion it was more caked with compound and wax then anything else.
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Short answer, when it stops picking up black.
It's like those swifter wet jet bull shit. You can use those m-fers 7 ways to Sunday. When your done ($6.00 for pads and cleaner bottle later) If I can't walk into my kitchen, grab a paper towel, put some water on it, wipe the floor and come back white, it's dirty.
 
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