A Few General Polishing Questions

[320Bob]

I am new to boat care and polishing so my first question is how much polish is required? I was able to buy only 2 16oz bottles of Starbrite Premium Polish for my 320. How much would I need to put 2 coats on since I don't think what I have is sufficient?

Second, do most of you polish the cockpit and helm interior surfaces?

Third, what about the smooth areas on the bow that are not non-slip? My concern here is polishing makes things slippery and I don't want to slip and fall even though I always wear boat shoes.

Finally, it seems that most apply and buff polish with an orbital buffer and pads. But others do by hand. I lean toward using a buffer but am interested in the pros and cons of both methods.

My gelcoat is in really good shape and I was able to remove some minor dings with rubbing compound which I thought might need gelcoat repairs.

 

[Tonka Boater]

You can order more from Amazon and it will be delivered before your 2 bottles run out.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Premium-Marine-Polish/dp/B002E9E1FA

I wax every gel surface inside and out. I don't wax the colored dash pieces though. If it's gel and it's shiny, I wax it. I'm old school and I wax by everything by hand. The Starbrite goes on and off so easy that it's not that big of a chore.

 

[C-SIDE]

Bob,

1 - I use a buffer and only put on 1 coat of Starbright - my hull still looks amazing
2 - I absolutely wax the cockpit and anything that has gel coat
3 - I did not wax the "non-skid" on the bow. i think that is a preference. If I wasn't so lazy, i probably would have. My dad always waxed his

 

[hmcsw]

I use orbital for the most part on the outside.
Inside by hand is just as easy.
I wax everything that is not nonskid.

 

[Turtlesboat]

I wax everything. Porter Cable orbiter is your friend, Unless you're fat and need extra exercise.

 

[320Bob]

I put one coat on the front port quarter and the process went easier than I thought except for the drawstring bonnets flying off my "economy" orbital buffer. I found some elastic fit bonnets for another brand of buffer that should fix that problem. If not, then I'll do it entirely by hand since the Starbrite goes on and off fairly easy. Now that I have used both the buffer and hand methods I think I will apply the first coat with the buffer and the second by hand since I want a little extra elbow grease to clean with the first coat. Buffing is definitely easier with the buffer for me so since this will only be a once a year ritual and I am not an OCD boat polisher:smt101, I will use the buffer.

The non-non-skid surfaces on the bow are not as problematic as I first thought since the places you would step are all non-skid. I will put polish on these areas along with the interior surfaces also but not the head.

I discovered after buffing that there are some slightly rough areas right above where the marina sandblasted the bottom in preparation for bottom painting. The roughness showed up to the touch and not visually since the area still has a good shine after the first coat. I am guessing it was the result of some overspraying from the sandblasting. I didn't check the starboard front quarter to see if it was there also but my guess is it will be.

I chose the Starbrite polish because I wanted the teflon (polymer) coating that it provides and I was surprised at I easy it is to put on and buff off. I need to heed Scott's point about less is more and try and be more consistent in how my I apply but heck I'm a rookie at this for now!:wink:

 

[320Bob]

A question about buffing bonnets. I am using a lambs wool bonnet to remove and buff the polish. I use a nylon bristle brush every 15 minutes or so to remove the polish debris but I do not seem to get as good a shine as with just using microfiber towels that are changed more frequently. Do I need to change the bonnets more frequently or use a separate one to remove the polish from the one used to buff?

Here's a picture of the results after one coat of polish.

 

[320Bob]

Looks great. The trick is to remove the bulk of the polish with the buffer and then go back over it with a CLEAN (stress clean) micro fiber towel to make the shine really pop. You can do it with the buffer as well, just use a clean pad.

That is what I was discovering but I just wanted some confirmation from the Prince of Polish!:thumbsup:

 

[Havana Shamrock]

hey 320Bob, I see in your pic your thru hull fittings have tubing extending beyond the hull this seems like a great idea is that to keep from staining the hull? did you do it andif so was it difficult to reach?

 

[firecadet613]

Your posting that soon after surgery!?

 

[320Bob]

hey 320Bob, I see in your pic your thru hull fittings have tubing extending beyond the hull this seems like a great idea is that to keep from staining the hull? did you do it andif so was it difficult to reach?

My boat is currently in heated storage so it was really easy. If it were in the water I wouldn't have attempted it. You have to notch a 3/4" piece of tubing in two places 180 degrees to slip overcthe two ridges in the A/C thru hull. I used 1 5/8" tubing for the common drain and notched in one place to slip-on the 1 1/2" opening.

 

[searay40dad]

We put on & take off Collinite 920 Pre-Cleaner by hand. It removes virtually all stains and leaves surface chemically clean. We then put on Collinite 885 Fleetwax (paste not liquid) by hand & take off with buffer and a bazillion microfiber rags.

Proper surface prep and many, many clean pads and rags are key to a high shine. Captain morgan is key to recovering from 2 hard days of work.

We do all surfaces incl non-skid. One wax job will last us an entire season but then again we're in a covered slip too. In season, we clean weekly with Woody Wax boat soap.

Will hit the waterline/boot stripe area with FSR if there is scale build-up but with a good application of Collinite it's rarely needed.
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