Hull polishing

M

Mark P

New Member
Mar 10, 2010
18
Southeastern Michigan
Boat Info
400 Express Cruiser, 1992
Engines
454 Merc
Hi all. First time poster. Cool site. Haven't really taken the time to learn the search function; I will probably find a lot of the info I need there.. but in the meantime..
As I was rubbing out the hull yesterday with an orbital polisher and 3m Clean and Wax stuff, a guy comes along and wants to show me what HE uses on HIS boat, and we do a little area on mine. WOW! What a difference! Some 3-step system by 3m, with Finesse as the second step. He also had a higher speed wheel, which I guess is necessary. Now I want to start all over. Anybody familiar with that system? The hull looked like a mirror, which mine never has before. Before last year I always hired someone to do it, but it never looked that good. I guess there's more to it than throwing some slop on it and wheeling it out.
 
3M makes some fantastic products and they can give you some outstanding results but you will most likely want to use with an actual polisher vs. orbital. The Porter Cable is a good choice and used by many on this site. I've used a Milwaukee single speed (1500rpm) polisher for 20 years and it's never let me down.

The Finesse-it line has a compound and a polish and I've used both with good results. The Finesse-it II is a great polish and really brings out the shine and reduces swirls. There is definitely a lot more to it than just 'wheeling' it out. There are quite a few threads on this so I'd recommend doing some reading to get a feel for what everyone is using along with their before/after pictures.
 
3m products are great. When you read the directions they give you pad # and speeds to use. speed and preesure create heat which activates the product. Most body shops supply houses will have to order the pads for you. i use automotive ones they seem to work fine and lambs wool for final pure wax buf. pratice like under the swim platform places out of sight this way maybe there will be no swirl marks on the side of the boat. :smt024
 
Welcome aboard, Mark!

Meguiar's makes a great system, too. Also Leverage. While the using the whole "step" system was, in part, the reason your "friend" was able to show you an improvement over what you were doing, it is very likely (as Travis eluded to) that the main difference was because your friend was using the rotary. An orbital is fine for final waxing - but compound (and I'm using that term generically) needs a tool that has some speed.
 
Dennis.

What type of speed are you talking here. I just purchased a new Makita orbital, has a speed dialer from 1000rpms-3000
 
tollycraft said:
Dennis.

What type of speed are you talking here. I just purchased a new Makita orbital, has a speed dialer from 1000rpms-3000
Click to expand...

It's tough to say a "perfect" speed as there are variables such as product being used, type of pad being used and how much pressure is being applied.

But, typically, you'll be in the 1,500 to 2,500 range. I'd suggest starting off slower since the faster it's spinning, the easier it is to make a mistake. The slower speed will still be lightyears ahead of using an orbital - it'll just take a bit longer than using a higher RPM setting.

I've recently been using the Leverage product and, with a wool bonnet, I've worked up to spinning it at about 2,400 - 2,600. I haven't found a need to go any faster.

I made a mistake, though, (while experimenting with various products) and tried the same speed with a foam pad and put a little burn mark in my rubrail molding (it's a bit softer than gelcoat).

I know it's long, but if you haven't read it, read through Todd's thread - there really is a bunch of good info in there.
 
As many here talk about the Porter Cable, I would be curious what speed settings everyone uses. In my limited waxing experience, on gel coat (versus auto paint), I put the wax on the pad, and with the PC turned off, spread it around the area I'm working on first. I then set it on "2" to spread it around evenly. I then go to 5 and go over the entire area again until the wax practically disappears. I then take a micro fiber and simply wipe it down really well.
 
wish2fish said:
my spam radar is up a little!

Apologies if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

That thought crossed my mind as well however the OP did not list some website to buy the product so I think it’s just a new member that has a honest question that when posted came across a bit spam’ish by coincidence.
 
tollycraft said:
Dennis.

What type of speed are you talking here. I just purchased a new Makita orbital, has a speed dialer from 1000rpms-3000
Click to expand...

I think that speed depends on a couple of variables, ambient temp, product used, and condition of the surface you are working on.

I found last weekend that while using the Meguiars #49 I was around 1500-1800 and a moderate amount of pressure to break the product down and have it remove the oxidation.

With the Meguiars #67 I used on the hull less pressure and around 1800 rpm worked well.

YMMV of course and I started out slow to get a feel for how to work the product in and then speed up by about 100 rpm per increase until I found a good compromise..

It has rained all week here so I'll see how good the final wax is when I head back tommorrow...
 
Meguiars swirl remover then carnauba wax.

Picture1430.jpg


Picture1426.jpg
 
Um.. yeah. That's what I'm after. Nice. Is it possible my 19 year old hull can look like that? And did you use a compound before the swirl remover? Often, or just occasionally?
 
Mark P said:
Um.. yeah. That's what I'm after. Nice. Is it possible my 19 year old hull can look like that? And did you use a compound before the swirl remover? Often, or just occasionally?
Click to expand...

... just got this boat a couple months ago but I had a black 240 for a couple years before this one. Once you've polished it... if you were to wax your boat 3 times a year you may never have to re-polish it. Wax protects it.
So this boat has just got it's first 'once over'. I had a couple of gelcoat repairs to do so that was 2000 grit (wet) then a medium cut paste and then a light cut... then swirl remover and wax of course. Sounds tedious but it was only in a few spots... and it goes fast with the polisher.
Yes, you can get an older hull to come up nice and shiny. The amount of oxidization will dictate on where you start but a 3 stage polish is usually all a boat needs.
Make sure you have different pads for each of the products, let the product do the work and keep the pad damp.
 
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I've spent a couple hours now wading through Todd's 27 page post on polishing.. I'm exhausted and haven't even bought compound yet. It's becoming obvious a gorgeous finish doesn't come without expending a fair amount of either time or money.. or both. (Why does it always seem to work out that way??) I'm gonna have to decide if this is one of those things that I want to obsess over, or just hit it with some clean-n-wax and go enjoy the season. Truth is, nobody else will appreciate my hard work as much as I will, and there are just too many other areas in my life that I have to delegate time to.. (airplane, business, wife) (oops not in that order :wow:).
 
Ha!! Mark P its tough to serve two mistresses. Plane and Boat!!! Truthfully I have a 13 year old hull and I spent some time. It is worth it and as others have posted once you compound, polish, wax the up keep should be a bit less.

The thing that I learned from Todd's and Jermey's thread there is that oxidation is the culprit. If you don't get it off the gelcoat it will start to form again and all your work will go down the drain as the finish gets cloudy again. So I figure its best to do it right the first time. The most time consuming part is the topside above the rub rail. Having to constantly move the ladder etc adds to the time. Then the top deck with all the railings etc...

The hull is I found to be easier...

Best of luck to you I think you will find that the cost is much less then hiring a professional service to do it. I think I have about $300 invested in equipment and polish (PC 7424 and a Rotary Polisher). I really like the PC coming from an old Waxmaster orbital on my old boat it is pretty nice!

Good luck!
 
Mark P said:
I've spent a couple hours now wading through Todd's 27 page post on polishing.. I'm exhausted and haven't even bought compound yet. It's becoming obvious a gorgeous finish doesn't come without expending a fair amount of either time or money.. or both. (Why does it always seem to work out that way??) I'm gonna have to decide if this is one of those things that I want to obsess over, or just hit it with some clean-n-wax and go enjoy the season. Truth is, nobody else will appreciate my hard work as much as I will, and there are just too many other areas in my life that I have to delegate time to.. (airplane, business, wife) (oops not in that order :wow:).
Click to expand...

All 31' took me two 5 hour days... including the gelcoat repairs. Sunny afternoons working a leisurely pace in the shade... with a couple beers. I stopped a bunch of times too because of people coming over to compliment the way it looks. Seriously, if you take pride in your boat it'll show, this is the least expensive, most gratifying thing you can do. You think nobody else will appreciate your efforts? You're wrong, they do. Most boaters (that's us) are 'worse' than car buffs... we can easily pick out a well detailed boat that shows pride of ownership... and often comment on neglect. I've got under $100 invested in gelcoat, wax and polishes... of which I still have 3/4 of.
The only thing I get for free in this world is my own time... so I'm taking full advantage of it.
Try it, you'll like it... :smt038
 
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