- Oct 3, 2006
- 4,404
- Boat Info
- 280 Sundancer, Westerbeke MPV generator
- Engines
- twin 5.0's w/BIII drives
I just completed year two of using my $35 cheap Harbor Freight rotary polishing tool on my boat.
Even if this tool does not work the next time I pick it up it owes me nothing. I am amazed how long this lightweight, inexpensive tool has lasted.
Hey, I lost some weight over winter, my old jeans are loose! I have a lot more weight loss to go but its progress.
I buy 7” Velcro wool pads, slap them on the tool using the centering tube and away I go. Most of the time I hold the tool so the right side of the pad has slightly more contact pressure. Since the pad rotates in a clockwise direction this technique helps pull the tool up so my arms do not get tired.
I wash and towel dry the fiberglass boat surface then use Meguiar's 49 with the rotary tool + wool pad. Each new area I start at a slow speed then as the product spreads out and starts to dry I increase the speed on the rotary tool. Next I towel off any remaining residue with a terry cloth towel then apply Meguiar's flagship wax by hand and towel off by hand.
The marina borrowed me a scaffold with wheels on the bottom. That helped eliminate a lot of up and down the ladder. When I needed to move to the next area I would set everything down on the scaffold, grab something on the boat like a cleat and pull myself along with the scaffold assembly to the next area. It was a real time saver.
Total time to clean the outside of the boat including the arch (not the canvas or any internal part of the boat or cockpit) with oxidation removal and two coats of wax was 30 hours.
Next up: clean the canvas and cockpit then treat the canvas with 303 fabric guard, treat the seats with protectant, commission the fresh water system, reinstall the cockpit carpet, load provisions then go boating.
Even if this tool does not work the next time I pick it up it owes me nothing. I am amazed how long this lightweight, inexpensive tool has lasted.
Hey, I lost some weight over winter, my old jeans are loose! I have a lot more weight loss to go but its progress.
I buy 7” Velcro wool pads, slap them on the tool using the centering tube and away I go. Most of the time I hold the tool so the right side of the pad has slightly more contact pressure. Since the pad rotates in a clockwise direction this technique helps pull the tool up so my arms do not get tired.
I wash and towel dry the fiberglass boat surface then use Meguiar's 49 with the rotary tool + wool pad. Each new area I start at a slow speed then as the product spreads out and starts to dry I increase the speed on the rotary tool. Next I towel off any remaining residue with a terry cloth towel then apply Meguiar's flagship wax by hand and towel off by hand.
The marina borrowed me a scaffold with wheels on the bottom. That helped eliminate a lot of up and down the ladder. When I needed to move to the next area I would set everything down on the scaffold, grab something on the boat like a cleat and pull myself along with the scaffold assembly to the next area. It was a real time saver.
Total time to clean the outside of the boat including the arch (not the canvas or any internal part of the boat or cockpit) with oxidation removal and two coats of wax was 30 hours.
Next up: clean the canvas and cockpit then treat the canvas with 303 fabric guard, treat the seats with protectant, commission the fresh water system, reinstall the cockpit carpet, load provisions then go boating.
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