Need Help and Advice

[AKBASSKING]

OK, need advice from the Sea Ray experts.

I just bought a 1986 300DB. The former owner bought it in 2000 and has done nothing with it. When you run your hand across the fiberglass, it comes back white. I am an aluminum Alaska jet Boat owner and I don't have a clue about fiberglass, so here are a few questions. I have looked at "shining" thread and I see I have a lot of work ahead of me.

1.What is the proper procedure to buff out, wax and/or polish the fiberglass?

2. What is the differance between wax and polish?

3. I was told to use half polishing compound, half wax and use a high speed buffer. Is this correct?

Any help would be great.

 

[First Born]

Tom,

You will want to use the search feature for polishing and you should find hours and hours of reading.

Wesley

 

[AKBASSKING]

Thanks Wes. Hours of enjoying!

 

[First Born]

:thumbsup:

 

[tphinney]

AKBASSKING;

my boat gets chalky like that after about 6 months in the florida sun if I don't keep after it. try this an see how your results turn out.

1. you need a circular buffer with 1 or more sponge pads and some wool pads.
2. use the maqueirs color restored to cut the chalk off with the sponge pad keep the buffer moving at all times.
3. go back over the same area with the Wool pad to buff off the compounding agent.
this will give some of the gloss back, but we are not done.
4. then I go to the next level by repeating the procedure with yatch brite Buff magic which seems to be a little smoother with either the buffer or my smaller random orbital.
5 once it's compounded out I use a random prbital to polish the surface using the Yatch bright polishing liquid. this will seal the gelcoat and put a nice showroom shine; but it will not be slick to the touch.
6. apply 2 coats of Mequires Flag ship marine wax and buff out. with the wax on it should not only shine real nice but also be smooth and slick to the touch.

I normally do this every six months. if I keep after it I can usually avoid having to use the maquires and can bring the boat back to showroom shine with just the buff magic and the polish.

enjoy...

 

[AKBASSKING]

Thanks Tom.

I have printed this to take with me. I will be picking my boat up in Jacksonville FL in about 3 weeks. Still trying to find a used trailer. May have a lead on one down in Wilmington NC. It seems everyone keeps their trailers for storm duty. I was also told that some insurance companies require that you have a trailer just in case.

Anyway, I will show pictures at a later date. Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[AndersonAcres]

Hey Tom,

You're invited to overnight and/or rest up for a few days at our place in S.E. Iowa, as you drive back to AK. We live 1 hour south of I-80, so if you're taking that route, some friends are only an hour off your route (us'n).

I used to live in Homer.

 

[tphinney]

you're going to tow a 300DB from Jacksonville to AK. could you find a boat further away. WOW. What are you towing with? Also in FL you can get pretty good prices on new saltwater trailers are compared to the rest of the country.

I priced a trailer about a year ago when I though I was going to be moving to SC for my 240DA and locally it was about 4K but up in SC it was about 6K and the one up in SC didn't have half the capacity the one in FL had.

call some of the boat trailer shops in FL I bet yeah they would be willing to give you a deal base on the economy slowing down so much for them.