New Thoughts/Observations on Polishing

[Hampton]

I was able to complete 100% of the Blue Hull, in the Water, in 8 hours this year. This was with rotary/wool/Maguir's Compound with polish followed by random orb/foam/Maguir's Flagship Prem Wax. I did the back 1/2 of the white the same way in about 3 hours this week.

While doing the sides of the cockpit yesterday, the sun was setting and reflecting perfectly against the side. I could see a little haze before I started, and decided to forego the compound in one are to see the effect. The result was not as good as the entire process, so I tried something else: I quickly did the compound by hand (lots of tight spots, behind the rail, tight corners...) and then did the wax with the Random Orb. I really like the results.

In the past, I had to use the rotary/wool with compound to restore the boat's finish. I decided then that I wouldn't need the 1st step at all any more, but someone on this forum encouraged me to keep it up. He was right, but I think that using the rotary with wool is too aggressive for a clean boat's finish.

I like the Maguir's compound with polish, and do not plan to use a different brand, but I would consider using a more mild compound/polish combo, or just polish, if anyone has any recommendations. I think I'm going to use the random orbital with it in the future, with a more aggressive foam pad than I use with the wax.

Goal for clean boat maintenance:
Step 1 - Random Orb with polish or mild compound/polish combo on a moderate foam pad
Step 2 - Random Orb with Maguir's Flagship Premium Wax on a soft foam pad

Which Maguir's polish or compound do you recommend for step 1 on a clean boat?

 

[Hampton]

Maybe I just answered my own question: http://marinerv.meguiars.com/product/10newproducts It's a cleaner/wax.

However, I've decided that any one step process all alone leaves the boat finish dirty. I like to go over it once with something before the final waxing. Maybe two coats of this new stuff?

 

[djboots]

The olny time a wool pad and compound is needed is to restore the luster of the fiberglass. If your boat is already maintained then a simple hand or orbital wax is good enough.

 

[Lazy Daze]

How about trying out their cleaner/wax as your first step? While it will get rid of some very light oxidation, it's not really designed for that. But if the boat is just "dirty", this should work fine. Plus, once you put on the Flagship, you'll have a little more than one coat of wax on there... maybe 1-1/4 coats as I wouldn't really consider any cleaner/wax combo a good wax.

I would play around with that and maybe some different pads, first. Next in line would be their #44 color restorer. It is a very light compound.

 

[Lazy Daze]

You beat me to the punch. However, I would skip paying the extra money for their Flagship Cleaner/Wax and just use their normal, #50 Cleaner/Wax (blue bottle).

 

[hack4alivin]

Maybe I just answered my own question: http://marinerv.meguiars.com/product/10newproducts It's a cleaner/wax.

However, I've decided that any one step process all alone leaves the boat finish dirty. I like to go over it once with something before the final waxing. Maybe two coats of this new stuff?

John,

I do much the same on mine, in fact I just finished. The first coat is a cleaner wax, followed by the "Flagship". I go one step further and apply a wax sealer over it.

 

[Hampton]

The only problem I see is that there is no polish in the process. Isn't it important to use a polish to retore the oils to the gel coat?

 

[Dave S]

John

My blue hull gets done twice a year. I use a foam compounding pad and my orbital to do the entire job. My hull is typically clean but very water spotted when it comes time to do the "deed". My first pass is with the orbital and a compounding foam pad using a product called Gel Coat Labs Polish and Sealant. I have now used this product for six years on both my green hull 240SD and now on my blue hull 260DA and I highly recommend it for mild compounding http://www.properboatcare.com/bowtostongel.html A side benefit of this product is it also seals the gel coat at the same time. Once I have done the hull with the Gel coat Labs polish, then I apply a thin coat of Meguairs Flagship by hand. It is much faster and easier to apply the Flagship by hand at this point rather than use the buffer. I can do the Maguairs in about a half hour by hand (application and buffing). Only a thin coat of the Flagship is required and I am done.

Dave

 

[Hampton]

John

My blue hull gets done twice a year. I use a foam compounding pad and my orbital to do the entire job. My hull is typically clean but very water spotted when it comes time to do the "deed". My first pass is with the orbital and a compounding foam pad using a product called Gel Coat Labs Polish and Sealant. I have now used this product for six years on both my green hull 240SD and now on my blue hull 240DA and highly recommend it for mild compounding http://www.properboatcare.com/bowtostongel.html
Dave

Have to see the photos and website when I get home. Good words. I may look into that one.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Interestingly enough, I've been starting to read and hear more about the downside to traditional waxes (have petroleum in them). The jist of it is that because normal waxes seal the gelcoat, it doesn't let it breathe. Thereby causing you to have to do more work, more often. The traditional wax looks great when first applied (because of the "shininess" of the oil), but it fades out over a few weeks. Apparently, that's the why the Flagship looks better than their normal wax - more oil. (I have noticed this fading effect)

I don't know. I'm not doing a great job explaining it, but it seemed to make sense to me. I'm not totally sold on the theory, but it was interesting enough for me to try a different approach. Like I said, not totally sold as there's a bunch of boats that only get waxed twice a year and still look good (with traditional waxes).

 

[Dave S]

Interestingly enough, I've been starting to read and hear more about the downside to traditional waxes (have petroleum in them). The jist of it is that because normal waxes seal the gelcoat, it doesn't let it breathe. Thereby causing you to have to do more work, more often. The traditional wax looks great when first applied (because of the "shininess" of the oil), but it fades out over a few weeks. Apparently, that's the why the Flagship looks better than their normal wax - more oil. (I have noticed this fading effect)

I don't know. I'm not doing a great job explaining it, but it seemed to make sense to me. I'm not totally sold on the theory, but it was interesting enough for me to try a different approach. Like I said, not totally sold as there's a bunch of boats that only get waxed twice a year and still look good (with traditional waxes).

Meguairs Flagship is not a "wax". It is a polymer and as a result it will bond with the gel coat finish. I guess if you don't use the term "wax" in your product people get confused. Modern polymers are a lot better than they used to be and are far superior to "wax" in terms of their protection properties. Sometimes the initial shine can be a bit better with "wax" but wax will not last as long. I learned this a long time ago on my cars. I have used Zaino polymer polish on my cars for years and it is far superior to any other product on the market both in terms of shine and how long it lasts. http://www.zainostore.com/ Polymers can typically be "layered" as well meaning the more coats you put on the thicker the protection is. My Black Camaro has numerous coats of Zaino on it and the shine is still flawless even though the car is 10 years old

Anyways.....that's my 2 cents.

Dave

 

[wetpaint]

I see no problem using wax when you need a smooth finish


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg_mvyEty_M

 

[Chris R]

I was able to complete 100% of the Blue Hull, in the Water, in 8 hours this year. This was with rotary/wool/Maguir's Compound with polish followed by random orb/foam/Maguir's Flagship Prem Wax. I did the back 1/2 of the white the same way in about 3 hours this week.

While doing the sides of the cockpit yesterday, the sun was setting and reflecting perfectly against the side. I could see a little haze before I started, and decided to forego the compound in one are to see the effect. The result was not as good as the entire process, so I tried something else: I quickly did the compound by hand (lots of tight spots, behind the rail, tight corners...) and then did the wax with the Random Orb. I really like the results.

In the past, I had to use the rotary/wool with compound to restore the boat's finish. I decided then that I wouldn't need the 1st step at all any more, but someone on this forum encouraged me to keep it up. He was right, but I think that using the rotary with wool is too aggressive for a clean boat's finish.

I like the Maguir's compound with polish, and do not plan to use a different brand, but I would consider using a more mild compound/polish combo, or just polish, if anyone has any recommendations. I think I'm going to use the random orbital with it in the future, with a more aggressive foam pad than I use with the wax.

Goal for clean boat maintenance:
Step 1 - Random Orb with polish or mild compound/polish combo on a moderate foam pad
Step 2 - Random Orb with Maguir's Flagship Premium Wax on a soft foam pad

Which Maguir's polish or compound do you recommend for step 1 on a clean boat?

I have the cleaner wax you mention John. I was thinking about trying this out first to see how well it does. I'm not too enthused about any multi-step process.

My question is "how" did you do the hull in the water. I'm going to have mine hauled out for bottom paint in the next few weeks and hope to work a deal with the yard to let me do it while it's on the jack stands. I've avoided doing the hull in the water for two reasons: 1) Appears to be a real PITA, 2) dropping my orbital in the water if I get clumsy.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Meguairs Flagship is not a "wax". It is a polymer and as a result it will bond with the gel coat finish. I guess if you don't use the term "wax" in your product people get confused. Modern polymers are a lot better than they used to be and are far superior to "wax" in terms of their protection properties.

Interesting. I took a look at their MSDS sheets for the two products (56 & 63) http://marinerv.meguiars.com/msds/. Now, I am by no means a chemist, so I may be oversimplifying things. But, they appear to have similar ingredients... just different amounts.:huh:

It's hard to read a person's intent via "words" alone. So please know I am being totally serious - I really am interested in this subject.

Hampton - if we're getting too far off topic for you, just say the word.

 

[JVM225]

Here are the very basics.
Polish gives you the shine. LSP's (last step products) like wax and polymers are protectants. Some LSP's last longer than others and reflect light a little better or a little worse. Many Cleaner Waxes, or one step type products, have a pretty high solvent content and additional coats often do little else other than remove the coats you just finished applying.
I boat in salt water and haven't found anythiing that really holds up to that environment for any length of time.
I'm pretty anal about my cars. I use one LSP on my classic muscle car, another on my C6 Corvette, and then something else on my daily drivers. I've found that different colors look better or worse with different products. But, overall most modern products are pretty good.
Find what you like, be it because of ease of application or final appearance, and stick with it.
IMHO it matters less what product you use than how often you use it and how you maintain the vehicle or boat in between detailing sessions.

 

[Hampton]

The topic is fine and appropriate. I didn't look at the details of the ingredients even though I am a chemist. Maybe their naming is all about marketing and nothing about making a good, easy to define line of products.

I have a floating dock (pier) that surrounds the back 60% of my boat. To do the bow, I spin it around and move the lines around to get under it. I always tie the hot extension cord off in a way where it will not go into the water. I used to tie the cord to the buffer off so that if I dropped it, it would dangle just above the water, but that made the process too slow. It can be a PITA. I think I'm done with the rotary on this boat, unless something happens where I get way far behind. The random is lighter and can be secured with one hand.

When I get the bottom paint done in Jan, I'm going to get the very bottom of the keel under the bow and the bottom 1/2 of the swim platform. Otherwise, I was able to get all the way down to the bottom paint for 95% of the boat.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I tell you what, John. I certainly don't envy you because of the amount of gel you have to wax. I may envy you because of the size of your boat, but certainly not for the detailing part! I thought it was enough of a PIA moving my ladder every 3 feet (boat on a trailer)!:smt101

 

[Hampton]

I tell you what, John. I certainly don't envy you because of the amount of gel you have to wax. I may envy you because of the size of your boat, but certainly not for the detailing part! I thought it was enough of a PIA moving my ladder every 3 feet (boat on a trailer)!:smt101

Been there, done that. I neglected my 250 for several years while I was working 2 jobs. I'd wax it once a year, if that, and never compounded it. I went around that boat at least 8 times with an electric drill/pad and compound the year before I sold it. It shined when I was done, but boy, did I ache!

Now, I spent the money on a rotary and RO (actually 2 - one got left in the rain). Once you get on top, stay on top. It's a LOT easier.

 

[The Bill Collector]

I have the cleaner wax you mention John. I was thinking about trying this out first to see how well it does. I'm not too enthused about any multi-step process.

My question is "how" did you do the hull in the water. I'm going to have mine hauled out for bottom paint in the next few weeks and hope to work a deal with the yard to let me do it while it's on the jack stands. I've avoided doing the hull in the water for two reasons: 1) Appears to be a real PITA, 2) dropping my orbital in the water if I get clumsy.

Chris, there are several yards around the area that will allow you to wax/work on your boat while in their yard.I am waiting till spring to pull mine and will have it hauled at Hylebos Marina and I do the bottom paint & waxing myself. No sense in doing now for it to sit mostly idle all winter and get a slime coat that will produce drag come spring....?

 

[highslice]

Okay, stupid question, but I'll ask anyway since this may be the first year I actually have time to detail the boat myself. Do you wash the boat with soap and water before applying the cleaner/polish?