Spring Buff - product change

Strecker25

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Nov 20, 2014
4,905
Rochester, NY
Boat Info
2002 410DA
Engines
Caterpillar 350HP 3126
I know this is a very polarizing topic but I thought I would start a thread to track some product changes I'll be making this spring to my polish and waxing process

I've been a 3M fan forever, and I still am to some extent, but I was put off by a couple changes they made last year:
  • changed over to a new final wax called Perfect-it Boat Wax. I had pretty poor results - it didn't last long and didn't shed water at all. We had water spots everywhere within 2 weeks of splash.
  • They discontinued the imperial polish. Finesse-it II is a good step 2 polish but I would use imperial to really shine up above the rubrail every year. I substituted the new perfect-it compound and it just didn't seem the same in my results.

With that said, I'm trying SMOOVE products this year - I have one bottle of each coming: Pro-Cut Compound, Micro Polish, and white cloud finish coat. I will still be using 3M wool pads because I have a bunch of them and they are very good.

Most of the boat only needs a polish this year but I'm most interested to see how the polymer holds up versus 3M last year.

I also coated above the rub rail with the graphene spray which seemed to work well but is a real PIA to apply and remove.
 
I have tried it all. Smoove is pretty good but absolutely nothing holds a candle to Starke products.

https://starkeyachtcare.com/

Elevate with a white wool pad on a rotary, followed by Hybrid Marine Sealant applied with a DA and removed with microfibers.

Elevate is probably what most boats would only need, its a light compound and polishes out extremely well.

I have been using Hybrid Marine Sealant for 3 years now and it holds up the entire season.

Their Level-R product is amazing as well for an aggressive cut compound.
 
I have tried it all. Smoove is pretty good but absolutely nothing holds a candle to Starke products.

https://starkeyachtcare.com/

Elevate with a white wool pad on a rotary, followed by Hybrid Marine Sealant applied with a DA and removed with microfibers.

Elevate is probably what most boats would only need, its a light compound and polishes out extremely well.

I have been using Hybrid Marine Sealant for 3 years now and it holds up the entire season.

Their Level-R product is amazing as well for an aggressive cut compound.

now that is why I post here for this kind of feedback. Nothing marrying me to Smoove, I had just read some positive reviews. Starkey's website sure looks fancy. From what I can tell Elevate would roughly map to Finesse-it II and Hybrid Marine Sealant would be a final coat?
 
I have tried it all. Smoove is pretty good but absolutely nothing holds a candle to Starke products.

https://starkeyachtcare.com/

Elevate with a white wool pad on a rotary, followed by Hybrid Marine Sealant applied with a DA and removed with microfibers.

Elevate is probably what most boats would only need, its a light compound and polishes out extremely well.

I have been using Hybrid Marine Sealant for 3 years now and it holds up the entire season.

Their Level-R product is amazing as well for an aggressive cut compound.

Aren't white and black pads for heavy cutting?

@Strecker25 I just posted my first experiences with Smoove yesterday. So far I like it. I've never used 3M products with a rotary so I can't give you a comparison. I can tell you that the Bubble Gum Smoove does smell good...so there's that :)
 
Aren't white and black pads for heavy cutting?

@Strecker25 I just posted my first experiences with Smoove yesterday. So far I like it. I've never used 3M products with a rotary so I can't give you a comparison. I can tell you that the Bubble Gum Smoove does smell good...so there's that :)

cool! I'll follow your updates tpp. I think most of the results come from the work put in but some products are just difficult to use. I was a diehard colinite fan for a long time and the lasting results are incredible but my god is that stuff tough on the shoulders
 
+1 on Starke level R

I wax the boat using Collinite 885 and was very happy with it, though i did do a mid-season coat.
Not married to it and happy to try something better/easier to apply. I posted a durability chart from collinite somewhere here and none of their other products can compete.
 
now that is why I post here for this kind of feedback. Nothing marrying me to Smoove, I had just read some positive reviews. Starkey's website sure looks fancy. From what I can tell Elevate would roughly map to Finesse-it II and Hybrid Marine Sealant would be a final coat?

It would be close to Finesse-it but WAY easier to use. I never liked working with the 3M stuff because it constantly gummed up pads and created a ton of dust.

Elevate is basically dust free.

Hybrid Marine sealant is your final coat. You can do two coats to build a layer and it works really well in case some areas are missed. Easy on and easy off.
 
It would be close to Finesse-it but WAY easier to use. I never liked working with the 3M stuff because it constantly gummed up pads and created a ton of dust.

Elevate is basically dust free.

Hybrid Marine sealant is your final coat. You can do two coats to build a layer and it works really well in case some areas are missed. Easy on and easy off.

Finesse-It is tough. I got used to it and also used to constantly switching pads, but it’s not easy at all
 
I too use to use a lot of 3M products and still do, but only for my cars. Never thought to use them on the boat. Most of their stuff has no wax or silicone in them and you want that for the gelcoat.

My boat neighbor used Smoove two years ago when it first hit the market. I used my polimar wax by Corrosion X called Rejex, there boat looked nice for a while, but they never stopped talking about the shine on my boat. The following year they switched and could not be happier. Here is their link: https://www.corrosionx.com/collections/detailing-protective-coatings-waxes I also use their Detail spray, works real well.
 
I have tried it all. Smoove is pretty good but absolutely nothing holds a candle to Starke products.

https://starkeyachtcare.com/

Elevate with a white wool pad on a rotary, followed by Hybrid Marine Sealant applied with a DA and removed with microfibers.

Elevate is probably what most boats would only need, its a light compound and polishes out extremely well.

I have been using Hybrid Marine Sealant for 3 years now and it holds up the entire season.

Their Level-R product is amazing as well for an aggressive cut compound.

+1 on Starke products. My hull was pretty oxidized because I was afraid of screwing up the compounding, had never done it before. 2 seasons ago, I decided to try it. Bought a Dewalt rotary and a bunch of wool pads. Needed to start with the Starke heavy cut and worked my way to the sealant. (I'm guessing 100 hours labor below the rubrail alone to get it back to where it should have been)

Travelled over 1000 nautical miles this past season through the Erie Canal, down the Hudson to NYC and back. On the hull, the usual canal "brown mustache" as well as the heavy water spots from on plane running were no longer there. Topside, the sealant held just up as well.
 
+1 on Starke Yacht Care products. I follow auto and boat detailing on I-gram. I started following a marine detailing company... J and J Boat Services out of NC. Their detail production quality is off the charts. I contacted the owner.
His product line his detailing company uses is exclusively Starke.
Attached are pics from my 02 SR I did. Did have some gel coat oxidation from the AZ brutal summer. Used their elevate to remove oxidation and finished with hyper hold polymer for the sealant. And their metal polish is also very good.
Used my flex polisher 10-8 125 and rupe blue coarse foam pads. Love the results. You will not be disappointed.




upload_2022-1-31_22-0-32.jpeg


upload_2022-1-31_22-1-16.jpeg
 
I love these threads but the problem is the end of season results. All these products make it shine great before splash and everyone posts their mirror pics but never do you see the end of season pic to see how it held up.
 
I love these threads but the problem is the end of season results. All these products make it shine great before splash and everyone posts their mirror pics but never do you see the end of season pic to see how it held up.

Sheesh, who would be crazy enough to take pictures of their boat at the end of the season??? :)
 
Sheesh, who would be crazy enough to take pictures of their boat at the end of the season??? :)

LOl. the only end of season pics I have are filthy hanging in the slings and covered with all the gunk they yard powerwashes off the bottom. I always say I'm going to wash it and put a coat of wax on before I wrap it, doesn't happen
 
Sheesh, who would be crazy enough to take pictures of their boat at the end of the season??? :)
Here is a pic about 1 month after I came out of the water. Boat was not washed, but it doesn't look too bad for end of the season. Finesse-It II and Colonite 885 wax. Ignore any gold colored flecks you may see, In this pic I just removed one of the original water lines.
20211023_121200.jpg
 

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