For me the biggest challenge was geriatrics. The older I got the less adequate the results were. I caved a couple years ago and leave it to the pro's now. There are some fairly light machines out there compared to Dewalt. Makita and Flex come to mind. A extra pound or two makes a big difference. I always tried to do it on a cloudy day. I tried jus about every product out there and always ended up back with 3M. Good luck it certainly is a good work out.

 

I've found that not only the brand/type of polish makes a difference but also the speed of the polisher (mine is a variable speed polisher) and also the type of pads. Higher speeds for polish - lower for wax. Also I have dedicated (coarseness) pads for each and I don't mix them after they're washed. Oh and don't ask me how many times I've dropped my polisher

 

Any links for the pads or products is appreciated. Have stumbled through this process here and there over the years, would;d love to see what is known to work

 

I've used different brands of pads including 3M which I bought at our local NAPA store. I actually settled on 2 different "courseness" or types from Harbor Freight - one for polish and one for was for wax (2 different pad colors making it easy to identify). They seemed to do the job as well as the 3M at a fraction of the cost.

 

Were these 2 different types of wool pads or foam pads?

 

thank you for the response.

curious which you like for polish and wax?

here is a link
https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=buffer pads

 

Coarse and medium pads for cleaner and polish. 2nd coat of polish with their ultra fine pad and then final coat of (collinite) wax which was hand applied and hand buffed. FYI I never saw a difference between hand and buffer application of wax. By the time I got to wax the boat the hull and topsides looked great so the wax is just a protective layer. Our 05 280 Blue hull looks brand new. I use the same approach on my Porsche.

 

Just curious as I’m about to embark on this very same chore. I have a cutting compound, and a polish. Both are McGuire’s “Ultra” I believe. I also have a rotary “grinder like” power tool and a cheaper two handle orbital polisher. And of course I also have the appropriate pads for both cutting and polishing... I suppose my question is, does the wax (3rd step) help with preventing oxidation? Mind you I’m in salt water everyday whilst dreaming of fresh

 

I typically use the 3M wool bonnets for cutting/polishing and the black foam for polish wax combination products like McGuires Flagship Cleaner Wax. Seems to work fairly well.

Machristo - yes, after polishing the oxidation off, the wax should help prevent further oxidation.

 

Awesome, Thank you. I’ve “dabbled” a bit with both and the cutting compound definitely sends the oxidation packing, and the polish brings out a luster and shine. Was more wondering if the wax was essentially overkill in addition to the polish. Going down to the boat ina few minutes and will post pix of the two products I’m speaking of.

 

Yesterday I finished a polish+wax on the hull sides on my boat. I used a Presta "ultra polish" (a very light compound) followed by a polymer wax (hand applied). I have a Dewalt rotary w/ Presta wool buffing pads.

As I was waxing I could definitely see where I was doing a less than perfect job with the polish/rotary. Three things occurred to me - 1.) Lighting can add to the challenge of polishing, 2.) the pads definitely load up about half way through a side on a 40' boat, using a spur helps...a little and 3.) a Dewalt rotary is insanely heavy as you get toward the front of the boat (assuming you start at the stern).

The lighting topic was more challenging than I thought it would be, even when using a bright work light. Based on my online education on polishing )) if you're doing it right you work the polish until it's basically gone which happens pretty quickly if you don't overdo the polish. But depending on lighting and angle its hard to see where you've hit the sides with polish before it starts to work into a shine.

It's also quite an art trying to find the right angle for using a rotary on vertical(ish) surfaces. Keeping consistent contact without it jumping around...not super easy.

I'm going to move on to the deck now. It should be easier in terms of the weight of the polisher but there are a lot of things to work around up there. I plan to compound, polish and then wax the deck surfaces. My deck is quite a bit more chaulky than the hullsides.

Just thought I'd share since we've been a little light on portable generator threads this winter!

Until I return...she's still all tucked in.

I use all Presta products. Try the black waffle foam pad with the ultra polish. I use both it and the green wool pad, but the foam is easier to keep against the hull. Also you may need to go up an abrasive notch to Ultra Cutting Creme Light. I use the white foam waffle pad with it. When I let my hull get away from me I use the Ultra Cutting Creme with the black wool pad.

 

For me it was always a 3 step process. 3M compound and finishing material with yellow foam pad. 3M cleaner wax with wool pad & hand wipe. Then 3m liquid wax by hand and remove with microfiber towel. Always turned out nice.

 

Foam pads are new technology and work great.
They do not heat up like a wool pad.
The first time I used a foam pad I was convinced it work better and easier to use would never go back to a wool pad.

 

Keep in mind that every time you polish, buff or compound you’re removing a measure of the good surface material w the bad. There is a point of diminishing returns.

An alternative could be to use a chemical paint/ fiberglass cleaner vs abrasive.

 

Thank you for the feedback. Always learning and a perpetual student. Here are the two products I’ve purchased so far. Goal is to do an initial “strip” (thankfully gel coat isn’t TOO oxidized) and then ongoing maintenance.

 

I would need to see the current conditions of the gelcoat before I would advise.

I can tell you my gelcoat is 50 years old. Purchased her from original owner from WI.

It has never seen polish nor compound.

 

Now you just need to brighten up that wheel fender El Capitan.

 

I always did a wipe down with this. It strips the surface and cleans just about any stain.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...tra-Strength-No-Rinse-Mark-Remover-1-Quart-12-Case/?N=5002385+3294777086&rt=rud

 

I have found that if you have a lot of oxidation to remove, the pads REALLY load up quickly. It is the gell coat oxidation that builds up on the pads.

I have a great million dollar+ invention for someone to make. My fee for the idea is just to get one for free once you build them. If you have ever seen a car manufacturing assembly line, some of the heavy tools are suspended from above by a cord that is weighted/tensioned to balance the tools weight. Then the operator can move around all day without holding the full weight of the tool. Invent such a thing for boaters to use to hold their polishers and you will have a financial winner!

 

Could simply attach to the rail and be moved along as needed! Love it! I’ll take 2

 

Except you still need to move the tool up/down and side/side to do the polishing. Unless we get us some robots involved I fear the amount of arm strength required would be almost the same.

We really just need those trailers like they use to haul racing catamaran boats. If we could just tilt the boat 45 +/- degrees from center I could just lean on over with my Dewalt, problem solved, shoulders saved.

 

Yesterday I finished a polish+wax on the hull sides on my boat. I used a Presta "ultra polish" (a very light compound) followed by a polymer wax (hand applied). I have a Dewalt rotary w/ Presta wool buffing pads.

As I was waxing I could definitely see where I was doing a less than perfect job with the polish/rotary. Three things occurred to me - 1.) Lighting can add to the challenge of polishing, 2.) the pads definitely load up about half way through a side on a 40' boat, using a spur helps...a little and 3.) a Dewalt rotary is insanely heavy as you get toward the front of the boat (assuming you start at the stern).

The lighting topic was more challenging than I thought it would be, even when using a bright work light. Based on my online education on polishing )) if you're doing it right you work the polish until it's basically gone which happens pretty quickly if you don't overdo the polish. But depending on lighting and angle its hard to see where you've hit the sides with polish before it starts to work into a shine.

It's also quite an art trying to find the right angle for using a rotary on vertical(ish) surfaces. Keeping consistent contact without it jumping around...not super easy.

I'm going to move on to the deck now. It should be easier in terms of the weight of the polisher but there are a lot of things to work around up there. I plan to compound, polish and then wax the deck surfaces. My deck is quite a bit more chaulky than the hullsides.

Just thought I'd share since we've been a little light on portable generator threads this winter!

Until I return...she's still all tucked in.

Nice work!
I’ve been working with polishers for about 50 years and although my Makita 9227 is much lighter than the machines I used years ago, it still gets real heavy after a few hours.
Couple of quick tips:
Clean the surface with some sort of cleaner or chemical before going at it with a machine. Don’t use your pads to clean the surface.
I prefer wool pads on gel coat (boats) and foam on paint (cars).
Name brand modern polish and compound products are all pretty good, so that’s a personal preference.
The Presta Products you used are good ones and it is easy to clean them out of your wool pads with plain water at the end of the day. I started using them the last couple of years for that reason.
If using Presta: Spray the crap out of the wool pads with water from a garden hose with a nozzle, reinstall, spin them on the machine for a minute, remove again, lay them flat to dry and they’re ready to go the next day.
Watch your speed. Lots of name brand polish/compound has recommended rotary speed on the label. Follow that recommendation.
Keep a spur handy and use it frequently.
Caking up excessively can usually be attributed to using too much product. A small amount on the pad, spread it out over a workable surface area with short bursts on the trigger while moving the machine around and then go to town.
Letting the machine, pad and product do the job will reduce fatigue a bit. The more you lean in to it, the faster that machine will get heavy.
Cover vinyl boot stripes, lettering and graphics with painters tape. While you might get them to shine a bit if you hit them with the polisher, you’ll also prematurely diminish their longevity.
Doing the topsides with the machine works in theory but, other than on wide open non skid surfaces, there are a lot of objects like cleats, grab rails, graphic, emblems, etc. that get in the way and you’re probably better off tackling those tight areas by hand.
In addition to my Makita, I have a mini rotary that uses 3 inch (or smaller) pads that can be used in tight spaces, but it’s still a PIA.
Lots of guys like to apply their last step products (wax or sealer) with a machine. Some with a rotary, others with a random orbital. While I have both types of machines, I prefer to put mine on by hand.
As others have pointed out, every time you use a compound or polish you are removing something from the surface. Once you have your surface in good shape there should be little reason to go at it again with an aggressive compound. Stick to the polish and reserve more aggressive compound for touch up of problem areas like dock rash, etc..

 

Very helpful! Thank you. I never would have thought to cover the stripes. Fortunately, I plan to replace those next year. ha.

I plan to use the rotary on the non-skid but do plan on hand working the rest topside. I'm hopeful I can fit the rotary into the non-skid walkway going along both sides of the boat. That'll be a lot of ground to cover by hand if not My shoulders may be better off but now I'll be complaining about knees and a back...

 

I agree with everything JVM225 said. Most professional products are good (I use Presta), use wool pads, etc. There's just one additional tip I'll add that helps with pad build-up and overall results. Use a spray water bottle when applying. You need to do a 2x2 section at a time, so give it a LIGHT spraying of water, apply a SMALL amount of compound, and buff it out. The water will help spread the compound and allow it slowly work into the gelcoat without heating up too quickly. It also keeps the pads from building up - but it takes a few times to get used to the water to compound ratio. You can always add more, so start slow. You don't HAVE to use water, but it really helps to get more consistent results.

 

I use a dewalt buffer, and only do one side per day on my 270 Sundeck. I can't feel my arms for a while after I am done.

 

I may just buy one of these (same company as the video I posted). They have several sizes. Just need to find a way to support it over the boat hull. Here is a link to the site:
https://www.mountztorque.com/Produc...Power-Assembly-Tool-Balancers/Power-Assembly-Balancers-Tool-Positioner-Balancer

 

Would it help to start with a light wet sand with an 800 or 1000? Thats what some folks recommend.

 

I have heard 1800 or 2000, but not 800-1000