Polishes, compounds and waxes thread

I know this has been discussed at length in various threads. My point of this one was to show real world examples in detail, in ONE thread.

So many things change from products to pads. By having detailed input about what you used on your boat, we can help each other depending on the need, cost, and availability.

Now I'm not going to lie, I'm starting this for my own benefit. I'm wetsanding the bottom of the Saltare, dear god did it need it. I've gotten to the compound, polish, buff stages. But most of the stuff I have used in the past is no longer available. And now when I go, there are about 30 different choices. One companies compound could be lighter than another compound. And some of these companies have about 10 different buffing stages. Many are redundant and just done so you buy more crap. I'd rather not spend over $100 in various compounds to figure out what works.

Then you get into pads,wool or foam, etc.

So here's the idea. You come in here and show before and after pictures, detail what you used in terms of compound, and what pads you used. That way we can see what Polish A and Pad A do, and if someone used something different we can see the variance. Plus it allows us to see how bad or good your boat was before. So many others can judge if that will work for their boat.

Good idea or bad idea?

Unfortunately, I don't have before/after pictures but I can say that the 3M Marine series of compounds, waxes and polishes worked great with the 3M foam pads.

I had used other products in the past that I didn't feel worked as well. In my experience, although you pay for it, 3M products are usually the best.

Yeah, I just spent $50 in fine grade 3M wetsanding pads for the pneumatic orbital. And that is just for the bottom bow section. OUCH.

Wotan, can you be more specific as to which compounds you use or have used and why? Light oxidation? Removing wetsanding marks? Etc. So many times people come in asking these questions, I think if we could eventually direct them to this thread to read it would save everyone tons of time and repeated effort.

After I wet sanded, I used 3M Marine Rubbing Compound (green label) on a wool pad. After this I followed up with 3M foam pads and Finesse-It II Glaze (green label) to polish. To be honest, I think I wrecked a few of those pads on fittings/snaps/trim/etc and finished the job with NAPA brand foam pads that seemed to work the same at about 1/3 the price.

Then I finished and have maintained it with 3M Scotchguard Marine Liquid Wax (purple label.)

I hand blocked it up to 2000grit and then finished with a harbor freight variable speed polisher/buffer. It was a nightmare of a job but I only had to do it once (so far!)

Once I was done, I knew I never wanted to do it again, so I invested in a cover that provides the most sun shade possible. skiboatcovers.com did it for me -- fits well but wasn't cheap. About $1000 all-in. I now wax it 3x per season and keep it washed/cleaned/covered.

Knock on wood she'll stay shiny!

3M here to all the way. I have found the wool pads are the most aggressive WRT bite. Followed by the yellow foam compounding and finally the grey polishing pads. The grey with the voids are even more for polishing. If you can use the 3M circular foam 3000 grit wet sanding pad. These things are amazing..... Start with these for a trial area, they sand out the oxidation different than the old paper style sanding methods. IMO the foam stays unclogged better than the paper and cuts into the gelcoat with ease. I recently used them on the top section of the Launch and the results were quick and painless.

wet sand
compound 3m and all in one wax
Let it relax for a few weeks
repeat compound
polish wax
enjoy.....

Wotan, thanks.

Daff, I've tried the 3000 grit by hand, but am going to get one for the pneumatic sander. Do you think that using the 3000 grit would alleviate the need for the wool with heavy compound?

Currently I'm wetsanding from 600 grit, 1000 grit, 1500 grit and then 2000 grit (by hand). That's where I'm debating the 3000 grit or wool with heavy compound. I think I'll try the 3000 grit and then foam with light compound.

I think I have one of the best before/after results I've seen so far between here and the Moomba forum. Also, I hope Ngavdba or whatever his name is chimes in on this thread, because his boat is beautiful.

Acid-wash
Wetsand - 800, 1000, 2000
Turtlewax Rubbing Compound - Wool
Turtlewax Polishing Compound - Foam Pad
Meguiar's Marine Wax - Cotton

The compounds I used were just the standard ones you can buy at any auto parts place, which leads me to believe that "specialty" rubbing and polishing compounds can turn into marketing gimmicks real quick.

Before:
http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/IMG_4691.jpg

After:
http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/IMG_4704.jpg

Great info and detail Chris. Even better results! I've forgotten how much yours changed. WOW

This is the disk I was referring too. 2000/3000/5000

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...oam-discs.html

Be very careful with the acid.... I would strongly advise not to use it. I have seen entire buildings washed with it and every window has water spots burned into the glass. Once its there its permanent. My Launch was washed with it by the previous owner and it destroyed the blue .... But the white was brighter !!! Took two seasons of polishing to get the spray patterns from the bottle to blend out.

Also, there is a difference between fibreglass polish and automotive stuff. The automotive will work but it will not perform as well in time and is harder to apply.

I should mention how I acid washed:

I poured about a couple inches of muriatic acid into the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, then diluted with hose water. Then, wearing long rubber gloves, I used a dollar-store-special floor mopper (kind of like a knock off swiffer) to dip in the bucket and scrub the boat. This allowed me to get underneath the boat fairly well. In addition, I had the hose at my side the whole time and after each 3 foot section of acid washing I would liberally spray down the boat, while being careful not to spatter the acid. Also, remember to spray down the trailer below the boat, AND if you do this over top of any kind of vegetation, you'll likely have a hard time getting grass to grow there for a while. Good for killing weeds in driveway cracks though!