oxidation help!

[texas scarecrow]

I just bought an 87 saltare which has some bad oxidation. Is there any product that works really good to remove this? As of now I was planning on using that product that is in most boat shops in the blue bottle which I would apply with a buffing wheel.

[wotan2525]

I wouldn't even mess with anything in a bottle. Start with wet sanding and save yourself some headaches. I was scared to try it but wish I would have done it 5 years ago rather than trying "miracle" products.

Start with 500 or 600 grit... wet sand it up to 1500 or 2000 grit. Then use a rubbing compound, a polishing compound and finally a wax. It will look like new when you are done. It took me about 30 hours this year to get mine done. I would have spent that same amount of time with rubbing compound but it wouldn't have lasted for even an entire season.

[cadunkle]

What type of compound did you use? What type of buffer? Looking to compound my hull since it's starting to show some oxidation.

[wotan2525]

What type of compound did you use? What type of buffer? Looking to compound my hull since it's starting to show some oxidation.

I did the wet sanding by hand with 3M papers and blocks. I used a harbor freight variable speed buffer/polisher, NAPA hook and loop foam pads and backing plate, 3M Marine Rubbing Compound, 3M Finesse It II Polishing Compound and 3M Marine Wax.

Can you tell I'm a pretty big fan of 3M?

[Jetlink]

I did the wet sanding by hand with 3M papers and blocks. I used a harbor freight variable speed buffer/polisher, NAPA hook and loop foam pads and backing plate, 3M Marine Rubbing Compound, 3M Finesse It II Polishing Compound and 3M Marine Wax.

Can you tell I'm a pretty big fan of 3M?

Well, you are just across the river from them so, no surprise there really... Oh yeah, the products are good too.

[Safety Bob]

Wetsanded hull with 3M 1000 and then 1500 grit wetsanding paper (great workout for the chest, shoulders, and arms!). Buffed out with Meguiars Super Cut compound and then waxed with Mothers California Gold Carnauba wax. Boy did she shine! I still need to finish the deck. She wipes down beautifully with a towel when you pull her out of the water. I have just waxed her twice this year and will probably just need another light wax before I put her away in the fall. Thank you for all of the tips gentlemen!

[Launchman2000]

Does the sanding/waxing/buffing work on hard water stains ( I assume that is what it is) also?

I spent 3 weeks on LBJ (freakin awesome trip) and didn't really notice it till the last week, white parts of the hull have a yellow tint now, along with a matching streak at the bilge pump outlet. I should have been spraying it and wiping it down after each trip but I wasn't.

[wotan2525]

Regular hull cleaner will take care of that really, really quickly. Spray on, let sit, and then brush off. Don't buy the environmentally friendly stuff.... it doesn't work.

[Plum Nauti]

I did exactly what several here have already mentioned. I wet sanded first with 600 grit 3M wet/dry sand paper. I then did a second round with 1000 grit. After sanding with 600, I would dry off the boat and check for uniform dullness. After reading countless posts on this, I learned that oxidation is actually small pinholes in the gellcoat. With my hull being so dark, I could really tell the difference as I was sanding the gel coat. After my final sanding with 1000, I used 3M Marine Premium Mold and Tooling Compound. This is a very aggressive compound and claimed to remove sand scratching from 600 grit paper. I just chose to use 1000 to maybe cut my buffing time. I actually bought an entire gallon of this stuff. It comes in a gallon can same as most interior or exterior paint does. It also has the consistency of peanut butter, in my opinion. I used a Makita 9227c polisher with a 3M wool pad to compound the finish out to a shine and then finished with 3M Finess-it. Lastly I applied a couple of coats of carnauba wax. I just used Meguires for this. All this work made a world of difference.th_MoreOxidation.jpgOxidation.jpgBackCorner.jpgRightSide.jpgAll Cleaned Up.jpg

[texas scarecrow]

Thanks for the help fellas. This boat is going to take me hours to restore but I cant wait to get her on the water. I will be taking pictures of the progress.