Buffer polisher

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itsonlymoney

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Hi
Had a great weekend mainly trying to polish some life back into my boat. But even though it is considerably better it's still not as shiny as I want. Does anyone have experience of using buffer polishers, are they any good ? I have seen boats in the past that I think have had them used cos there's round circles everywere. Is this because there rubbish or the operator was rubbish.
Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !
 
We have just polished our boat using a buffer, not the random orbital type you can get from car accessories shops and chandlers, but a type that is like a big angle grinder, think you can get them at machine mart, keep the buffing pad damp and moving so it doesn't cut into the gel coat, start with a cutting compound if very dull then use a polish then a protection wax, makes a huge difference once it is all done

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I did my sports boat with one, its in the back of the shed. I was pleased with the result, have a look and see what you think. You can borrow it if you want.

From memory I used a Star-Bite product to cut it back and then a wax to shine it with the help of my buffer

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Thanks James
I may take you up on that. I used a star brite wax but I wasn't that impressed with the result. I think it needs cutting in first.
Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !
 
James
Did you use buffer just for the final polish or the cutting also, cos I would have thought that the cutting was the hardest part.
ps
I did'nt think it was that busy this weekend, I did not expect to even get in the car park. What did you think.
Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !
 
LOL.
Well, We did try and tell you what to use. I bet it costs you more than £24 now?/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

I also polished my boat at the weekend, and as Studges said, Mine also looks lovely and shiney, and yes i too used International with Teflon, And Wax Sealer with Teflon/forums/images/icons/smile.gif.



<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/alistair?&page=1> My Pictures, Look if you want.</A>
 
Smart arse /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif
Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !
 
Good questions, and i cant remember, I think i applied it with a cloth, left to dry and then just buffed it off with another cloth, it did not need the buffer.

I must admit, I am getting Bobby Bru cleaned professionally within the next month but that just because its size, I have promised myself I will then keep on top of it this year.

I thought it was going to be busy to but there just were not alot of people around. I had to leave on Sunday morning just as it turned out nice, isnt that always the way.


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Allistair
Thats a very interesting site. I will have a proper read later. Maybe my £9.95 was not the wisest £9.95 I have ever spent. To be fair it did polish up ok but did not remove the oxidation, I think I need to cut it in first.
Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !
 
Hi there,

Tried the polisher and buffer options,

The automotive 2 handled jobs are good for cars,no good at boats.
Get a proper professional polisher with a compounding speed of around 1000rpm,the "angle grinder "type but make sure it will run at low speed otherwise it will generate to much heat.

I also own a Bayliner,1992 2255 ciera, It had the heaviest oxidised gelcoat I have ever seen on a boat!
But through much trial and error I found a magic combination of products to bring it back to showroom condition.

First use Auto Glym paint restorer(I know it dousn't sound good but read the back and it says for use on grp) £5 from all auto stores.
You can use this by hand or with a polisher.
Get an empty spray bottle and fill with water.
Apply the paint restorer as you would if doing your car but when it starts to dry out apply a slight amount of water with the spray bottle and keep rubbing.
Wipe with a clean dry cloth to reveal the shine,you will be amazed.
The magic ingredient seems to be the aluminium oxide(same as wet & dry paper)

Once you have done an area large enough or the whole boat (obviously this takes considerable time by hand) it is time for the next stage.

Warning
You may be so pleased with the shine from the first stage that you will be tempted to leave this as your final finnish DONT!!!
There is no protection from staining & UV at this stage it will soon re oxidise and start to yellow .

Now for the easy part.

Apply Internationals POLWAX easy to wipe on and easy to buff back off.
Now the boat really looks something like,but there is one last coating.
And this is where new boat shine prevails,
Internationals WAX SEALER WITH TEFLON,wipe on, buff off when dry.

Make sure you have a pair of sun glasses if working in direct sunlight , during this process you will definitely after the second stage be suffering with white out!!!!

This process has brought a lot of people to ask how I managed such a great shine,believe me after they tried the same they too are more than delighted.

Regards
Andy



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Andy,
I'd like to clean my boat too. My boats also about 22' how long did it take you by hand. Hours, days? Also how many times have you polished the boat, is this the first time or have you been doing it for quite a time using this process? Thanks for the detailed instructions. I'v added it to my favorites!

Thanks

Will

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Hi Ian
I was new to this recently and read all the sites and forums. I settled for an angle grinder polisher from warehouse direct at around £56. Bought lambswool bonnets (for paste) and red sponge discs (for polish), and G10 Farcela paste all from Screwfix. I used Mer polish from Halfords £25 for 3 litres. I am now set up for the next 5 years!

Wash boat first. I only needed G10 on hull once over lightly, with a heavier paste on a couple of scratches. Then two coats of Mer all over. First coat cleans off winter grime. Second coat looked fabulous. Lots of water in all these processes from a 1 litre sprayer onto boat and polisher head. Let polish dry for 10 mins then wipe off with old towels. Took about 6 hours I suppose (11m boat) in bits as your arms get tired stretching and ladder work.

Huge debates rages on which polish, and it sounds as though this wax sealer is good stuff. Must try that after midseason polish. Good luck, Nic



<hr width=100% size=1>Regards Nic
 
bbilly,

The process discribed takes quite some time by hand,the polisher makes quite a difference but the finnish is no better.

I have for several years tried various products,cutting pastes,polishes etc but can honestly say they never came up with the desired finnish.
Auto glym paint restorer was recomended by a friend,but the finnish was obtained by much trial & error.

I polished the whole boat over the winter period last year,only parts at a time so if I were to estimate the time taken it would just be a wild guess.

Estimated time by hand-

stern 1-2 hours,
hull 3-4 hours,
deck 2-3 hours,
cockpit 2-3 hours.

Believe me you will not want to do this in one day,it is easy work but you keep standing back to admire the results.

If the boat is trailered it makes life real easy,a weekend is possibly all the time you will need.
If on the other hand your boat is affloat take time while aboard and do a small amount each time you vissit, once you have the finnish you want it takes no more than a wash and a wipe down to return it to the shine.

I am in the stage of preperation for this years launch,
through all the sun we had last summer the boat has retained its high gloss shine,the only thing that I have done this year is to re-wax with polwax and top coated with wax sealer,no need to remove the oxidisation ther isn't any!!!

Try a small area first ,but believe me once started you will want to do the whole boat.

I didn't look at it as a chore,the experience was worth all the effort.
You will get many queries from passers by on the pontoon which will give you great sattisfaction with a job well done.

Regards
Andy


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Andy,
Once again thanks for your detailed and colourful reply! I also re-read your original post and fitted it all together. I can see myself in my trunks and sunglasses admiring the shine already. I'm lucky though because the hull was already repolished a nice shiny blue so it sounds a pleasurable and not too tiring chore, well worth the effort. The boats been on the hard all winter with the cabriolet hood up to protect (not much) the helm. I ordered a"tonneau" cover once it's cleaned up I can stow the hood and this should preserve it better and keep the boat cleaner. At the moment the deck is all covered in red dust as the winds from the African Sahara (Scirocco) pick up the dust cross the med picking up loads of moisture and then tip it down when it hits Italy. The boat looks a bit grimy now and I'm sure, if my memory serves me well, that the white f/g is pretty dull. Do you have any tips & tricks on how the blu SUNBRELLA canvas and the flexy windows on the "cabriolet" can be rejuvenated and should you use some special polish for the s/s fittings on boats. One thing I really don't like and shows a lot of age is the strip of rubber that goes around the stern. It's sort of hard and a dirty grey and has probably been ruined by diesel fumes and age, I tried sanding with a fine grain but didn't make any impact, maybe I should buy a new one. It's the detail that make the difference to me.

Thanks for your time and trouble -I've never tarted up a boat before and I couldn't really care much about my car. But my boat's another story!

Will

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For Sunbrella use warm soapy water fiary liquid type will do and for the windows use 3M finesse it polish with a polishing machine keep the pressure on and work your way up and down and side to side.


<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
 
Dom(enico?),
Are those orbital polishers any good. The are on offer here at €40 and I am tempted to buy one at that price. Sieved the forum and the consensus seems to be for the "grinder type" polishers but these are much more expensive and they don't rent out equip here so I'll resort to hand polishing. Might be economically worthwhile just to clean up the windows or can I use 3M finesse on them by hand. I was also looking into to the debates on SOLTRON, it sounds like a good idea to give the tank a dose or at the beginning of the season. The bug sludge can attack rubber and gaskets I seem to have read somewhere. What about s.steel! I looked at the SOLTRON www but couldn't identify resellers in Italy! How come?

Will



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