Dual action or rotary polisher.....

[mrgrumpy2]

I know this subject keeps cropping up but I have read numerous posts both on here and in the U.S. and I still dont know which way to jump. Whilst the boat is out the water I want to give the hull a good polish and wax ...Its a blue hull and is good condition...I have purchashed some Aqua Buff 2000 for the polishing and will finish the job by hand with some collinite 885 paste wax. Where I struggle is which machine to purchase. The choice is either the meguiars dual action orbital polisher (2760-6000 opm) or a rotary polisher such as the siverline or the more expensive Makita 9227. This will be my first attempt at machine polishing but I'd like to think that I'm practical enough to turn my hand to anything. The aquabuff mentions using a rotary polisher but then there seems to be a general concern that if a rotary is used incorrectly it can result gel coat damage. Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated....Apologies for dragging this subject up again.

 

[seasolutions]

I've allways used a rotary type polisher, with a good lambs-wool mop. keep the mop clean, keep the surface wet to stop the coumpound from drying out too fast, and keep the mop clean.

I like to have a coumpound on rag, a wet rag, and a dry wipe off rag. I've known people to use garden water sprays as well.

the only way you could damage a gel coat by polishing (apart from polishing through it...) would be to scorch it, so 1 keep it wet, 2, touch it, if it feels warm to the touch then slow down, a quick wizz over at high speed to clean the coumpond off once your happy with the shine is ok, but otherwise keep the speed near the bottom of the dial.

 

[Elessar]

rotary polishers

are faster but a little harder to master. Not rocket science though. You need fast as there is a lot of boat to polish. Good advice from seasolutions - though I use 3M foam pads not a mop. Buy a light polisher, my sealy is 2kg, many weigh 4.

 

[sarabande]

one tip given to me by a forumite, was to make a light line fast to the body of the polisher, then fasten the line to the main halyard to take the weight of the unit.

You can then work it on long arcs along the hull without having to lift it. Height is easily adjusted on the halyard.

 

[Dan the man]

you want a SLOW revving machine, fast rotation is what causes it to get hot and burn the gel coat!
I came across a farecla product tonight that cuts back the oxidised surface and leaves a 'permanent' high gloss finish....sounded interesting on new hulls that are not too bad.

I had a variable speed polisher, found it worked best slower than fast.

 

[Marine Reflections]

Go for the Meguires if you are not taking on any serious oxidation or surface correction.
The megs are much lighter than the rotaries and are easy to use for just polishing. There is plenty of power in the megs and has good torque (should you need it) also the oscillating action help reduce any swirl marks & ghost tails.
You can do this with a rotary, but is a much harder weapon to get to grips with.

I must say I'd be interested to hear of any product that cuts through oxidation in one go and leaves a "permanent" high gloss finish on a hull Dan.. No offense.

Magic products come & go.. common sense & effort remain.

 

[RivalRedwing]

There is the Kestrel dual action machine that is a little over half the price of the Meguires (Marine Reflections may have a view on the relative quality). Have a look at a site such as Polished Bliss

 

[bigwow]

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/r.../path/14-angle-grinders-polishers-accessories

 

[mrgrumpy2]

Yesterday I spoke to a company that stock both the kestral and meguiars, their feeling was that the meguiars is the superior unit as it is designed specifically for light compounding and polishing whereas the kestral is also designed for sanding. The action is far less smooth on the kestral and the meguiars has better torque and build quality.

 

[Seafort]

Additional tip

one tip given to me by a forumite, was to make a light line fast to the body of the polisher, then fasten the line to the main halyard to take the weight of the unit.

You can then work it on long arcs along the hull without having to lift it. Height is easily adjusted on the halyard.

Make that "Light line" bungy cord and your in business.

Dave.

 

[bromleybysea]

polishing the hull

I used these guys-good prompt service and the products worked well. I used the cheap rotary polisher and got good results, but it is heavy, you'll end up with arms like Popeye- though this year I'll try the halyard and bungy cord trick. What made a huge difference, even on a small boat like mine, was decent staging the full length of the hull.http://www.boatsheen.com/

 

[samwise]

ith.

I must say I'd be interested to hear of any product that cuts through oxidation in one go and leaves a "permanent" high gloss finish on a hull Dan.. No offense.

Magic products come & go.. common sense & effort remain.

I think he means the Farecla gelcoat restorer. Is this a new product? I haven't seen it before. However I have owned a boat for long enough to be sceptical about "wonder products" but Farecla have a good reputation and I have used their stuff with limited success over the years. My Westerly is suffering from chalky cabin top and cockpit gelcoat and the only way to restore the finish to as new condition must be to repaint, which I know will cost a number of limbs. So I expect that this Spring I will be doing my best with the old compound and polisher to see if I can revive the finish. I am not hopeful.

 

[Marine Reflections]

I think he means the Farecla gelcoat restorer. Is this a new product? I haven't seen it before. However I have owned a boat for long enough to be sceptical about "wonder products" but Farecla have a good reputation and I have used their stuff with limited success over the years. My Westerly is suffering from chalky cabin top and cockpit gelcoat and the only way to restore the finish to as new condition must be to repaint, which I know will cost a number of limbs. So I expect that this Spring I will be doing my best with the old compound and polisher to see if I can revive the finish. I am not hopeful.

Unless your down to the fibreglass it will (or can be) restored back to as new.
You can't just "polish" an oxidised surface, you will need to remove all oxidation first before attempting "a shine" this would normally be done with very fine paper eg 2500 or 3000 under a flow of water & lube eg quick detailer and a jewellers loupe to check for progress..
When the profile is dead flat only then bring out the polisher. Hope this helps..

Farecla do have a good rep, but these types of one-step restoration & protection products have been around for ages, even 3m's restorer & wax I found useless by comparison to the real process.

Kestral polisher: As moonfire suggests it is less than half the price of the Megs, but I would have thought the performance / quality was fairly similar.
here's the Kestral

Rupes rotary is the daddy mind you..

Polished bliss by the way moonfire is a beauty of a site these guys have done so well..

Caution!
One thing just to point out regarding running a line or bunge down from the topsides to hold the weight of polisher:
If the polisher catches the line, with the high tourque and running at just 2000 rpm it will be yanked out of your hands (hopefully...not snapping your wrist in the meantime) and run up the hull of your boat...at speed...

 

[Maine Sail]

I own both

I own both a Porter Cable RO 7424 and the Makita 9227C. MarineReflections is right the Meguiars unit (read made by Porter Cable). It is a decent unit but not for heavy work. If your boat is already shiny then the RO's can be used to give a final glazing step. I use the RO on show cars, my M3, Awlcraft 2000 or Imron acrylic urethane finishes but not on Gelcoat. The venerable Makita 9227C really is a great unit from start to finish.

I too used to detail boats, and like MarineReflections, can assure you there are NO one step processes to gelcoat restoration. Over here (US) I use Presta Products for my compounds & polishes but I don't know if they are available on that side of the pond. The 3M stuff is ok but certainly not my first choice.

If it were me and I needed to buy just one buffer for gelcoat it would be the Makita 9227C..

 

[Marine Reflections]

I own both a Porter Cable RO 7424 and the Makita 9227C. MarineReflections is right the Meguiars unit (read made by Porter Cable). It is a decent unit but not for heavy work. If your boat is already shiny then the RO's can be used to give a final glazing step. I use the RO on show cars, my M3, Awlcraft 2000 or Imron acrylic urethane finishes but not on Gelcoat. The venerable Makita 9227C really is a great unit from start to finish.

I too used to detail boats, and like MarineReflections, can assure you there are NO one step processes to gelcoat restoration. Over here (US) I use Presta Products for my compounds & polishes but I don't know if they are available on that side of the pond. The 3M stuff is ok but certainly not my first choice.

If it were me and I needed to buy just one buffer for gelcoat it would be the Makita 9227C..

I must say I miss using the Makita for it's silent action and reliable speed, but at 1.9 kg my Rupes LH18EN has been a back saver as a main weapon, it's double geared for more torque & with a slow start to avoid sling. But like I say, I fell in love with my Makita years ago & still have a secret soft spot for it.. It's a close call but my back made the choice for me..that extra kilo in weight loss really goes a long way on a 60ft hull..
Currently in the armoury I have:
Meguires G220
PC 7424
Makita 9227c
Rupes LH18EN
Rupes LH16EN
Rupes ELK125E
others but not worth a mention..
I don't need it..or use it often.. but try taking my Makita away from me..

I think presto are only in US & Canada at the minute, they have a few over here like the rejuvenator but I try to steer away from the maskers, it would be nice to try the full range though..

 

[Maine Sail]

I must say I miss using the Makita for it's silent action and reliable speed, but at 1.9 kg my Rupes LH18EN has been a back saver as a main weapon, it's double geared for more torque & with a slow start to avoid sling. But like I say, I fell in love with my Makita years ago & still have a secret soft spot for it.. It's a close call but my back made the choice for me..that extra kilo in weight loss really goes a long way on a 60ft hull..
Currently in the armoury I have:
Meguires G220
PC 7424
Makita 9227c
Rupes LH18EN
Rupes LH16EN
Rupes ELK125E
others but not worth a mention..
I don't need it..or use it often.. but try taking my Makita away from me..

I think presto are only in US & Canada at the minute, they have a few over here like the rejuvenator but I try to steer away from the maskers, it would be nice to try the full range though..

We don't have the Rupes over here? Do you have a link? While the 9227C is lighter than the DeWalt & Milwaukee units it is still gets heavy after a while.

I am fortunate enough to do boats mostly out of the water so I can move the staging/ladders to keep the buffer at chest height. Chest height drastically cuts down on the body aches... It's when you start reaching and lurching that it gets really heavy and the Tylenol comes out..

 

[RivalRedwing]

Has anyone compared a Kestrel SIM 180 rotary against the Makita 9227? The Kestrel is less than half the price (£79 vs £189) but looks identical apart from the colour and an extra 200g of weight

 

[Marine Reflections]

Has anyone compared a Kestrel SIM 180 rotary against the Makita 9227? The Kestrel is less than half the price (£79 vs £189) but looks identical apart from the colour and an extra 200g of weight

Looks about the same to me, probably same performance..blimey Moonfire you should work for a money comparison site..

I think that the Makita has been around for so long now they have established such a rep that they can continue to charge a premium, but the competion has been able to make the same machine for less? possibly..

That being said I have not tried the Kestral rotary and therefore can't say it has the same quiet operation and reliable, variable speed reliability that the Maki has, but again it's £100 cheaper & it cant be far off.

 

[Marine Reflections]

We don't have the Rupes over here? Do you have a link? While the 9227C is lighter than the DeWalt & Milwaukee units it is still gets heavy after a while.

I am fortunate enough to do boats mostly out of the water so I can move the staging/ladders to keep the buffer at chest height. Chest height drastically cuts down on the body aches... It's when you start reaching and lurching that it gets really heavy and the Tylenol comes out..

Sure.
Rupes Polishers

 

[oGaryo]

There's a fair amount of weathering to the hull of my boat where it was standing in the yard for a couple of years being somewhat neglected by the previous owners, especially the red sections of the grp. Surprisingly, a quick and very light hand rub with white colour restorer has got it gleaming again but I recognise I need to do the job properly if it's to last..

this is what it was like:

You can clearly see where the winter cover was fitted and where the weather's done its thing where the hull is exposed.. the blemish in the photo has all but gone too as has any sign of a line where the cover was fitted.

I've purchased some 3M Marine Imperial Compound Polish and Finishing Material, some 3M Imperial Machine Glaze and whilst I was at it, I bid on and won some 3M Finesse II Finishing material with the intension of using the compund to get shot of the oxidisation and then finish off with the Glaze.

Couple of questions..

1/ is it better to wait until the weather warms before doing the work.. will the damp and cold be detrimental to the finish?

2/ of the two products, Machine Glaze and Finesse II.. which is the better product for getting a nice shine on the boat or are they pretty much the same in terms of quality?

many thanks Gary