Polisher recommendations please

[rafiki_]

I would go with Elessar’s recommendation

 

[mrangry]

I use Farcela g3 with a foam mop, lube with water spray with a little soap

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

G3 eats gel and is very dusty, it foes okay with end eighties gelcoat matrixes a little bit worse especially over time with others.
You can use the same marine equivlent from Farecla but it still makes a lot of dust and is a headache to take off. Granted I have not used it since some years so they might have a new line which is better....

I suggest 3M (definitely the best), Macguairs, Shurhold, and Starbrite. Starbrite Marine Polish with PTEF is very good and easy to apply as a final coat (replacing wax).

 

[Poignard]

This year I’ve used the 3m in the purple bottle.
Diluted 50 - 70% with water and put on with a wide paintbrush.
When dry (doesn’t take long) taken off with the lambs wool circle thing in the polisher.
Then meguiars paste wax applied and taken off by hand.
Quickest and easiest yet.

This one?

 

[Elessar]

This one?
View attachment 96231

Yes. It’s expensive but for DIY it’s very easy.
I’ve seen lots of pros using Jamie’s aqua buff suggestion and have used it - it’s very cost effective - but it takes more skill not to get swirl marks and I never really mastered it.
I have half a pot still sitting in my garage.
I may try it again with dilution.

 

[plumbob]

G3 eats gel and is very dusty, it foes okay with end eighties gelcoat matrixes a little bit worse especially over time with others.
You can use the same marine equivlent from Farecla but it still makes a lot of dust and is a headache to take off. Granted I have not used it since some years so they might have a new line which is better....

I suggest 3M (definitely the best), Macguairs, Shurhold, and Starbrite. Starbrite Marine Polish with PTEF is very good and easy to apply as a final coat (replacing wax).

Used Meguiars for some time now. Flagship Marine. After using most of the products mentioned, I find it the easiest to use leaving the best shine by a mile. Boat was polished by the dealer when we bought her in Sept. 18. Only hand polishing subsequently but I do finish off with a coat of Simonize Carnuba wax. About 6 quid from eBay. Meguiars is a 3M product too, which this year cost£28 direct from them, but so worth it. I have a Silverline polisher but jeez it's heavy.

 

[james0831]

I have a Makita 9237CX3 rotary buffer and a Shurhold 3500 orbital buffer. I bought both because I had a Sea Hunt center console that I used to detail myself after many years of paying a company to handle it all for me.

My Sea Hunt got pretty oxidized after I quit paying for the service and I decided to give it a go in learning how to do it myself. It is a lot of work, but I think I got the hang of it now.

I really like the Makita rotary. It does a great job on heavy oxidation and deep scratches. Most orbital polishers are not powerful enough to remove heavy oxidation and gnarly scratches in the gelcoat of a boat. I found a great review article that goes over most of the popular name brand buffers on the market for boats if you want to take a look at it. Best Boat Polishers and Buffers Review for 2022

Here are a couple of pictures of my old Sea Hunt that I detailed the hull on shortly before selling it. I used the buffers that I mentioned. Hope this helps.

 

[james0831]

Forgot the images. LOL

 

[limecc]

I‘ve had a Silverline for about 10 years. It is heavy, and does tire me eventually, particularly when I am polishing above my head. As others have said, the finish achieved is more about the mops and compound than the tool. I was rubbish at compounding when I first started, but after 10 years or so, can make a reasonable job of the boat. I have also found that the compound is more important than the wax for getting the best finish.

I consider the Silverline (Makita clone) one of the best buys I ever made. Withstood heavy use on cars, caravans and boats for about 10 years, came with spare brushes I never needed yet and cost me only £40 with a selection of sponges and pads. I recently re-packed the gears with new grease as preventative maintenance.