Polishing boat help please.

[tyce]

I have tried and tried to make sense of previous posts on here that go into amazing detail on how to obtain the perfect shine but i have completely got lost in the detail.

So i was hoping someone would help, i am polishing up the hull on my 25 year old moody, i dont think its been polished for a while so i am guessing it needs a compound and a polish.
The thing is i am not after showroom conditions, i dont care if it has a few swirls i just want it to look nice and shiny.

I know cheap polishers get rubbished but thats what i have and thats what i am using, i have the Halfords orbital with a towelling and a wooly? type mop on them.

So can someone explain in simple terms the products i need i.e compound and polish, name and brand would be helpful and which mop i use them with.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Here it is again

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=117266

 

[A1Sailor]

In the past I have used "International" polish, and the rubbished orbital polishers you mention; £20 or so from Lidl. I think the covers on the polishers were soft, but re-usable the year after. Significantly reduced the amount of elbow grease required.
The hull ended up shiny, and I was satisfied with the result.

 

[Mrnotming]

Polishing boat

Hi Stu,
Being such a nice helpful guy yourself ,I am glad to be able to pass on the best tip I ever got re polishing which is not about the compounds themselves!
Boat must be ashore preferably, for electrical safety reasons.
Use a Halyard and a length of bungee cord with suitable jamming knot or tent guy type tensioner to support the weight of the polisher, which is usually heavy enough to put our your back by the time an AWB or pedigree boat has been polished.
This method allows the polisher to float better over a good area and by a bit of careful adjustment all of the hull can be reached without having to bear the weight of the machine itself.
I suppose if the boat were tight alongside a pontoon you could use this method too, but electrical safety concerns might dictate a 12/24V unit. The danger is maybe greater with low voltage if ones hands get wet or you fall in attached!
I suppose I should have asked if you were afloat before I spouted all this bilge!

 

[zakflak1]

If the cheap polisher is slow it makes hard work of it. I would use the wool mop with something like 3M Marine High Gloss Gelcoat Compound. Two wool heads are best one for compound, one for wax.

Paint a bit of compound on an area say under 1m square, not too much, just a few stripes. Then with the machine & mop compound that area, once to spread out the compound and then again to polish away the compound and hopefully acheive a shine. Keep the mop moving and dont stay on one spot as the compound is pretty abrasive. Some use a little water sprayed on as well, I dont. Adjust the amount of compound to suit. Working along the boat like this in sections. When done and shiny, go back over with a clean mop and wax (eg 3M MARINE ULTRA PERFORMANCE PASTE WAX) to improve the shine and protect the gel.

 

[Mrnotming]

Correction

Sorry it was TYCE I should have addressed, doubtless just as nice a guy!
My speed reading again!

 

[jakeroyd]

The link given above is very comprehensive but I think you are after a process that is much simpler and quicker but perhaps with not top class results.

I have a little Hunter built in 2000 (so maybe not that much oxidation on the gel coat) that I hull polish every 2 years.

I use a cheap rotary car polisher ( £15 job withI think a 5" mop)
This has 2 mops with it , a fine one and a more wooley one.

I use Farecla (g3 ?) and go over the whole hull in one go with the finer (less wooley ) mop.
I keep the mop damp and I do not press on too much.
I move the polisher in a pedulum motion a section at a time.
Standing on her keels I can just about reach from the ground

I would apply new Farecla about every few minutes or so so that there is new abrasive available in the mop but I try to avoid a big build up in the mop which can cause marking.

After polishing I go over the whole surface again with Farecla wax to protect it. This is doe again with the rotary mop and this time with the wooley mop.

For my 24' boat , takes about 3 hrs all in (and yes my arms ache afterwards)

I don't claim the finish is perfect but it does me and you can easily see the improvement.

Just trying to say you can polish to a reasonable level without it being the end of the world in terms of time and effort

 

[Bosun Higgs]

So can someone explain in simple terms the products i need i.e compound and polish, name and brand would be helpful and which mop i use them with.

Thank you in advance.

1/ wash thoroughly with detergent - the cheepo liquid washing detergents from lidl etc are good
2/ using the flannel head, compound the surface. Farecla grade 6 is the right grade. Car type T cut is too fine for old grp boats. use an old spray type plastic bottle with tap water to keep the surface wet. put the compound on the surface. polish off with a dry duster
3/ apply car polish such as Autoglym. TBH this is as easy done by hand but use the other head if you have it.

P.S. That isnt just me saying so - thats what the pro currently working his way through the club boats is doing. And the results have been amazing.

 

[tyce]

A big thankyou to all for keeping it simple, ive finally got it, flannel head with G3 or 6 and any car polish with the wooly mop to finish off.
Thanks all for taking time to reply, i also really like the halyard hanging tip.

 

[pvb]

....and any car polish with the wooly mop to finish off.

If you really want the shine to last, use polish and then use wax. I use Meguiars #45 Boat/RV Polish, followed by Meguiars #56 Boat/RV Pure Wax. The wax treatment helps to seal the surface. Both products are easily applied and are very easy to polish off - even by hand.