newboater
New member
Can someone explain the best way of polishing the grp topsides on my boat ? white is the colour.I am armed with an electric drill and buffing pad.which polish to use? and should I use "T cut " ?.Thank you in anticipation.
polishing topsides
- Thread starter newboater
- Start date
Cobra
Well-known member
Well, you could do it that way!
Using an Electric Drill with a buffing pad and T-Cut...Do you hate your boat that much???
Don't be a tight wad, go into B&Q, Homebase or one of the other DIY stores buy a proper polisher, get hold of a marine Gel Coat restorer/polish and do the job properly!
www.boatsyachtsmarinas.com
Using an Electric Drill with a buffing pad and T-Cut...Do you hate your boat that much???
Don't be a tight wad, go into B&Q, Homebase or one of the other DIY stores buy a proper polisher, get hold of a marine Gel Coat restorer/polish and do the job properly!
www.boatsyachtsmarinas.com
G
Guest
Guest
I've just completed my topsides, check out my previous threads.
You can use an electric drill as long as you can adjust the rpm, about 2000 is just right for polishing.
you can get a foam pad to put into the drill, I got mine from B+Q you can see on there website under drill accessory’s. The G3 advanced compound works very well my boat is 29 years old and I can see my face in the topsides.
Just make sure you use plenty of water when polishing to keep the pad cool.
Best of look its hard work! Took me about a day to do a 20ft boat.
You can use an electric drill as long as you can adjust the rpm, about 2000 is just right for polishing.
you can get a foam pad to put into the drill, I got mine from B+Q you can see on there website under drill accessory’s. The G3 advanced compound works very well my boat is 29 years old and I can see my face in the topsides.
Just make sure you use plenty of water when polishing to keep the pad cool.
Best of look its hard work! Took me about a day to do a 20ft boat.
johnmuir
New member
Re: Well, you could do it that way!
Your quite right but give the guy a break he did state he was new to boating.
Your quite right but give the guy a break he did state he was new to boating.
Chris_Stannard
New member
Suggest you do not use T cut, and indeed you should not use any grinding paste unlesss you are polishing a repair. Depending on the age of the boat you may need to use a hull cleaner before you polish, if the boat is newish this is probably not necessary. I favour one of the Teflon based polishes. My boat manual recommends two coats and another half way through the season, don't know if I have that much entusiasm. The purpose is of course to slow down the rate at which the white gelcoat goes yellow, it will still be shiny but not so white.
Enjoy your boat
Chris Stannard
Enjoy your boat
Chris Stannard
mica
New member
Who makes G3 polishing compound? What are others views on the best polish to use. Just contemplating doing ours, but have always used International's Yacht Line before. Tried Boat Pride, but gone back to International. Wonder if there is a better one.
MICA
MICA
lyc
New member
claymore
Well-known member
Agree with what has gone before - especially not using T cut. 3M have a good product on the market - naturally I can't remember what it was called. I bought a buffer/polisher from a place that sells them to car body repairers - not as many rpm's as say an angle grinder - which is kinder on the boat. Knackers the forearms a bit though. - If its gone yellow then Y10 does work but, like using Tcut you are quietly eroding the gel coat so try to avoid it if possible. All the marine products work OK - the results will be in direct proportion to the amount of elbow grease applied!
good luck - like tiling the bathroom, a very rewarding job!
JS
good luck - like tiling the bathroom, a very rewarding job!
JS
david_steward
New member
Re: Use...
3M Fibreglass Restorer and Wax. Its the Dogs Nuts.
Dave S
3M Fibreglass Restorer and Wax. Its the Dogs Nuts.
Dave S
G
Guest
Guest
A bit to the point...
...but in essence all perfectly correct!
...but in essence all perfectly correct!
G
Guest
Guest
This will probably sound like heresy to some, but I haven't found anything easier than 1200 grade Wet & Dry (used VERY wet) followed by a quick polish. Works on my boat, and she's 30 years old.
longjohnsilver
Well-known member
Yes and I've used a drill and buffing pad and lambswool bonnet for years, works a treat. Farecla G10 and Mer polish, all excellent stuff.
Avocet
Well-known member
Someone said using a car polisher was hard on the arms - with which I completely concur! I've taken to tying the buffing machine to a long (20') length of 10mm shock cord (it's a big buffer), tying the other end of the shock cord to a halyard and hoisting it up the mast until it just supports most of the buffer's weight. I have to adjust it near the extremities of the boat but it takes a lot of the pain out of it!
pandroid
Active member
We've tried most of 'em. (Hand AND machine polish) International was horrible. We finally settled on Maquires, recomended to us by Fox's (we made such a mess of the boat we had to have it professionally cleaned and polished by them). Now we just clean with shampoo, use Boat Polish to get the dirt out, and a couple of coats of Pure Wax, all applied by hand. Boat looks a treat. The only other main trick is to use plenty of clean 'terry' towels, NOT that stockingette you get from chandlers.