Please excuse my writing, I can honestly say this is not one of my talents!
Boating season for us in northern areas is right around the corner! Before you're ready to start buffing and polishing, I suggest reading this blog for some insider information. This is my step by step guide (not AI's) plus a few tips that I've learned from experience.
But before you jump into it, consider these tips of how to polish a boat. We start off by performing a test spot to gauge the oxidation levels of your gel coat accurately. This will also help you understand if you need to use an aggressive/heavy cut, medium cut compound, or light cut polish. Or you may find your oxidation is minimal and can get away with just a polishing. Most newer boats can get away with a 2 in 1 compound/polish product if your gel coat still has a shine. If it isn't shiny or smooth, you'll be wasting your time starting with a 2 in 1 product. If your boat is dull with scuff marks and light scratches, you probably should start with a rotary machine with a wool pad and medium-cut compound. Then, you can switch to a dual action polisher with a foam pad and a light cut polish to buff out the swirl marks left behind by the rotary machine. This step also refines the gel coat and gives it that extra glossy mirror-like finish. But if you swipe your hand across your hull and find white residue on your hands, or if your gel coat is rough to the touch and has deep scratches, you're definitely going to need to go with a rotary machine, wool pad,, and heavy cut compound. This is why many boat owners hate to buff their boats: This step can beat your body up. You may also want to consider wet sanding to make the job easier if the oxidation is severe enough. You should know, wet sanding is needed if you buff and buff and buff to find that you've barely made any progress. But you should have someone who knows what they're doing if you've never wet sanded before. If you sand off too much gel coat your going to end up costing yourself a lot of extra money that you could have avoided. So, if you start with a heavy cut compound and a wool pad on a rotary machine. You're next step should be medium cut compound and wool pad on a rotary machine or medium cut compound and a purple foam/wool hybrid pad (my favorite pad) on a dual action polisher. It all depends of the condition of the gel coat after the first step. After the second steps you should move on to a light cut/polish and a medium-light cut foam pad on a dual action polisher. Doing all these steps will greatly improve the end results of your gel coat. It's a lot of work, but I highly recommend it. You'll be happy you did when everyone compliments you on how great your boat looks this season. Now, before you slap some paste wax on it, it's a must-do to scrub down the whole boat. This is the only time you should use a mild degreaser like dawn. You must wash off all the compounds and polishes before your next step. After the scrub wash, dry it up so water spots don't form all over. Here is my next important tip...ditch the carnauba paste wax and pick up some SiO2 polymer sealant. This isn't a ceramic coating like you've been hearing about, but it does have the properties of a ceramic coating. This is best applied with a thin microfiber pad on your dual action polisher at a fairly low speed. I also recommend that you read the directions and follow them. There not complicated but necessary to insure proper adhesion to your gel coat. Now, stand back and appreciate how awesome your boat looks. Its going to gleam so hard off the water that your going to blind everyone around you. You're set to get plenty of compliments and the best UV protection possible.
Sadly, there is always more work to do, meaning you must maintain the sealant throughout the season. So for this I recommend picking up a high-quality marine-grade spray detailer, pH balanced boat soap and a soft bristle scrub brush. Depending on how much rain your boat sees and how much you use your boat will determine how often you should wash it down and then wipe it down with your spray detailer. It can be once a week if you have time, but most owners usually do this every other week or at least once a month. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me anytime. I hope these tips of how to polish boat help you with your boat this season.
If you own a boat and use it in the small lakes and rivers around Pittsburgh Pa, consider Out Of This World Boatworks LLC and I will personally handle any services that you require.
If you made it this far, I would hope you have learned something new or at least reassured yourself that you're doing the right thing. Feel free to shoot me an email or comment on anything I may have missed or can correct or if you have something new I could learn. I will be sure to update or correct asap!
Thanks For Reading!
Brian Oinos
Out Of This World Boatworks LLC
Pittsburgh PA 15237
website outofthisworldboatworks.com
email at brian@outofthisworldboatworks.com
Comentarios