Boat Polishing and Waxing

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I stepped into boat ownership this summer with a 2014 Hurricane Sundeck 187. One previous owner who left it sit in the slip most of the time according to the dealer. Now that my ski season is over, I want to wash up the boat and give it a good wax job. I spent a few hours reading online and came up with a plan two wash the boat throughly and then apply 2 coats of marine wax. Then I read about polishing the boat before waxing. Is this a necessary step? What happens if I just wash and wax?
 
If you will that the boat always looks like last week manufactured:

1. FinishCare BWM 114. Apply with soft toweling, use not to much stuff for each area, use circular motion, wipe of with another soft towel/cloth. Do it soft but tidy. Wipe it out completly from surfaces.

2. FinishCare BWM 164. Like a 114. Wait at least 1-2h for step 3.

3. FinishCare BWM 101. Like above. Dry time of any area are ~20 minutes. Surfaces MUST be bone dry. Wait between 24h and 36h before set into the water.
Do step 3 only under dry weather or in the dense barn and above ~ 55°F.

Do it 1x in a year, before start of the season. 2 days or 1 weekend of drudgery, but a fully year of calm
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(not for leather or leatherette and glass or acrylic glass)
 
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I would get some of this and use it per directions.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/star-brite--premium-marine-polish-with-ptef-quart--126765?recordNum=1

Your boat is 5 years old and the gel coat needs a bit of lightweight cleaning action.

Best would be to get a HF DA buffing machine to make it easier.

Clean the non skid areas of the deck (before washing the rest of the boat) with

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/star-brite--nonskid-deck-cleaner-with-ptef-quart--539189?recordNum=1

Been using these products for years, maybe a decade.
 
I havent had a boat in years but when I did, I used to wax it with Garys Royal Satin. I dont even know if that wax exists any more.

When I was 18 or 19, my dad had a really nice 31 foot Bertram. It had a lot of staining all over the hull from the aluminum trim. I cleaned the whole hull with Soft Scrub and then waxed it with Garys. Boat looked brand new. I never told him what I used.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Do you have a large air compressor?



Yes, I do have an air compressor for my pneumatic tools...... I appreciate all the feedback thus far. Do I need to strip off any of the old wax before polishing, or just wash, polish, and wax?
 
Originally Posted by outoforder
Originally Posted by Trav
Do you have a large air compressor?



Yes, I do have an air compressor for my pneumatic tools...... I appreciate all the feedback thus far. Do I need to strip off any of the old wax before polishing, or just wash, polish, and wax?


This will do the job nicely...

https://www.amazon.com/Astro-247P-7-Inch-Angle-Polisher/dp/B00EAQUX2U

It is 2500 rpm max which is ideal and for $35 you cant beat it, the quality is decent, I have the next model after this this one and its good. You need a velcro backing pad for it and some pads

https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Country-Rotary-Flexible-Backing/dp/B005JPJGFQ

This pad and compound work well.

https://www.amazon.com/05737-Perfec...=1570461143&s=automotive&sr=1-52

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Compound-...=1570461436&s=automotive&sr=1-23

With this you can cover a lot of area quickly and do a nice job. Start buffing at about half throttle (approx 12-1500 rpm) and as the compound breaks down and becomes finer you can up the speed a bit for final polishing.
A DA machine is as useful as a suit case with no handle on a job this size.
 
My boat is a 96 model. Stored inside when not on the water. Over time, it still looks good. What I've been doing is washing it and then spraying it down with 3M 303 protectant. Goes on easy and wipes of easy. 99% of all damage to gelcoats come from UV light.
 
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