Spring Detail Time

[Slurpee]

20 hours ago, JeffC said:

I am so annoyed... The boat looked FANTASTIC Sunday.   Tuesday, we had very high winds most of the day, gusting up over 70mph.   A few miles south of me, I saw a gust to 90 just watching on weather underground.    I was supposed to take the boat in for summerization on Tuesday evening, but (wisely I believe) chose NOT to tow in that kind of wind.   Yesterday was beautiful, and as I always do, removed the cover for the trip... to find all kinds of chafing in the gel where the cover was in contact with it.   The wind had blown dirt up under the edge of the cover, and now I have micro scratches that are quite obvious, especially in the midnight blue. 

Hoping they were REALLY minor, I cleaned it off, and applied another coat of wax, but it did not cover them.   So looks like I have some more work to do with a buffer.   

Grrrr.

Oh well... but the boat will be ready to float soon.   Summer is not far away.

That's a constant chore for me to.  With the over the tower cover on my boat and it being out on the lift it gets a lot of wind constantly.  The reuben red gets obvious light scuffing along the top side of the gunnel. I've been considering options for that.  Maybe that ceramic coating process or something manual to protect it when covered... Not sure.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Slurpee

[JeffC]

9 minutes ago, Slurpee said:

That's a constant chore for me to.  With the over the tower cover on my boat and it being out on the lift it gets a lot of wind constantly.  The reuben red gets obvious light scuffing along the top side of the gunnel. I've been considering options for that.  Maybe that ceramic coating process or something manual to protect it when covered... Not sure.

If I had been thinking, I have a huge roll of plastic wrap (from Sams club) that I bought for any time that I would tow long distance with the cover.    That would have prevented it, but I never dreamed we would see 8 hours of 70mph wind.

[Brett B]

I use the Sam's club saran wrap around the gunnel/rub rail area every time I tow with the cover. It's about 2 minutes of work that saves you hours of buffing and it works great.

[JeffC]

16 minutes ago, Brett B said:

I use the Sam's club saran wrap around the gunnel/rub rail area every time I tow with the cover. It's about 2 minutes of work that saves you hours of buffing and it works great.

If only I had... ...   Now I get to do the buffing.    Grrr. 

[ibelonginprison]

18 hours ago, Infinitysurf said:

Recently wet sanded with 1500/2000....then cutting compound and polish on entire boat. Then Collonite paste wax. Cleaned and waxed trailer too.

I used some TR3 on some other areas which has resins in it and really cleans things up well, like anodized tower, racks, carbon fiber vents, etc. Wondered if that may seal gelcoat for longer than wax....what are the benefits to using the above sealants or ceramic and what are the costs? Do they really last longer than waxing 2-3 times a year? Once the polish is done, waxing only takes an hour or so, so no big deal, but maybe the ceramic also protects the gelcoat better from small scratches, or no?

A legit polymer sealant lasts 2-3 times longer than wax. Period. I do sealant twice a year. First of the season, and usually before July 4th. I only use wax as a top coat on my nicer cars because of the carbon fiber, it tends to make it look "deeper." Other than that, I don't even bother with the truck or the boat. Everyone I detail boats for on the side I only use 2-3 coats of sealant. As an example, I don't preach it like it's the second coming of sliced bread... but every person I've introduced it to has been a convert after using it just once. And I mean, every single one. (the fact that it lasts 3 times longer, you can machine apply it, and use a very very very small amount, making it muuuuch easier to wipe off, has a lot to do with it)

Ceramic coat lasts "5 years" on a car and "2-3 years" in a marine environment. If money is not a concern, hands down, ceramic is the way to go - you'll spend $300-$500 on supplies alone just to coat it. But you spray and wipe off and then that's it. 

[RCorsa]

Having my new m235 detailed with some gel coat correction (from the factory defects) next week and then ceramic pro coating on entire boat interior and exterior including the soft grip flooring as they have a new product for that I hear.  Comes with 3 year warranty.   M will probably be for sale at that point for a 2021/22 model. 

[braindamage]

I had my ‘bu professionally buffed/waxed and she looks better than anytime that I did it myself.

not a great pic but I’m super excited!!

[rorax]

On 4/16/2018 at 7:26 PM, JeffC said:

It is that time of year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere!   Time to break the boat out, get it ready for another season!   

I think I just like to torture myself... have been working through my spring "detail" of the boat when I get warm weekends lately.   Deep clean of the vinyl, wash, wax, etc.    Was depressing when I brought it home from storage (I have it in covered storage, but the main lot is dirt, and my bay is right by the gate, so EVERYONE'S dust winds up on my boat.  I should have taken a before picture to go with these.   I used a leaf blower to blow the dirt off the cover first, and I still had rivers of mud going when I sprayed it off.   But... it is gone now, and IMHO, looking pretty good.   CANT WAIT FOR LAUNCH DAY!

Would love to see more pictures of your spring detailed boats!    Time to get into that springtime frenzy!

signaturedetailers.com

I do crazy levels of auto detailing and when needed, paint correction, as one part of a greater effort to keep my vehicles in top notch condition.

And while I am a crazy MB fanatic, owning a W123, a W211 and a W164, the one which always gets my attention first is the W123 - a 1983 300D in original condition.

I have used Klasse acrylic paint sealer at least twice annually in the past but I've decided to give Jetseal a try. Does anyone else have any experience with this product? Based on what I can tell, it's supposed to be all that and a bag of chips.

Edited October 26, 2022 by rorax