Swirl marks

[skyskier]

Ok, it is time to compound, polish, and wax the black boat. I have always done my boats and cars by hand because I HATE swirl marks. I also hate the thought of doing a 23 footer by hand. (again) I have been told the orbital polishers do a great job with no swirls, but I need to get a really good one. Is that true? If so, what should I expect to pay for "a really good one"?

[CrazyTegger]

Ok, it is time to compound, polish, and wax the black boat. I have always done my boats and cars by hand because I HATE swirl marks. I also hate the thought of doing a 23 footer by hand. (again) I have been told the orbital polishers do a great job with no swirls, but I need to get a really good one. Is that true? If so, what should I expect to pay for "a really good one"?

Why are you polishing... Shouldn't you only need to apply wax given your boat's only a year old?

[skyskier]

I knew that was coming

The boat was waxed by the dealer before I picked it up. (those guys ROCK!). It has not been waxed since. I drive two blocks from the ramp to my house and then wipe down with a wet microfiber followed immediately by dry microfiber. Apparently the hard water spots happen between the ramp and the wipe down. Or maybe it is the lack of wax...........or both. There is a nuclear reactor and a bazillion cows at my lake, so radiation and cow poo may figure in as well. I have tried the toilet tonic and vinegar (not together) and nothing will touch the water spots. Then I tried the old compound, polish, wax method on a small area with stellar results.

[srab]

I have been told the orbital polishers do a great job with no swirls, but I need to get a really good one. Is that true? If so, what should I expect to pay for "a really good one"?

Porter Cable 7424 currently on sale at www.properboatcare.com for $130. Of course, you'll still need

pads and backing plate for a few bucks more (maybe $50 to $100). But, all of it should be a one-time

investment. Well worth it to me. YMMV.

[CrazyTegger]

I knew that was coming

The boat was waxed by the dealer before I picked it up. (those guys ROCK!). It has not been waxed since. I drive two blocks from the ramp to my house and then wipe down with a wet microfiber followed immediately by dry microfiber. Apparently the hard water spots happen between the ramp and the wipe down. Or maybe it is the lack of wax...........or both. There is a nuclear reactor and a bazillion cows at my lake, so radiation and cow poo may figure in as well. I have tried the toilet tonic and vinegar (not together) and nothing will touch the water spots. Then I tried the old compound, polish, wax method on a small area with stellar results.

That's because you're removing a thin layer of gelcoat with that polish... there's got to be a hull cleaner that will work for you with the results you want. Purhapse someone can chime in on a good one.

[68Slalom]

The whole side of our boat is black, well most of it, start using boat brite after each use and you won't have to ever wax it again

Edit: you may have to use diluted vinegar with water to remove water spots every once in a while but a quick detail wax will seal up the gelcoat if you have to do that. All it takes is a little work, I had an all black boat before and fought the water spots and polishing swirls until I started using boatbrite products.

Edited June 18, 2009 by 68Slalom

[dalt1]

Use CLR or Limeaway bathroom cleaner to remove spots, then rewax. Works for me. Your Cow Poo water and nuclear reactions may call for more drastic measures but I doubt it.

[skyskier]

The whole side of our boat is black, well most of it, start using boat brite after each use and you won't have to ever wax it again

Edit: you may have to use diluted vinegar with water to remove water spots every once in a while but a quick detail wax will seal up the gelcoat if you have to do that. All it takes is a little work, I had an all black boat before and fought the water spots and polishing swirls until I started using boatbrite products.

Which Boat Brite product should I be using after each use?

[skyskier]

Use CLR or Limeaway bathroom cleaner to remove spots, then rewax. Works for me. Your Cow Poo water and nuclear reactions may call for more drastic measures but I doubt it.

I tried Kaboom tub and tile cleaner. I'm guessing they all have the same stuff in them, but I will give Limeaway a try before I break out the rubbing compound.

[liljohn]

Try spraying the boat down with a liquid wax (10%) / distiled water (90%) mix. and wiping it down prior to leaving the launch. the problem is that the water has time to dry. If the boat has a good wax job they should wipe right off. I know mine do but mine gets waxed at least two maybe 3 times a season not incluiding wax before layup and after layup, so 4-5 times a year..

Wheres 06vlx he knows how to make a bout look better than freash out of the factory.. he will have some good advise.

[Bobby Light]

I use a 7" electric variable speed buffer with various pads depending on what I'm trying to accomplish, I also use a 3" pneumatic polisher for the smaller areas. I usually use a black pad (only really good for swirl marks) or a yellow pad if there are any sratches. I always use 3M Finess It II marine formula. You really need to put on a couple coats of wax after polishing the boat. If I really have to get after it I use the wool pad, this creates alot of heat though and you have to be careful on gelcoat.

The main thing is taking your time because it is very time consuming. Good luck I'm sure it will turn out great.

[wakeup]

Ok, it is time to compound, polish, and wax the black boat. I have always done my boats and cars by hand because I HATE swirl marks. I also hate the thought of doing a 23 footer by hand. (again) I have been told the orbital polishers do a great job with no swirls, but I need to get a really good one. Is that true? If so, what should I expect to pay for "a really good one"?

There was a recent thread a few weeks back on orbital polishers so you might get some good info there as well.

Our VLX is black with blue. We keep it waxed a few times during the summer heavy months and never used any kind of compound. It gets wiped down though as soon as its out of the water.

[skyskier]

After doing a bunch of research I feel pretty foolish for still doing polish and wax by hand. It reminds me of a little old lady who once told me she painted all of her interior walls in the house with a brush because she wanted it done right. In my defense, I did try a Craftsman grinder with a wool pad years ago. That is where my fear of swirl marks came from. I swore I would never use a machine on my stuff again.

What I learned..............Rotary polishers like the one o6vlx uses are fast and will do a superior job, but you need skills and knowledge to run one properly. (props dude!) Even though I am very proficient with power tools, I am going to shy away from that one for now. The Porter Cable 7424XP seems to be the overwhelming choice for novices and pros alike due to it's dual action operation. I also learned there is a pad for every purpose. They are color coded to make it easy to match the right pad for the job at hand. I ordered the polisher, an assortment of pads and backer plates in two sizes, 3M Finesse it, and carnabua wax. I also ordered a quick spray wax to use at the ramp. I am actually excited about detailing my boat!

Thanks for all of your help!

Edited June 19, 2009 by skyskier