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buffed by dealership


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i bought my bought a few months ago used from a dealership who does gelcoat repair that had supposedly wet sanded and buffed the boat before i bought it. it looked perfect when i picked it up and after a week in the garage this is what it looks like now. i took it to a local shop he wet sanded and buffed one side and he told me he cant get it to do anything he said only thing he new to do was have a body shop wet sand it and clear coat the sides. i been reading about using a rubbing compound buffing then the polish but i dont know what to do. my wifes grandfather says just use pledge which works until it gets in sun or water. im just pissed that when i bought it it was perfect. there is no scratches on it just faded. any ideas?My link

Edited by seekinasylum
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i bought my bought a few months ago used from a dealership who does gelcoat repair that had supposedly wet sanded and buffed the boat before i bought it. it looked perfect when i picked it up and after a week in the garage this is what it looks like now. i took it to a local shop he wet sanded and buffed one side and he told me he cant get it to do anything he said only thing he new to do was have a body shop wet sand it and clear coat the sides. i been reading about using a rubbing compound buffing then the polish but i dont know what to do. my wifes grandfather says just use pledge which works until it gets in sun or water. im just pissed that when i bought it it was perfect. there is no scratches on it just faded. any ideas?My link

It looks like they did a crappy job wet sanding it and took the gloss away. I am sure a multi-step polishing process could restore it. Try Finesse-It (3M product - like $20 bucks a bottle but may work well for you). Machine buff it.

-- Mike

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It looks like the oxidation has come back. To completely get it gone youll need to sand it with 600 grit then polish back. It will take some work. I know locally it would cost you around $1000.

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martinarcher

I would recommend reading this thread. As long as the gel on your boat hasn't been too aggressively sanded (all the way through the black into the base white coat) you should be able to restore the shine. Sucks to see haze and oxidation on a boat that new. Cry.gif

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Malibu black is not a color for the faint of heart to wetsand, you need to find someone good.

Wetsand with 600, then 800, then 1000 and maybe even 1200 grit before you hit it with an digressive marine rubbing compound - I always used 3M Superduty with a wool pad, then I usually hit it with Meguires Diamond Cut (aggressive compound for cars but not for boats) with a cutting foam pad, then finish off with 3M Finesse-It. All with a professional rotary buffer, not a wimpy orbital.

Also, anyone who does such a good job wetsanding around those decals must be like a ninja with the buffer or just did a lousy job, the proper way to do it would be to remove the decals and put new ones on after buffing.

I've brought back many many boats that looked way worse than that, so it can be fixed.

-Chris

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buffer so is this buffer any good, and are u suppose to start w a wool pad then a foam pad? and has any one ever just cleared coated there boat? im gonna at least attempt buffin this thing, it sucks to watch every one wipe down there shiny boat at the end of the day and if i wipe the water off mine it looks like crap. even the bayliners look better than me Edited by seekinasylum
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i would hit it with 1000 than 1500 and finish off with 2000 keep it wet and with a even stroke same direction than buff out #3 3m and than polish and finesse or a swirl remover, with a polisher and pads. I spent all 1 1/2 days on mine but me and my brother back in the days own a detail shop. this isnt a job for the faint heart don't start it and not finish it and than take to a shop it will cost ya double . Take it to a good local body shop and have them do it. I see about 6-8 hours about $500-$700

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i took it to the best buffer guy in town he is highly recommended around here he sanded on one spot and buffed it. he spent close to and hour on it. he told me it was hopeless lol. he just said call a body shop and have it cleared. after seeing some of these pics of other boats it i feel like maybe i could get it better.

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martinarcher

i took it to the best buffer guy in town he is highly recommended around here he sanded on one spot and buffed it. he spent close to and hour on it. he told me it was hopeless lol. he just said call a body shop and have it cleared. after seeing some of these pics of other boats it i feel like maybe i could get it better.

I would never take a gel coat boat to a body shop to be painted. It will chip and flake in the future and gel coat can be re-finished by someone with enough patience and know-how. Don't paint it!

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Thats what i thought what if it starts coming off. he told me if it was done right it wouldnt, but i think ill take my chances buffin hopefully i cant make it any worse

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It looks as though they buffed it out with a polish and never waxed it. When you buff it out with products like 3m finess it II and don't wax afterwards it will look nice for a while and then look dull and lifeless.

Wetsanding with 2500 grit is a waste of time IMO, that's pretty much what products like 3m finess it are 2500 grit wet sand paper.

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i took it to the best buffer guy in town he is highly recommended around here he sanded on one spot and buffed it. he spent close to and hour on it. he told me it was hopeless lol. he just said call a body shop and have it cleared. after seeing some of these pics of other boats it i feel like maybe i could get it better.

Was this guy's experience mostly with car paint or with boats?

-Chris

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martinarcher

Was this guy's experience mostly with car paint or with boats?

-Chris

Since he recommended to have the boat clear coated by a body shop I would say he is more experienced with cars than boats. Otherwise that is some pretty bad advice.

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yeah he just does cars he said he does boats if there not bad thats why he tried a spot to see if shine would come back. the salesman that sold me the boat no longer works there and there like 4 hours away from me so i havent bothered callin them. i met the guy that buffed it when i bought it think he was contracted to come in and buff them, he was workin on a sunsetter. so whats the best plan try compund stuff and buff or wetsand it w like 1000 then buff or does this look bad enough to start w 600

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yeah he just does cars he said he does boats if there not bad thats why he tried a spot to see if shine would come back. the salesman that sold me the boat no longer works there and there like 4 hours away from me so i havent bothered callin them. i met the guy that buffed it when i bought it think he was contracted to come in and buff them, he was workin on a sunsetter. so whats the best plan try compund stuff and buff or wetsand it w like 1000 then buff or does this look bad enough to start w 600

Yeah so pretty much paint a gelcoat are VERY different animals, the products and process to bring a boat back to original shine are very different. He may be very good at paint but from the advice he gave you, he doesn't know jack about gelcoat.

Look at the advise and products that everyone else had said, all the advise it on target.

If you're going to wetsand yourself stick with 1000 and tire out your arms, you can get into trouble quick on the black with 600.

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so sand w 1000 then 1500 then 2000 then buff w rubbin compound and wool pad then polish w finesse it and foam pad then hand wax , is that right? and is that buffer from harbor freight good enough for the job.

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so sand w 1000 then 1500 then 2000 then buff w rubbin compound and wool pad then polish w finesse it and foam pad then hand wax , is that right? and is that buffer from harbor freight good enough for the job.

I've got a buffer like that one not sure if it's the same one mine was a little more $$ than that. Anyways it works good, wouldn't buy it if I did it professionally but for the few times I use it I'm ok with it.

Make sure you're wet sanding not dry sanding. Sounds like you have the rest right. There are different colored pads that cut differently. Make sure you get the right ones.

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  • 1 month later...

Just came back from the Sacramento Delta and the bottom and sides of the boat were filthy. I tried rubbing compound but it still left some of the grind. After reading several of these posts I decided to wet sand it with the 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. I just finished doing the 600 and it looks so much better. So when wet sanding the white go up to 1000 and the colored sections up to 2000? Im going to go to harbor freight tomorrow and by the 7 inch variable speed polisher, which one exactly is it? When wet sanding with the higher grit how much time are you spending in one spot? Im still kind of freaked out because the boat looks like s*** right now with all the sanding marks. I hope the polish gets that stuff out. I guess its suppose to look worse before it looks better. This is the first time doing this so thanks for all the great info. Just kind of scared of messing up the paint job. It kind of sounds like the higher grit sandpaper is suppose to take out the previous grit marks, if thats so all I have to do is sand tell there gone, about how much would that be. Am I just barely going over it or am I spending a decent amount of time in that one spot?

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so sand w 1000 then 1500 then 2000 then buff w rubbin compound and wool pad then polish w finesse it and foam pad then hand wax , is that right? and is that buffer from harbor freight good enough for the job.

Except after the rubbing compound I would take 99 Response's advice and hit it with the:

'then I usually hit it with Meguires Diamond Cut (aggressive compound for cars but not for boats) with a cutting foam pad'

This is the stuff the guy at my dealer uses and he swears by it. It's amazing, it's like a compound and polisher in one! It's less abrasive, too. Made for cars, but works great on boats. I would probably skip the Finesse It and then apply your best wax!

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Just came back from the Sacramento Delta and the bottom and sides of the boat were filthy. I tried rubbing compound but it still left some of the grind. After reading several of these posts I decided to wet sand it with the 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. I just finished doing the 600 and it looks so much better. So when wet sanding the white go up to 1000 and the colored sections up to 2000? Im going to go to harbor freight tomorrow and by the 7 inch variable speed polisher, which one exactly is it? When wet sanding with the higher grit how much time are you spending in one spot? Im still kind of freaked out because the boat looks like s*** right now with all the sanding marks. I hope the polish gets that stuff out. I guess its suppose to look worse before it looks better. This is the first time doing this so thanks for all the great info. Just kind of scared of messing up the paint job. It kind of sounds like the higher grit sandpaper is suppose to take out the previous grit marks, if thats so all I have to do is sand tell there gone, about how much would that be. Am I just barely going over it or am I spending a decent amount of time in that one spot?

I hope you're using a sanding block wherever possible, that's the only way to get a consistant and even pattern. If it's not even it's impossible to get a good finish with a buffer. The buffing compound is essentially 2000 grit itself. I'd go up to 2000 grit on the colored sections, and 1000-1500 on the white. Then go to town with that variable speed buffer from Harbor Freight. Their tools aren't the best but they get the job done a few times. I've got the one with the adjustable speed dial on the handle. Get the wool pads there as well as a yellow and black foam pad as well.

I hit it with the yellow cutting pad first with a compound like 3m Finess it II after wet sanding. Then I go to the wool pad, then to the black pad to finish it off. When using the wool pad you need to use the wool pad cleaning tool to keep the pad clean. Carefull with that yellow cutting pad it gets hot and will get you into trouble if you're not carefull. You could skip that yellow pad if you wanted and go straight to the wool, just takes longer. The black pad is the softest and a finish pad to get the very fine swirl marks out, don't expect it to do any of the heavy work for you. Good luck and take your time and let the compound do the work for you.

Edited by 06vlx
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Remember to be careful with that (or any) buffer. I've got the same one, it is a perfect tool for this job. If you turn more than 3000 RPMs, or stay in one spot to long, you will burn the gelcoat. It doesn't take long to do that, especially at 4 or 5k RPM, and especially if you are rounding a corner or edge. It happens in a second. I found that out the hard way and have a thumbnail burn mark on my gunnel. After that happened I put down the buffer and did everything above the rub rail by hand. Plus it was throwing compound everywhere inside the boat. On flat surfaces (sides of hull, transom), if you keep the buffer moving around and have good compound you will turn that finish into a mirror.

Don't worry about the scratches, but the time you get thru the 2000 grit it will be looking very good (also assuming wet, and with a sanding block). Be patient, sanding takes forever. Turn on some tunes, have your wife/girl pull up a chair to talk to, etc. I would say that to do the process you are talking about on the whole boat exterior will take a good 20 hours.

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