Boating How-To’s - Tough oxidation

I am having a very difficult time removing what I considered medium oxidation with a Turtle wax brand orbital polisher and Starbrite Medium Rubbing Compound. I am wondering if I should consider a coarser compound or a stronger machine?? I can borrow buffer.

Yes do you need it today. Come and get it.

You're pushing the oxidation down into the gel coat which is a porous surface. Waste of time, and at best in 6 months it will look blotchy. Better, and faster to wet sand the oxidation off with 1200 grit wet/dry paper and then polish.

Your going to want a rotary buffer, set it around 2100rpms and 3ms super duty is a pretty agressive cut that can be found in a lot of stores and then follow up with 3ms finesse it ii and should be good to go to wax with whatever your wax of choice is.

A orbital is junk and I even quit using them for polishing (easier to do by hand) a good speed controlled rotary and 3M pads/compounds will be worth their high costs after you see the results. (much less effort and great results!!)

jek2, send me a pm and I'll scan the directions I got off THT a couple of years ago and email them to you. (I tried to find the thread but couldn't.) Somebody posted a link to a multi-page set of directions. Not knowing any better, I followed them to the letter and the boat (a dark green hull) looks GREAT. The guy's notes give suggestions on products and specific part numbers for wool buffing pads, etc.

If Medium Rubbing Compound isn't working, you need to go to Heavy, but be careful as you do all this.

ditch the orbital and use a rotary buffer

keep the pad, (foam or wool), moist
keep a spray bottle handy

jek2, send me a pm and I'll scan the directions I got off THT a couple of years ago and email them to you. (I tried to find the thread but couldn't.) Somebody posted a link to a multi-page set of directions. Not knowing any better, I followed them to the letter and the boat (a dark green hull) looks GREAT. The guy's notes give suggestions on products and specific part numbers for wool buffing pads, etc.

Hi Brovet, I am new to this site and this is my first post. This issue is the whole reason I found this site. I would love a copy of that information too if you don't mind. I would greatly appriciate it! Thank you!

Hi Brovet, I am new to this site and this is my first post. This issue is the whole reason I found this site. I would love a copy of that information too if you don't mind. I would greatly appriciate it! Thank you!


same here! :tht_rulez:

Try Presta Ultra Cutting Creme. It has the cut of 3M heavy rubbing compound and then breaks down to a fnishing polish. You can skip the Finnessit

This is a 2000 26 Regulator with a black hull buffed out with a product called Smoove. Wish they took a before pic. Here is the end result.

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This is a 2000 26 Regulator with a black hull buffed out with a product called Smoove. Wish they took a before pic. Here is the end result.

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264065

264066

Damn thats shiny!! Was it real bad before?

Dude tell us more about this Smoove!!!!!!!!!!! The Reg looks SICK!!!!!!!

Also do a search for GLEN E he has a great post with all the directions you need, he tells you all the products to get and give pics. Many of us went out and bought the exact stuff he said and had awesome results.

And yes you need a rotary buffer with speed setting and good pads.

Nice shine. I've had no luck locating this product on the web. Who is the manufacturer?

The regulator was pretty bad before they went to town on it. You can check out Smoove here.

http://www.smoovewax.com/

Give Jeff a call if you have any questions.

I'm not sure which StarBrite product you are using, but they make an oxidation/polish that comes in a BLUE bottle. It's a light blue creame and I swear by it. The new stuff they sell with PTEF requires much more elbow grease and doesn't give as nice a shine. I had a difficult time locating the blue stuff and had to shame my local supplier into ordering it. Now I have a couple bottles, $16 bucks apiece.

KKKKFL

If anyone has an interest in the Smoove products and how to use them to remove that bad oxidation, feel free to PM me. Every situation is different, and I can guide you in the right product to use to get the job done. Our products are very user friendly and easy to use, even for someone that has never handled a rotary buffer before.

Jeff

I think this is the thread to which some others were referring....

Glen E is the man when it comes to this kind of thing...

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/396344-oxidized-gelcoat-makeover-pics.html

I agree with Fiberglass1. We wet sanded a 10 year old Grady with 2000 grit paper and it came out looking like a new boat. Wash, wet sand, wash, dry overnight and wash and wax.