Polishing/Buffing - Vinyl Decals

[Liamfm]

First timer - using the 3M light cutting with wax, and a yellow polishing wool pad on a dewalt buffer. What do I do about the vinyl pinstripes and vinyl lettering? Can I go right over the top, or will it tear the vinyl? It seems like a lot to mask off if I'm supposed to do that.


Thanks!

[Nautiquehunter]

I have not had any problems with the striping . That being said be very gentle with buffer pressure and speed when going over them.

[wakejunky]

When I polished my boat, I just pulled all the tape and polished the whole boat, then there isn't polish build up around the edges and I'll bet that you have a few nicks and such on the pinstriping anyway. They're not too difficult to replace. On the doomed letters, which I left on because I couldn't afford to replace, I did go over them with a high speed polisher but, be very careful with heat build up. Go very lightly or bypass all together. I did manage to overheat a couple of the letters and I can see some dulling, but, I'm the only one who has noticed or said anything but, I have a discerning eye.

[xxrb2010]

Why guys do you polish your boat? Does putting wax often on it not enough?

[charlesml3]

Why guys do you polish your boat? Does putting wax often on it not enough?

Most likely they're polishing to remove oxidation. This happens if there's a LOT of sun on the boat. Wax won't prevent it. It could also be polishing to remove light scratches.

-Charles

[xxrb2010]

ok, make sense,

I wax and clean it so often and it has a full cover. So far, it has no scratch, no sign of nothing

[CincinnatiCC]

Do you guys use a power buffer when you wax too? I haven't, but wonder if that would help me get a better result.

[xxrb2010]

no power buffer except my elbow , but I clean the hull first.

[Liamfm]

Mine was just a bit dull, like no deep color shine, but not oxidized terribly. I used 3m light gelcoat perfect it. I'd say it worked well. With a variable speed power buffer it was one a few hours for the entire boat (water line and up, not underside of hull).

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[BrickBrock]

Liam. Your Sport Nautique really shines. You can read the Nautique from the trailer guide perfectly in your shine. Is that wax residue on the carpeted trailer step in front of the wheel? In hind sight, would it have helped to put a piece of cardboard over that to reduce the potential of getting wax on the carpet? I need to buff my boat to remove oxidation, so I am looking for helpful tips to make the best use of my time.

[Liamfm]

Liam. Your Sport Nautique really shines. You can read the Nautique from the trailer guide perfectly in your shine. Is that wax residue on the carpeted trailer step in front of the wheel? In hind sight, would it have helped to put a piece of cardboard over that to reduce the potential of getting wax on the carpet? I need to buff my boat to remove oxidation, so I am looking for helpful tips to make the best use of my time.

Thanks! That's actually the wool that came off the polishing pad. Didn't know it was going to make quite that much of a mess! Much better at the boat launch today... In pulling it out, almost no water left on the hull. Makes it easy to keep it clean!

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[ZIRB3L]

Brick,

I am actually in the middle of wet sanding my boat right now. My 03 has seen a lot of sun from the previous owner and quite a few scratches over the years. Including a few deep ones from a bad day getting the boat on the trailer in horrible conditions. And I am pretty sure this boat had never had more than a polish done to it, since I can still see where the the first set graphics were place...... layers of oxidation.

There are quite a few threads on PN about polishing and wet sanding.

If wet sanding is more intense than you need, get yourself a 3m cut compound and Fineness It 2. Than take your time and be thorough with a buffer.

[Johnny_Rock]

Brick,

get yourself a 3m cut compound and Fineness It 2. Than take your time and be thorough with a buffer.

Could you provide more details please?

New boat Spring of 2017 and did not do enough cleaning on it over the summer. I had a hard time getting oxidation off; in fact 50/50 water and vinegar did basically nothing. Brought in for an oil change and some warranty work in August--so had them detail it. Turned out pretty nice. They must've used some kind of buffing compound as they missed a couple spots removing it from the tower, leaving a white paste or crust. Also certain spots on the SeaDek became slippery when wet as I don't think it was all completely rinsed off. I'd like to know what they did...

Thanks.

[ZIRB3L]

Could you provide more details please?

Thanks.

The water and vinegar mixture is more useful for cleaning right after you pull the boat out of the water. It doesn't do much for oxidation that has set in. The guys who detailed your boat probably went over it with a 3m Finesse It like polishing compound and then wax, either of which could have left the residue on the tower. Finesse It has tiny magical particles in it that, when buffed on to the gel coat, very gently sands the top layer of the gel coat. This removes very light scratches and and minor oxidation that has occurred. If the oxidation or scratches are bad, there are high grit compounds that sand off more of the gelcoat to return that o so good finish. The heavier compounds will need a lighter compound to go over it to remove the scratches the heavy compound left.

If the oxidation and scratches are real bad, then some wet sanding is needed before buffing with a compound.

[Johnny_Rock]

The water and vinegar mixture is more useful for cleaning right after you pull the boat out of the water. It doesn't do much for oxidation that has set in. The guys who detailed your boat probably went over it with a 3m Finesse It like polishing compound and then wax, either of which could have left the residue on the tower. Finesse It has tiny magical particles in it that, when buffed on to the gel coat, very gently sands the top layer of the gel coat. This removes very light scratches and and minor oxidation that has occurred. If the oxidation or scratches are bad, there are high grit compounds that sand off more of the gelcoat to return that o so good finish. The heavier compounds will need a lighter compound to go over it to remove the scratches the heavy compound left.

If the oxidation and scratches are real bad, then some wet sanding is needed before buffing with a compound.

Thanks for the explanation. In the future--how hard is it for an amateur (like me) to use Finesse It? And what is the step-by-step process? (I'd assume wash it; Finesse It; wax; and then use vinegar/water or something like Hot Sauce for in between cleanings.)