Boat help

[04FX4]

I have a 2001 SeaRay with a gelcoat. I want my boat to shine as much as possible. It is not faded or anything like that. I just want to make it shine as much as possible. It is white in color and I am not sure what product to purchase and what pads to use. I am going to get the porter cable 7424, or can even get a full orbital not sure what is better. Help please.

[Chex]

Re: Boat help

a PC would be better since it's got Dual action. this means that it has a rotary and oscillatory motion, which would give you superior results than an orbital would give you, without worrying about burning your paint like a rotary may do in hands of someone who is not very skilled.

I've never detailed a boat or dealt with gelcoats, but I think that Meguiar's cleaner wax from the boat and RV line with a W8006 foam polishing pad with the PC set at a 4.5 speed should make its job and give you the results you're looking for.

Hope this helps

[CharlesW]

Re: Boat help

My White 1993 Chris Craft had been maintained with Meguiar's #9 and whatever wax I was using on my vehicles at the time for years. It always looked good.
This past year, I used Meguiar's #80 for prep/polishing and applied Meguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax. It looked great and seemed to hold up pretty well through the season here (Iowa). The boat is kept on a lift and under a canopy so it is somewhat exposed to the elements, but not really subjected to extreme conditions.
I used a PC with a Meguiar's polishing pad for the #80 at a speed of 5. Residue was removed with a MF towel.
I used the PC with another Meg's polishing pad at a speed of 4 to apply the Flagship wax. The wax was removed with another MF towel.
The boat finish was in pretty good shape to start with and if you have much marring you may need something more abrasive than the #80.