having trouble with Maine Sail polishing system

[ghost]

After reading the glowing results of the now famous Maine Sail System of treating a boat's hull I took the plunge but am having some problems with execution.
The boat is only lightly oxidized so I went straight to the polishing procedure.
I bought a variable speed buffer and I`m using the 3M yellow buffer pad and 3M Finese It II.
Temp. has been on the cold side (low 40s one day & mid 50s another day)
As per the instructions I cleaned the hull first. apply the product to the pad, spray a bit of water on pad, start slowly move up in speed for 45 seconds in a 2x2 area.
The resulting haze is a pig to buff off by hand with the micro fiber rag. I found if I spritze with water it smears and then buffs off better but it seems to take a long time.
I have spent about 9 hours over 2 days and have only done the transom & one side.
There must be a step I`m missing...any recomendations would be appreciated.

 

[RON20406]

Ghost, part of your problem is the cold temperature. Try it again on a day over 60 degrees, or warmer preferably, and I think you'll find the job easier. Most waxes/compounds buff easier in more moderate conditions. Good luck and good sailing, Ron

 

[RichH]

Youre probably using tooooooo much Finese-it.
I apply the Finese-it (and Perfect-it) to the surface (not to the polishing pad!!!!) in a thin film first. If the compound begins to 'build up' on the surface due to polishing, I spritz with water (or 'spit') and use less to apply.
Better to apply less and repeat more often than remove excess gooo build-up; if it builds up on the surface when polishing, run a water soaked rag over it to partly remove it and apply LESS on the next 'pass'.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I haven't had very good results with Finesse-it, either. I have found that the shine I get after compounding disappears with the polishing and this year I'm giving up on it. I am under the impression that Finesse-it is difficult to get right.

That said, it's been too cold and wet this year to get anything done, case in point ... today!

 

[RichH]

Scott ....
for when Finesse-it doesnt seem to work, I wet sand with ~2000+ grit W&D paper first. NO 'compound' will work if the surface isnt FLAT.

Also, if the gelcoat is badly and deeply oxidized .... so that when you look through a 'pocket microscope' you see what looks like 'dried up and cracked pond bottom mud' - macroscopic 'alligatoring', nothing will ever get that to 'shine' and you then have to consider 'paint' or re-gelcoating. :-(

 

[FourPoints]

After reading the glowing results of the now famous Maine Sail System of treating a boat's hull I took the plunge but am having some problems with execution.
The boat is only lightly oxidized so I went straight to the polishing procedure.

+1 for everything rich said, and I'll add that you probably are dealing with heavy oxidation to the hull. In my experience most people grossly understimate the level of oxidation they are dealing with. When buying my boat I talked to plenty of people that looked at my hull and said there was no reason to compound, just go straight to polish / wax. Not only did I need to compound, I also needed to wetsand before compounding in order to get a shine to the hull.

if you can't see a (hazy) reflection before polishing, you need to at least compound, maybe wetsand. If the hull leaves white chalky residue on your hands when rubbing aginst it, you definitly need to wetsand.

btw, I apply 4 nickel to quarter sized drops of finesse to the pad, every other 2x2 section. I mist with a water bottle for the sections I don't apply finesse (and often even when applying finesse if the pad is getting too dry). I keep going over the section until the pad stops leaving a damp residue, and then one more quick pass to take off most of the residue. If you see the pad starting to gunk up, you only need to add water with a spray bottle, not more finesse.

 

[FourPoints]

I am under the impression that Finesse-it is difficult to get right.

you probably used too much finesse, and not enough water.

 

[ghost]

My hull did have a sheen to it before I started & no chalky residue so I'm thinking it wasn't too far gone.
I was applying the Finesse to the buffer pad in a double x pattern as shown in the picture from Maine Sail instructions but I think it must be too much and not enough water.
The temperature was also cold (still is) so I'll wait for warmer weather and give it another go. Thanks for the responses, I'll let you know how things progress.

 

[Randylb]

I did the same thing in the same weather with similar results- a patchy shine to the area I had just worked. I then switched from finesse it to perfect it which is a bit more abrasive and this seemed to do the trick. You might need to experiment with different levels of abrasives to see which works best. re I would work down from least abrasive to more abrasive and stop when I found one that worked.

Randy

 

[Bruce J]

I had the same problem last year. After compounding the hull had a really good shine. People even thought the hull was awlgriped. I used the finesse and lost the shine. After recompounding the shine came back and I then waxed. In my experience the finesse does not work.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Yea, oxidation isn't the issue. Several years ago, I started with wet-sanding and worked my way thru the process. I don't sand anymore because it doesn't need it every season. I get an excellent shine after compounding with Maquires, but then lose it with Finesse-it. I don't think I should even have to compound every season ... just start with polish but compounding gets the shine back and polishing has been the problem. I've also not had much luck with waxing with that hard paste wax ... I get carbon build-up at the transom and too much black streaking where water runs off the deck and cleaning it off just removes the wax.

I don't think it's a good idea to simply wax after compounding because the purpose of the polish is to leave finer abrasions which slow oxidation so I generally believe in polishing ... I'm just not getting the results. I think the problem is that I'm simply not getting the residue off (it seems to be a bitch to get it off) and that is probably the reason for the problems with grime after the fact.

Actually, this year, I've given up trying to find the time to get this job done this spring and I will probably launch with just a clean-up and apply some wax when she's in the water. The weather has been just too crappy and other conflicts are just leaving me with no time .... I don't even have the cover off. The 3 inches of rain yesterday and 30 degree temps just makes me happy to leave it on until the last minute.

 

[Maine Sail]

If it is cold Finesse It will be tough to work. Finesse It is a tougher product to work with and you need to find the speed/amount and wetness that works for you. You also need to develop some friction heat under the pad in order for the product to break down into the "shine" grit. You can also try dry buffing it it you feel comfortable with it. When working with Finesse It you wipe the area you worked quickly and do not wait to let it dry. Whether you apply it to the pad or hull makes no difference unless you're working in the sun in which case applying to the hull can cause it to dry before you get to it. I find applying it to the pad is far easier than applying it to a vertical surface. You then wipe that pad around and smear the Finesse It to the hull before turning the motor on..

All that being said I much prefer Meguiars #9 or Presta Chroma over 3M...

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Time crunch in April ...

Thanks for mentioning that ... I had intended to try a different product. It is true that cold weather makes it more difficult. Trying to work with the perfect temperatures is often a matter of luck when trying to get launched by early April. It would also be nice (and helpful) if I could just ONCE not procrastinate on tax filing until April! And if my wife's birthday didn't fall at the same time that would help. Work always seems to heat up about this time, too. It never changes, the first half of April always seems to bring on the highest stress of the year. :cussing:

 

[All U Get]

Re: Time crunch in April ...

Boy am I glad I read this before trying it out. Today was 50ish and I used very little compound and moved slow. I got great results but kept getting interupted so about three hours to do the portside aft quarter on our boat. Rain is expected for the next few days so time to relax.
All U Get