Polishing painted topsides

Maine Sail · Nov 29, 2012

SVTatia said:
My topsides are painted, I bought the boat as such and cannot tell which type of paint it is. It looks professionally done, so I can assume it is polyurethane, but not sure which brand or what kind.

The boat has been sitting on the hard the past 3 years as I am working in it. The paint is in very good condition but it needs something to clean it and bring back the shine.

Question:

What should I use to bring the shine back?
I was told Prism Polish is good, do you know anything about this? I am also not sure about automotive compounds or if I can use them. Also, should I use an electrical buffer or do it by hand?
I appreciate your help.

If this is a linear polyurethane like Awlgrip it should not be buffed or polished. AwlCare is a good polymer sealer that can do some mild cleaning and bring up the shine. You can clean it with Naptha first then wash with AwlWash or similar.

If the paint is an acrylic urethane like Imron or Awlcraft 2000 then it can be buffed. If you don't know what it is the safest bet is to treat it as it is AwlGrip and clean and seal only

HEINZIR · Dec 3, 2012

I painted my boat with an off brand two part paint several years ago. I don't remember if it was sold as a urethane or linear polyurethane but it definitely was not a high end brand like Imron or Awlgrip. I'm thinking it was more like the type sold by Epifanes, although it was not that brand. It looks pretty decent with a coat of Nu-Finish but that doesn't last too long. Any suggestions?

Barnacle Bill · Dec 3, 2012

Well, I must disagree with Mainsail. Awcraft is a softer finish than Awlgrip, so it is more repairable and easier to buff out, but Awlgrip can be buffed out for a shine. You just have to use the right products. 3M makes a whole system to deal with Awlgrip including wet sanding with super fine wet sandpaper, and they have special foam pads with micro abrasion and special compounds to bring back a shine in Awgrip (the harder, original coating).

Maine Sail · Dec 3, 2012

Barnacle Bill said:
Well, I must disagree with Mainsail. Awcraft is a softer finish than Awlgrip, so it is more repairable and easier to buff out, but Awlgrip can be buffed out for a shine. You just have to use the right products. 3M makes a whole system to deal with Awlgrip including wet sanding with super fine wet sandpaper, and they have special foam pads with micro abrasion and special compounds to bring back a shine in Awgrip (the harder, original coating).

Awlgrip does not recommend it and on a new paint job any abrasives void the factory warranty.

I could go into the exact why's and how's but suffice it to say that unless your paint job is ready for the dumpster do not buff Awlgrip. If you paint job is ready for the dumpster might as well go for it.. Any advice to the contrary for paint in otherwise decent shape, especially for a DIY, is likely to result in a $10,000+ bill......

I have seen MANY Awlgrip jobs DESTROYED by buffing, even by "pro's". The re-melt window on Awlgrip is far to narrow and the "hard shell" of Awlgrip far to thin....

You don't have to disagree with me though, you are disagreeing with the manufacturer of the paint........

AwlGrip:

"Do not use abrasives, scratch pads or polishing compounds. Scratching the surface gives dirt a place to cling while wearing out the resin layer. Using abrasives of any kind will reduce the overall life of the finish and voids the Awlgrip Limited Warranty."

Gyberman · Dec 3, 2012

Painted top side care.

I used a rubbing compound called "Big White" To remove the oxidized paint,much the same as you do to your car with oxidized paint. Then after washing it clean I used Awlgrips "Alcare" About $40.00 for a small size of each. Sometimes I had to do it twice but sure came up looking good.
But everything was done by hand as Awlgrip says NOT to apply Alcare by mechanical means.

ronbo · Sep 7, 2014

My dark green Awlgrip hull is 12 years old. I faithfully used Awlwash and Awlcare during that time. Finally, a dull film formed which couldn't be removed by any cleaner, even tried Finesse It. Then decided to try 3M's Restorer and Wax for Heavily Oxidized Fiberglass Finishes with great success using a buffer. As MaineSail cautions Awlgrip is a super hard thin coat which can be burned through. I removed as little as possible of the green oxidized surface and was rewarded with a good shine. I then applied a polymer polish that has lasted through the season (Awlcare doesn't seem as effective).
It may be a temporary fix as 10 years, according to Awlgrip - particularly the dark colors, is the expected lifespan.

Ronbo

mm2347 · Sep 7, 2014

A painted surface is under 5 mills thick compaired to a gell coat at 20 to 30 mills. Buffing any paint must be done with min. of heat and abraision. One of the differences between Acrylic Urethane (Imron) and Polyurethane is where the pigment in the cured film ends up. In the cured Polyurethanes pigments will be only at the surface -- where they stayed mixed thru out the thickness of the film in the Acrylic Urethanes. Its possible but at the edge of failure to buff and almost impossible to feather sand a repair with a Polyurethane. If for example you break thru there is almost no chance to repair. I know a couple of pros that use the Acrylic U's most of the time as they stand a chance to repair a paint job that a fly doing the backstroke in the still wet paint.

Polishing painted topsides

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