Tips For A Great Buff & Wax

Nov 17, 2008
1
Ericson E29 San Francisco
Maine Sail,

Thank you for contributing this incredibly useful thread...I'm about to take on compounding, Finesse It and waxing my new (to me) boat.

My question(s) is for the ON/OFF wash step. My boat is on a cradle at the yard waiting to be bottom painted. I'd like to do this step (there are some light stains) but would like to do an easier version than the hazmat suit/taped skirt version if possible.

-Is there an easier, less toxic way to achieve decent results?

-Also, If I can do this part before the boat is bottom painted, would I still need to skirt? Should I be concerned with damaging the cradle?

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
May 6, 2010
472
1984 Oday 39 79 Milwaukee
Anyone tried the Flex PE8?

I have my hull looking great, but need to do the cabin top which has lots of obstacles, as well as narrow bands of smooth gelcoat between non-skid sections. Rather than trying to edge all of it with the large buffer, I am looking at the Flex PE8 and wondering if anyone has tried a small (3" pads) rotary buffer like this which seems like it would be ideally suited for the task?
 
May 26, 2004
168
- - Oriental, NC
Help with Polishing

I have a question between the polishing step with 3M Finesse It and the Fleet wax waxing stage. If I don't take the polishing to dry then that leaves a residue of Finesse it which when it drys is a bear to wash off. What do I need to do to get rid of the Finesse it residue before I wax the boat. Thanks

Good Winds
DaveM
 
Nov 14, 2013
200
Catalina 50 Seattle
I have a question between the polishing step with 3M Finesse It and the Fleet wax waxing stage. If I don't take the polishing to dry then that leaves a residue of Finesse it which when it drys is a bear to wash off. What do I need to do to get rid of the Finesse it residue before I wax the boat. Thanks

Good Winds
DaveM
I kept a damp microfiber cloth and a bucket of clean water handy to clean up the residue as I finished each section. Afterwards, I went over the whole thing with another clean, damp mf cloth to pick up any last residue before waxing.
 

pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Started compounding and polishing some test sections of the deck today, to figure out what steps I need to take to get the results I want.
First I tried just using Presta Ultra cutting compound on a high speed buffer, and then finishing with Presta Marine Ultra Polish. This did not get the shine I wanted leading me to believe the surfaces are worse than I thought.
So next I started out heavier, with 600 grit wet dry, followed by 1000 grit, and then the compound and polish. This worked a lot better, but is still not quite as shiny as I would like. I think I may add a 1200 grit step, or a more aggressive compound.
Let me know what your experiences have been.

Before testing

Test section on left after 600, 1000, compound, ultra polish, and NuFinish. Section on right untouched

 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I have a question about if/when to do the acid wash. I removed the brown waterline stain with toilet bowl cleaner. It also cleaned up the white hard water looking deposits on my dark blue boot stripe. Should I assume that I need to carry the wash over the whole hull to remove any possible/probable deposits before I do the polishing steps?
 
Aug 2, 2009
637
Catalina 315 Muskegon
Justin, I can't speak to whether you should use toilet bowl cleaner in place of an acid like MaryKate On Off, but yes, you want to acid wash your entire topsides (waterline to gunnels). This is covered in MaineSail's instructions.
I've used his guide for a couple projects. Latest was my new to me 1996 Catalina 28. Stunning results. Cannot over-stress carefully studying MaineSail's instructions and following them closely.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Thanks for the confirmation. I had the toilet bowl cleaner and it worked great on the waterline, but I think it would be too hard to use the gel over the rest of the hull ;)
I'll follow the skirting and wash instructions. Thanks again!
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Question on pads: the 3M 5713 yellow pad has a hook and loop backing and fits right onto my Makita buffer. The 5711 doesn't say it has a hook back. How does it attach the the buffer?

I've ordered my Of-On and I'm going to wash the hull next.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Question on pads: the 3M 5713 yellow pad has a hook and loop backing and fits right onto my Makita buffer. The 5711 doesn't say it has a hook back. How does it attach the the buffer?

I've ordered my On-Off and I'm going to wash the hull next.
I've seen this question asked previously but I didn't see an answer, How does the 5711 pad mount on the Makita buffer wheel? The 5713 sticks right to it.

Another question asked before by another member - how do you compound and polish a deck that in mostly nonskid. Most smooth areas on my Hunter are too narrow to lay a 7" buffer pad flat to the deck. Can you get good results by (gulp) hand?
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I've seen this question asked previously but I didn't see an answer, How does the 5711 pad mount on the Makita buffer wheel? The 5713 sticks right to it.

Another question asked before by another member - how do you compound and polish a deck that in mostly nonskid. Most smooth areas on my Hunter are too narrow to lay a 7" buffer pad flat to the deck. Can you get good results by (gulp) hand?
I figured out the confusion on mounting the pad. Amazon describes it as double sided but it comes single sided with the hook and loop. First problem solved.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
The is a simpler way. About the best thing I found for cleaning the boat was baking powder. Yes, it takes some scrubbing, but really gets the dirt out of the pores.
For a protective coating, I cheat and have used ZEP Wet Look floor polish. There are some people who have had the ZEP flake off, but I think that can be attributed to poor prep, or putting it on too thick. I did my previous boat just before I sold it. Gave it is very nice shine. I did my motorhome about 4 years ago. I only put to coats on it, but it still looks good. I not done anything other than clean it with the pressure washer, and am amazed at how easy it is to clean off, as the ZEP is incredibly hard. I drive the motorhome in the salt through the winter. The crud sits on it till spring when it warms up and I have time to clean it. Even though the crud sits on it for months, it still sprays off.
 

tmjb

.
Mar 13, 2012
222
Hunter 36C Glen Cove
I am a novice to buffing and waxing (as will become apparent from my questions) so have read Maine Sails tips and comments, plus other advice on this subject. I have purchased, I think, Maine's recommended equipment and products, and made a first tentative start to the process this weekend, this is on a 1981 hunter that I don't think has been buffed and waxed in a long time - it was standing unused on the hard from about '97 or before until last year.

My questions, and I apologize in advance if they have already been covered but I couldn't find them, relate primarily to the wet sanding process - which my gelcoat seams to need. Main Sail recommends using a kitchen sponge as a backer for the wet/dry paper. Are we talking about the thin (maybe 1/4") 4.5" x 2.7" sponges or something else? If so, is there a more efficient size of paper to use than a standard quarter sheet (seems a bit big for this sponge)? How do you know when to stop sanding (when you start to feel less friction?) and when to discard a sheet?

For both sanding and compounding, what do you do regarding applied pinstripes etc.? Do you need to mask or is it OK to go over them?

When compounding and buffing in areas such as the cockpit, given the recommendation to only use the pad on the machine flat on the surface, does this imply that much of these areas needs to be done by hand?

Thanks in advance for any and all input.
 

PKFK

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Jul 12, 2004
206
Hunter 36 Ottawa
Results using Mainesail's instructions ! (I used ultra cutting crime light as well as presto chroma polish, followed by Fleetwax).

The pix say it all.....

image.jpeg
image.jpeg
 
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tmjb

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Mar 13, 2012
222
Hunter 36C Glen Cove
Looks fantastic. Great job. I started from a long way back and stopped after the Cutting Creme so mine is nowhere close - but much better than before.

Now we have to keep waxing to maintain.

Enjoy.
 
Sep 20, 2015
123
Navigator 4200 Classic New Bern, NC
Great job... I am on my way too... BUT...

Previous owner got a HORRIBLE Nu-Glass job. I am in the process of slowly wet-sanding the entire boat. We'll know in a couple of years how it turns out :-(
 

tmjb

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Mar 13, 2012
222
Hunter 36C Glen Cove
I started the process with wet sanding too - up to P1000. I found that part easier than the compounding and in retrospect would have gone further with it - to P1200 or more - and tried to skip compounding and go straight to Cutting Creme.
 

tmjb

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Mar 13, 2012
222
Hunter 36C Glen Cove
Just finished the bottom paint yesterday. Here's the result (sorry it's do dark):

image.jpeg
 
Sep 20, 2015
123
Navigator 4200 Classic New Bern, NC
I started the process with wet sanding too - up to P1000. I found that part easier than the compounding and in retrospect would have gone further with it - to P1200 or more - and tried to skip compounding and go straight to Cutting Creme.
For sure. I am actually doing three step: 800 - 1200 - 2000. However, this NuGlass is tough stuff and I kinda want to go back to 600 as the first step. After the 2000 grit, though, it is just a quick buff with el-cheap-o compound. I have ordered the cutting creme and wax, but haven't been down to add those steps yet. Still just trying to get the method down before I scale it up.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
GonzoF1 - have you tried stripping it? I'm betting floor polish stripper would wipe it off. I used stripper on my previous boat. Took the finish off, and did not attack the gelcoat.