Wax on wax off

[Nom De Guerre]

Yes, Scott, that was all done with the Makita. I used a 9 inch pad. I have gotten pretty good at getting into tight spaces using the edge of the pad. You can now get 6 inch pads from Presta.

The only places I could not get to are the dorade boxes because of the guards. I will do them as best I can by hand.

Can you use a dremel type rotary tool to polish the hard to reach areas?

 

[Minigran]

Just a note for those who like to polish. I bought one of the cheep battery Vibrating multi tools at Harbor Freight to do my Teak hand rails and found that the triangle hook & loop pad will accept my old 10" pads cut up to fit. These are perfect for those tight spots like under the hand rails on the cabin top. I still use the old 3m buffing compound and paste wax.

 

[njlarry]

Ian, your photos are impressive. I am curious about the stripping process.
How did you do it and why? Also how long to strip off the old and how long to apply the new coats. How do you decide on the number of coats.
I tried the compound and polish method with only fair results. I may need to wet sand but fear the gel coat is already too thin in places.
Thank you.

 

[Captn TJ]

This is my hull BEFORE waxing. That is blue gelcoat compounded and polished the MaineSail way. If you do this, and use a quality wax (Collinite) it gets easier every year.

Gunni why does it get easier every year with Collinite?

 

[Tim R.]

Gunni why does it get easier every year with Collinite?

It gets easier because you did the hard part initially and each year is usually just a quick polish and wax. Also, the wax helps protect the work you have already done.

 

[down_shift]

I have used both methods. A few boats ago i used polyglo for 3 seasons. It worked well if you prepped, applied and maintained it properly. I also think it works better in northern latitudes. The last boat was painted with Imron and i would polish it out every year. The current boat is all gelcoat. I have finished buffing, polishing and waxin the cabin top and cockpit. Next week i will haul to do the topsides. Here is a link to the rest of the photos. http://tkronaboat.com/cabin-top-and-cockpit-polishing.html

Tim, your boat looks fantastic, as does your blog.
I recently purchased a 87' Catalina 36 that has been well maintained but the desk does show minimal oxidation and stains. The hull was freshly waxed and bottom painted in June. I plan on following Maine Sail's tips to the letter for the deck now then the hull on the hard this spring. Provided that no sanding is required and I go with the Presta Gelcoat Compound, followed by the Presta Ultra Cutting Crème, then the #885 Fleet Wax, what tips do you have for keeping the non-slip areas free of the various compounds and wax while applying? Is it okay for some overlap or will that cause discoloration?
Thanks for any tips you can provide.

 

[Tim R.]

Tim, your boat looks fantastic, as does your blog. I recently purchased a 87' Catalina 36 that has been well maintained but the desk does show minimal oxidation and stains. The hull was freshly waxed and bottom painted in June. I plan on following Maine Sail's tips to the letter for the deck now then the hull on the hard this spring. Provided that no sanding is required and I go with the Presta Gelcoat Compound, followed by the Presta Ultra Cutting Crème, then the #885 Fleet Wax, what tips do you have for keeping the non-slip areas free of the various compounds and wax while applying? Is it okay for some overlap or will that cause discoloration? Thanks for any tips you can provide.

Down, I actually ended up polishing the edge of the non skid. I went back over it with a scotchbrite pad to scuff it again. Any compound splatter will wash off with soap and water. You should be able to keep the wax off the non skid if you wax by hand which is the proper method.