my paint looks bad

[djdave]

hello i am new to the boating thing.and my paint looks bad. i tryed wax and i tryed rubbing it out but i just can't get it to shine.i used car wax. is there any thing out there. please help me out thanks dave

 

[Bilgamesh]

Re: my paint looks bad

Pour yourself a tall glass of kool-aid and do a search for vaseline

 

[Tubingluvr]

Re: my paint looks bad

try 3m boat restorer and a polisher.
a cheap polishing wheel on the end of an electric drill works great.

 

[tboltmike]

Re: my paint looks bad

3M compound and Finesseit worked on mine

 

[marine4003]

Re: my paint looks bad

Begin by hosing your boat off. Get as much dirt and grim off as you can. You don't have to go nuts but the better it looks before the buff and wax, the better after.

Step
2)-Begin at the transom and make your way up to bow.use a good quality compound,(3M.) Apply the compound with a damp rag or applicator pad, rub it in until its evenly spread,do small area's 3x3, start buffing off the dried compound. The faster you set the dial on the buffer the faster it will buff. Don't go faster than you can buff. (I go at 25 to 2700.) Take your time,light touch . You might have to hit some scratches and blemishes twice or more.

Step
3)- when one side is done, wipe down real good with a clean towel, i use microfiber(Sam's club 24 for $10) Apply polish (3M or Maguires, repeat above)

Step
4You are now ready to wax the boat. Pour a small amount onto the waxing pad and rub it onto the boat. Spread it as thin as you can and wipe it off with the micro fiber towel. Like the buffing compound & polish ,
Step
5Wax ever place you buffed. Wax as many times as you wan' t, not to much or you'll blind other boaters.
after doing a small area 3x3, you'll know if the finish (gel coat) is too far gone to benefit from this process...in which case its time for a new paint job.

 

[skargo]

Re: my paint looks bad

Vaseline, despite the naysayers who have never tried it, it works great, and you don't have to dump money down the drain, nor spend an afternoon working on it.

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: my paint looks bad

i used a rubbimg compound and buffer then went back with meguiars no.7 and waxed with the buffer

 

[marine4003]

Re: my paint looks bad

hello i am new to the boating thing.and my paint looks bad. i tryed wax and i tryed rubbing it out but i just can't get it to shine.i used car wax. is there any thing out there. please help me out thanks dave

Also, what brand boat and what year?

 

[madurodave]

Re: my paint looks bad

Begin by hosing your boat off. Get as much dirt and grim off as you can. You don't have to go nuts but the better it looks before the buff and wax, the better after.

Step
2)-Begin at the transom and make your way up to bow.use a good quality compound,(3M.) Apply the compound with a damp rag or applicator pad, rub it in until its evenly spread,do small area's 3x3, start buffing off the dried compound. The faster you set the dial on the buffer the faster it will buff. Don't go faster than you can buff. (I go at 25 to 2700.) Take your time,light touch . You might have to hit some scratches and blemishes twice or more.

Step
3)- when one side is done, wipe down real good with a clean towel, i use microfiber(Sam's club 24 for $10) Apply polish (3M or Maguires, repeat above)

Step
4You are now ready to wax the boat. Pour a small amount onto the waxing pad and rub it onto the boat. Spread it as thin as you can and wipe it off with the micro fiber towel. Like the buffing compound & polish ,
Step
5Wax ever place you buffed. Wax as many times as you wan' t, not to much or you'll blind other boaters.
after doing a small area 3x3, you'll know if the finish (gel coat) is too far gone to benefit from this process...in which case its time for a new paint job.

ditto. and this process removed a lot of scuffs, etc. Shined right up and looks great! A lot of elbow grease but worth every drop of sweat.

 

[marine4003]

Re: my paint looks bad

ditto. and this process removed a lot of scuffs, etc. Shined right up and looks great! A lot of elbow grease but worth every drop of sweat.

Yup...anything less than doing it correctly..is false economy.

 

[Silver Heels]

Re: my paint looks bad

If its paint...I can't say I've tried the "vaseline" trick, so can't speak from experience, but I second the polish-buff-wax-buff routine. Using a orbital waxer followed by hand waxing around fittings and hard to reach places saves a lot of time. Don't do it in direct sunlight, and don't apply too much, just enough to lightly haze the surface.

If its gelcoat...do the above, but use products formulated for fiberglass boats as it works better than ordinary car wax. I've used a one-step cleaner wax by Meguires that looks awesome and lasts all season. A buddy of mine just bought a '92 searay that looks like it had never seen a coat of wax. He washed it and then applied a product (not sure of the name) that soaks into the gelcoat and forms a clearcoat that absolutely looks like glass. He bought it from a boat dealer for about $35 and applied it with a foam applicator. The boat literally looks like new. Has anybody else used this?

I love the look of a fresh wax job and find myself religiously waxing my boat, cars, even my lawnmower! Nothing I own is new, but I take a lot of pride when I get compliments about how well my toys look for their age.

 

[bigbad 4cyl x2]

Re: my paint looks bad

imron you can buff, sterling and awlgrip you should not buff. if it is gelcoat ,depending on the oxidation level id wet sand it with a fine grit , then compound with rollite, then 3m finesse then wax. pics would help for finish correction advice

 

[marine4003]

Re: my paint looks bad

If its paint...I can't say I've tried the "Vaseline" trick, so can't speak from experience, but I second the polish-buff-wax-buff routine. Using a orbital waxer followed by hand waxing around fittings and hard to reach places saves a lot of time. Don't do it in direct sunlight, and don't apply too much, just enough to lightly haze the surface.

If its gelcoat...do the above, but use products formulated for fiberglass boats as it works better than ordinary car wax. I've used a one-step cleaner wax by Meguires that looks awesome and lasts all season. A buddy of mine just bought a '92 searay that looks like it had never seen a coat of wax. He washed it and then applied a product (not sure of the name) that soaks into the gelcoat and forms a clearcoat that absolutely looks like glass. He bought it from a boat dealer for about $35 and applied it with a foam applicator. The boat literally looks like new. Has anybody else used this?

I love the look of a fresh wax job and find myself religiously waxing my boat, cars, even my lawnmower! Nothing I own is new, but I take a lot of pride when I get compliments about how well my toys look for their age.

First of all, the reason for no direct sunlight is the sun allows the solvents to dry to rapidly..not giving them time to soak into the gelcoat, as for the "acrylic sealers" in alot of cases they are terrific,they form a bond with the resins in gelcoat,and like varnish form a hardened layer between the elements and the GC,sometimes,if not properly applied or the gelcoat has dried out to much the result is a hard to remove mess, do a small area first..completly allowing it to dry before doing the whole boat. I , too have alot of equipment to maintain,and found the "hard" way to give the best long term results, my competition purchased substandard steel rope for the main winch..and instead of spooling it under load (time consuming) he fast spooled..result; snapped rope due to crappy product,& improper spooling, his "shortcut" cost him over 12K in time & replacement.Theres no such thing as cheaper/easier having the same long term benefits as doing it the right way.

 

[skargo]

Re: my paint looks bad

If you don't want to throw your money away on over priced products, try the Vaseline trick, if it doesn't work, you are out $2!!!

My boat looks awesome 2 months later, and it removed ALL oxidation.

It's always better to work SMART, not hard