Best way to get oxidation away and make boat shine

[dcreign]

Hey guys, I just a new to me bas boat it it's got some oxidation on the top of the hull..the sides seem good just the top is faded and has that hazy look..not sure if I want to use a buffer or not..was told caroliite..anything else? To polish then wax, or one or the other ?

[cfalco]

I buy boats, restore and them resell them.  I use a local guy here when they are bad and he wet sands them.  Now I dont do it because I have never had luck with paint at all so I use a guy.

 

They come out perfect every time he does one for me.

 

I am not telling you to do this yourself, I do not, but I have watched him over and over and it works great.

[blackmax135]

I'd get mcguires rubbing compound and a good buffer.  It might take 2 or 3 passes with it, but it will get the oxidation off.  Took me about 2 hours on the top rail.  I have done this on my boat twice and it came out beautiful both times.  The oxidation will come back if you do not keep it waxed and in a garage or shed.  I feel like you will have a better chance with the compound because there is less chance of operator error.  I did the wet sand and didn't do it right and left some major swirls in my gel coat.

[WRB]

I use a product called Restore Boat Cleaner and Polish.

Tom

[J Francho]

If the clear gel coat is gone, you'll never get it to shine. I've seen mixed results with wet sanding and buffing. You might want to have a pro look at it, and advise you. 

[WIGuide]

Depending on how bad it is, you might want to look into ProTec Products restoration kit. They post some before and after pics on facebook and it's pretty incredible what it can do. I've yet to do it to mine, but plan to this year as the top of my top cap has a little haze to it. 

[22hertz]

I worked paint and body ages ago when putting myself through college.

 

What I suggest is get a polisher, polisher pads, Meguiars M105 and M205. I also suggest some good sealant wax/glaze with UV protection. I have had good results with Klasse products but there are many good ones to chose from.

 

Wash the boat real good making sure to remove any oils, dirt or other contaminants.

If something is in the way it may be worth your time to remove it to get access to the entire surface for polishing.

Cover everything near the area to be polished that will not get removed and wont get polished with tape so you don't hit it with the polisher and put swirl marks in it.

 

Start with the M105 to remove the heavy oxidation. Finish with M205 to leave a mirror glass finish.

Watch some videos on how to polish. Polishing a car is the same as polishing a boat so just find a couple good videos that explain well how to do it.

I would polish the entire boat while Im at it but Im picky about things like this. It takes a lot of time but the results will be well worth the invested time.