Cleaning up a boat?

[RTexasF]

I have not heard of either. Many of the boat places I worked at did cleaning/refurbishing/detailing and none used the marine products that were sitting on the shelf in the parts/ accessories area for sale to the public. Without exception all used automotive products, a rotary buffer, and a wool pad on the rough ones. Wet sanding was reserved for severe oxidation or a clearcoat respray for the worst situations.

Obviously newer and better products may be available by now. Have you seen this? It may help:

Reflections Detailed: Purple Malibu - Autopia.org

[Beemerboy]

Charles

I have a boat to do this week, its in the driveway...with the rotary and some P-w-C will that do an OK job...this boat has some surface oxidation, not bad, just on the top areas that where exposed...he had covers on the inside areas...they look good just dirty.

I don`t have to get this back to show room just shiny...This morning I used some PP by hand and the oxidation seems to come up real easy...thoughts?

Oh and on the inside its APC brushes and either NL or Ragg Topp vinyl treatment...rugs are OK just a good scrubbing and shop vac

Gel coat is hard.
Removing oxidation with a PC takes some time and effort.
Removing marring and fine scratches with a PC takes a lot of time and effort.

If you are using a PC, I think the same products you would use for an automobile would be a good place to start. I have used the Meguiar`s Marine line of products and didn`t feel they offered anything special.

If you really want to make the boat virtually blemish free, I think you will need a rotary and some fairly aggressive compound. Personally, I wouldn`t bother.

The carpet should be able to stand cleaning with an APC and pressure washing without any real problems.
Someone mentioned using caution at the edges when using the pressure washer and that is good advice for not only the carpet, but for many areas of the boat.
Pressure washers are kind of like a rotary. Used correctly, they can do a great job. Used incorrectly and they can do a lot of damage. A 0 degree tip on a 2,000 lb. unit will drill a hole in most wood if held in one spot.

A Boat: A hole in the water surrounded by fiberglass into which you dump great gobs of money.
Enjoy!

[CharlesW]

Charles

I have a boat to do this week, its in the driveway...with the rotary and some P-w-C will that do an OK job...this boat has some surface oxidation, not bad, just on the top areas that where exposed...he had covers on the inside areas...they look good just dirty.

I don`t have to get this back to show room just shiny...This morning I used some PP by hand and the oxidation seems to come up real easy...thoughts?

Oh and on the inside its APC brushes and either NL or Ragg Topp vinyl treatment...rugs are OK just a good scrubbing and shop vac

The power of a rotary is going to make most any good paint cleaner remove oxidation.
PwC definitely falls into the "good paint cleaner" category. PwC or PP should work great with a rotary.
Either one probably should be followed up with an LSP, but I really don`t know how durable the PwC would be.
I have never had to use a brush on vinyl so I don`t know how that will work. A good APC diluted to the manufacturer`s recommended ratio for vinyl and some of my old terry towels seem to have cleaned up any vinyl I have had to clean. My stuff is never very bad, but some of the friends/family vehicles have been pretty dirty. I`m using Natural Look or 303 as a protectant and like both.
Boat carpet cleans up pretty good with an APC diluted per the manufacturer`s recommended ratio. Vacuum, spray with APC, let the APC dwell a while, brush, let dry, vacuum again.

[Beemerboy]

The power of a rotary is going to make most any good paint cleaner remove oxidation.
PwC definitely falls into the "good paint cleaner" category. PwC or PP should work great with a rotary.
Either one probably should be followed up with an LSP, but I really don`t know how durable the PwC would be.
I have never had to use a brush on vinyl so I don`t know how that will work. A good APC diluted to the manufacturer`s recommended ratio for vinyl and some of my old terry towels seem to have cleaned up any vinyl I have had to clean. My stuff is never very bad, but some of the friends/family vehicles have been pretty dirty. I`m using Natural Look or 303 as a protectant and like both.
Boat carpet cleans up pretty good with an APC diluted per the manufacturer`s recommended ratio. Vacuum, spray with APC, let the APC dwell a while, brush, let dry, vacuum again.

Thanks Charles I`m going to use the rotary and P-w-C then top off with a sealant...about best I can do...the inside looks like some areas will need some brushing....some grainy areas the have dirt locked in looks like

[Redwings97]

I just detailed a 2006 Chaparrel - 21` deck boat this past Sunday.

I cleaned the inside - fiberglass floors and under all seats in the compartments with PB APC 10:1.
I used a PC with PwC and LC CCS White polishing pads at speed 5. The very light oxidation cleaned up really nice. I topped it off with Meguiars Marine Flagship Premium wax wth foam applicator.

Sorry no pictures - but you have to trust me - the boat was shining lke new.

[mustang03]

jared

i use a product called tuff stuff on the carpets on my boat which are gray spray on let foam scrub any bad spots with a brush then shop vac let dry in the sun.

for the gel coat i use collinite no 920 fiberglass boat cleaner, and follow up with 845,same as there boat wax without the marine price tag!!

for the seats i clean them with marine spray nine i never see this product mentioned and it works wonders.also works wonders on gel coat stains, i have a textured swim deck this stuff cleaned it right up with no fuss.i thought my seats were white until i sprayed them with this stuff.then follow up with your choice of protectant. i used a new micro fiber applicator pad with some pb pro polish to remove some tarnish and that applicator was looking black by the time i was done.i thought try the spray nine for the hell of it before i heave my once new applicator and wow brandy new looking.best 4.95 i have ever spent impressive product with many uses.

all can be bought otc.

[jonw440]

Anyone heard of these products? Would they be much better than any of the auto detailing stuff I have laying around?

Bass Boat Saver ::: boat cleaner, uv sun protector for gel-coat finishes, boat cleaner and wax in one appplication, designed for any gel-boat surface, total protection for boat, motor and trailer

NuHull.com

They were suggested at one of the boating forums.

Bass Boat Saver works great! And the smell is WONDERFULL!

Leaves a real slick finish and if used with "two towels" it wont streak.
The secret to a streak free finish is to buff with a dry towel.
Never tried NuHull.