Novice boat detail

[Hatchman]

Just got a new boat, to me, a `05 Chaparral Signature 260. Condition is good, low hours, rack stored on the bottom of the rack under other boats, so mostly out of the sun. Condition is lightly oxidized hull, carpet and deck is pretty dirty. Lots of mildew in the deck storage boxes, dirty fenders, dirty shore power cord, etc. Luckily the vinyl seats are in great shape and look almost new.

Here is my plan and products, let me know if this will work:

Wash non skid deck and cockpit and compartments with Star Brite non-skid deck cleaner with PTFE, hit the tough spots with Marine Simple Green.
Cockpit carpet - rent a steam cleaner, Resolve carpet cleaner, after dry, coat with Scotchguard.
Boat fenders and shore power cord: Mineral spirits followed by Aerospace 303

For the outer hull:
Wash with West Marine boat soap
Compound - Mequiars #67 One-step compound applied with Orange Lake Country low cut pad with Mequiars G110V2 DA.
Polish- Pro Polish with black Shurhold pads
Sealant - Rejex (or Nu Finish since I hear it is almost the same formula) with a blue Lake Country pad.

Finish up:
Vinyl and plastic trim - Aerospace 303
Plastic windows, windshield, isenglass: Plexus
Aluminum trim: Honda Pro Polish spray cleaner (aerosol made for motorcycles, but works great on paint, metal, plastic, etc)

Rust spots: Jabsco Prep and Prime from Lowes

Any advice/tips would be appreciated. I think I should have bought a rotary, but I`m afraid I will burn the gelcoat and I`ve already invested in the Meguiars DA. The #67 can be applied by hand and is very aggressive, so I hope the DA will be fine. Maybe should have gone with Buff Magic and a rotary with a wool pad?

Thank you all in advance!

[Hatchman]

I actually posted the above on another forum several days ago, so I will follow up with the update:

Did starboard side by hand, only used West Marine Cleaner Wax, using microfiber applicator and towels. Turned out really good, good shine, good reflection. Easy on, very hard to get off, lots of oxidation coming off on the towels, lots of elbow grease.

Did the port side using the Megs DA G110V2 started out using Megs 67 on a orange Lake Country low cut pad. Very hard to get off, didn`t seem to be aggressive enough for a compound nor enough polish effect for a "one step" product. Super hard to get off with a microfiber. Gave up on it went back to the West Marine Cleaner Wax. It was also harder to wipe off than the starboard side, but I was putting it on with the DA with a low cut pad, so was probably cutting off more oxidation. Went to a terry cloth for removal and things starting going much smoother. The port side was also in the sun from where it was stored, so more oxidation.

Overall, here are my conclusions
1. Very happy with the cleaner wax, comes off easier with much more gloss
2. Not happy with the megs 67, not aggressive enough for compound, not gloss enough for a one step. Seemed the cleaner wax removed more oxidation, wiped off easier, easier to apply by hand (on the tight spots), and left more of a gloss with better reflection.
3. Megs DA with orange pad is OK, but should have used a rotary and wool pad for the oxidation. Luckily I only had light oxidation.

Pics below:
The day I picked it up.

The day I picked it up, had a little bit of gloss/reflection


Before I got started


Starboard side done with Cleaner Wax by hand


Port side, below rub rail is done with 67 and cleaner wax, above rail not done


Will follow up with Pro Polish over the whole boat applied with DA and black Shurhold pads.

[BIOLINK]

Boats are a ton of work, aren`t they.

On my first boat I also used Meg 67 One Step Compound. I used a rotary, however. Still, I wish I had more bite. A local boat shop recommended I use a wool pad and Meg M49 Oxidation Remover. I had good success using the One Step with a rotary and foam but the wool and a stronger cleaner would have definitely been more effective. I used my PC with Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound as my clean up polish before applying Collinite wax. The UC worked great on the Gelcoat. I would however, go straight to wool and a stronger chemical next time, just like you said.


Anyway, Nice work on the boat.

[glen e]

nice work....boats are a work in progress..my feeling is the opposite of cars - choose a product that is 1 step MORE aggressive than you think you need and then seal it with a sealant like rejex or collonite.....

rent a rotary when you do it again next year...your back and arms will thank you for it, a orbital has no place doing a hull job unless the hull is brand new...

from direct experience - meg 1 step compound, a rotary and wool pad will get a hull glossy that is 5 years old and never been waxed....Try Duragloss 561 too - killer stuff - follow with 501....

[Addicted2Bling]

Looks like you did a good job. I also agree with glen when he says `get a rotary`. You can get by with a DA but it will take you 20x longer to get it done right.

[Old Pirate]

For more bite/cut try Gel Coat Labs Gel Heavy Cut Compound and Gel Coat Labs Fine Cut Polish with a DA and you be surprise on the results you get for this Gel Coat product.