A newbie but trying,a little help please?

[silvereagle]

I am restoring an older boat,1987 that was sitting in out uncovered for nearley 8 years.so I tried a cheapy harbour frieght 7in. polisher made in china,my first mistake.I know ,I know. so tyried usinga 3m wool pad to cut through the years of neglect.I forgot to mention I DID clean the boat in side and out thoroughly,so I started with the MACG, pro cut compound and the 3m wool pad,started my 2x2 area and by half of the boat got the basic hang of it.but the polisher kept boggin down on me with even a hint of pressure?junk!!!! but the boats gelcoat is mostly white on top and bottom,with teal in-between.the boat looked 100% better but not good enough. so I just got my new DEWALT polisher and a couple more pads,I tried 800grit then 1200,then 2000 on a small area,then a little polish and it looked like new.WOW. MY question is do I do the whole boat with the wet sanding?and what new foam pads are best used at what speeds?thanks for all the info you guys have given me,THANK YOU

 

[togwt]

It's been a long, long time but I don't know if I've ever attempted to wet-sand a boat...



New proprietary restoration systems are available for boats that are on the last stages of the life of their gel coat. Island Girl, and other systems use cleaners that pull dirt out of the pores of gel coat and replace wax with special polymers that fill porosity and achieve a nearly new look. If your hull needs a total rehab, and you still don't want to repaint, investigate these products and see if any of them appeal to you.



Polishing Gel Coat



You need to use rotary polisher / wool pad combination to abrade gel coat, an orbital will not provide enough friction heat needed to restore gel coat. Gel Coat finishes are ~ 405 – 455µ (micron) (16-18 Mil) thick, and the top 5 to 6 mils is usually very dense (hard)



Meguiar's Heavy Duty Oxidation Remover removes moderate oxidation, scratches, stains and tough water spots on all fibreglass and painted marine or RV surfaces.



Meguiar's One Step Compound is an advanced aggressive, yet safe polishing compound that cleans and restores gloss on all gel coat surface in one easy step. It removes moderate-heavy oxidation, scratches, stains and tough water spots on all fibreglass and painted gel coat marine or RV surfaces. Restores colour and leaves a rich gloss on the treated surface. Meguiar's One Step Compound delivers incredible results by hand or machine.



I would recommend using a wool pad and cleaning it often with compressed air or a pad brush and using a fresh pad as often as is necessary