Buffing, Waxing, process, amounts?

[labatt]

OK... I'm new to detailing. I'm going to follow the recommendations here and pick up a Makita 9227C. I only have 4-6 hours to do a 40 foot Passport before I have to cover it and also move on to other projects. I'd like to do the best I can in that time period. I read Halekai's excellent info but I don't think I have time (or the patience) to wetsand and then do all of the other steps. There are a couple of dozen threads here, of varying ages, asking about waxes, poliglow, buffing, etc. Can someone walk me through, step by step, the products and process? Based on what I've read, the 3M products seem to be the most popular - but which ones, and how much do I need for a 40 foot boat?

I apologize for asking a question that's been asked a lot before (especially since I often tell people to use the search button) but there doesn't seem to be much info covering ALL the processes of getting the boat looking decent (note I don't say GREAT) balancing time vs. quality. Also, nobody seems to talk about the quantity of goop to get. Thanks!

[JohnRPollard]

Labatt,

If you just want to keep it relatively simple and get the job done, I might suggest something like this:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...+Polishing+Kit

[Maine Sail]

You say your covering it? Is this for the winter? Will you have time in the spring to do it right? If you only have 4 - 6 hours now I'd get a coat of wax on before winter. One can of Collinite #885 paste wax is plenty for a Passport 40. In the spring perhaps you can compound it, polish it and re-wax it. 4-6 hours, on a Passport 40, is not even enough time to use Poli-Glow correctly...

[TrueBlue]

That's a great kit price and Jamestown Distributors can be trusted for dependable products and customer service. I too printed out Halekai's excellent instructional and after buying the Makita 9227C this past Spring . . . (for about the cost of that kit price - granted though, a cheaper quality polisher), I followed the outlined three-step compound, polish and wax process.

The final results were dazzling. However, I don't think I need to repeat the compounding next spring - just polish and wax.

[labatt]

If I want to do it right, how much time should I set aside?

Here's my issue - I want to protect it somewhat from the winter elements, and I may be working on selling it over the next few months (it's not even formally on the market yet but we have several people interested in it, including one who will be flying in soon). But, we have an offer in on another boat right now. If that works out, we'll be spending the next few weekends down in Annapolis doing multiple surveys and a couple of sea trials.

This weekend, I was hoping to do maintenance one day and then cover the boat the next. There are several items on the maintenance list, but the biggies are: Clean up the hull (get rid of the waterline stain [plan on using Spray Nine per the recent review in Practical Sailor] and then polish the topsides [somehow]), sand the teak grabrails and trim on the cabintop and refinish (still picking what to use), and clean the bilge (no oil or fuel - just random dirt and slop). My wife and I will both be working on these three things, but the two major ones will each take a whole day with one of us working on them.

Anyway, long story made short - I have a timeframe to work in due to constraints but I want to get as much done as I can in that timeframe, and considering I may be showing the boat I want to make it look as good as I can in the time available to me (yes - I KNOW I should spend extra time to make it look nice if I'm going to sell it).

[max-on]

For a 40 ft boat with 4-6 hrs of time, I think the most you could do is to use a good one-step cleaner wax, say Meguiers. For a one-step process, it will take at least 3 - 3 1/2 hrs to do my boat - 33 ft.

This past spring, I did the compound, polish, and wax, the hull was in great need of the work, but it took me about 30-35 hrs easy, to do the job with the makita. I started out with a standard meguier's polish and a cheap buffer, after two hours, and after seeing how bad the hull was I started the work, I said this will take forever. That's when I switched to the makita, Presta Products compound and 1500 polish, and I used the Presta pads. Relatively speaking, it made the job easy, but still took a long time. The result though was a mirror finish prior to wax.

For 4-6 hrs, I would just use a one-step and call it a day.

[Maine Sail]

To do a 40 footer the right way, considering the oxidation in the photos, will consume about 40 hours. If you're selling it a one step might be your best and quickest bet.

The best thing you can do is use On/Off for your waterline stain but I would do the whole hull too using a car wash brush. Just buy a cheap rain suit & rubber gloves so you don't get any acid on you and go to town! On/Off will get any staining out of the hull then you can do a one step polish & wax..

[cardiacpaul]

make a witches brew of clorox and water, swab the deck, brush like a madman, and worry about the rest of it in the spring

[Freesail99]

My son has been polishing my 31 foot boat and using the 3m product ( can't recall the name ) it took him about 10 hours to do one side of the hull. I will admit you can now see your face in it.

[punjabi]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

That's a great kit price and Jamestown Distributors can be trusted for dependable products and customer service. I too printed out Halekai's excellent instructional and after buying the Makita 9227C this past Spring . . . (for about the cost of that kit price - granted though, a cheaper quality polisher), I followed the outlined three-step compound, polish and wax process.

The final results were dazzling. However, I don't think I need to repeat the compounding next spring - just polish and wax.

Could someone point me to the instructional mentioned? Much appreciated.