blue boat owners.... how u keep the blue nice???

[liv2ryde100]

I have been a blue boat owner for 4 years now, and every year in the spring its a nightmare to get the boat detailed the way i want it to look. This year the marina told me its the best they can do and i can take it somewhere else if i would rather. Im just curious if anybody is using anything special to pull the oxidation and cloudiness out of it? usually they get it out for me and it lasts half way through the summer. any ideas???

 

[Espos4]

3M super duty compound followed by Finesse-it II polish and then a good coat of wax.

And yes, it’s starts to get cloudy late summer. I don’t look forward to doing it on my 24 footer, couldn’t imagine doing it on your 340

 

[stg099]

It’s a labor of love.... and hate... I am as picky as they come and got mine where I want it, but it took a while. I do a 4 step process. It’s a lot of work but it pays off; first I use shurhold buff magic on a wool compounding pad on a makita rotary. Once I’m happy with the shine and depth I more into 3m finesse it on a wool polishing pad, then follow with another round of finesse it, this time with a light polishing pad on a porter cable 7424 orbital. When all that’s done I follow with a healthy coat of Collinite fleet wax.

she stays deep and shiny all season, this year I didn’t have to compound, just polish and wax.

 

[JimT]

Paint it with Awlgrip.

 

[nealtrombley]

I plan in using a product called SG marine on the hull only.. its a Pure 2 part ceramic, I did my 24 laguna 1988 it looked great..

 

[Carpediem44DB]

There is no substitute for physical polishing. I've tried several products over the years. If I have oxidation I'm going after I either use the 3M or equivalent cutting compound then finish with the 3M marine cleaner/wax. I usually only have to machine polish in early spring and hand apply the cleaner/wax a couple of times throughout the year. I have a water softener on the dock so water spots are minimal. I'm in the water year round.
Carpe Diem

 

[JimT]

In my experience with colored hulls you need to stay ahead of the oxidation with annual compound/polishing and quarterly wash polish. I'm in the water all year so adjust accordingly. My pewter hull is perfect after ten years.

 

[Blueone]

You are not going to find a silver bullet. Everyone has been through this by experimenting with this and that. Myself included.

What I have learned is:
Use a quality rotary pad for compound ..3M does a good job

Experiment with various compounds, the goal is to set the foundation by compounding.... oxidization if not completely removed comes back....so spend the most time here... quality pad and quality compound is going to give you the best result

Polish to improve the compounded surface

Quality wax... I have used Smoove Bubble gum the last two years which is a polish and wax and a I am very impressed.... but that’s me...others will have their favorite

The key is to find what works for you.... and unfortunately it takes experimenting. It has taken me two years to come up with my process and I have the bottles to prove it

some suggestions

 

[kvduff]

3M super duty compound followed by Finesse-it II polish and then a good coat of wax.

And yes, it’s starts to get cloudy late summer. I don’t look forward to doing it on my 24 footer, couldn’t imagine doing it on your 340

I would add a coat of meguiars swirl remover #9 it’s really a glaze, fills voids , before wax.

 

[Seldom Right]

Four step process like described above. That is oxidation. 20 hours labor and looks like new. Here is a link to what I used, its listed in the comments.

 

[Blueone]

Four step process like described above. That is oxidation. 20 hours labor and looks like new. Here is a link to what I used, its listed in the comments.

View attachment 83946

Using that much compound in that small of an area.... your pad has to be loaded up... you don’t mention that and how far do you get before switching pads?....I am thinking another 2’... you can spur it but you know that doesn’t help that much....

 

[sbw1]

Many guys ruin the spring detailing work by using "boat soap" from a boat store. Most of that stuff strips wax. I learned a tip from a captain of a large private boat years ago that has worked for me. He was supervising a crew that was washing a beautiful 80-90 foot boat with a nice tender laid up against the boarding platform. I asked him what he was using for soap. He said he buys the cheapest mild soap (not detergent) that he can find and adds an ounce or two of wax to the wash bucket. I found that using Woody Wax Ultra Pine boat wash preserved the detailing of my boat better than any product that I had ever tried. And, I tried a lot of products. It is essentially a mild soap with a lot of wax in it. However, it is not cheap. But one oz. in a big bucket goes a long way. Our boat would go into storage looking about as good as when it was launched in the spring time. The product does not strip wax. It adds wax every time you wash the boat with out leaving a haze. Might be worth trying on your colored hulls. There are other similar products, but this one that I know from experience lives up to the hype.

 

[Seldom Right]

I used one and a half hook and loop pads per side, plus regular spurring. The foam pads were two per side per step. Good point on the soap.

 

[Carpediem44DB]

I have been a blue boat owner for 4 years now, and every year in the spring its a nightmare to get the boat detailed the way i want it to look. This year the marina told me its the best they can do and i can take it somewhere else if i would rather. Im just curious if anybody is using anything special to pull the oxidation and cloudiness out of it? usually they get it out for me and it lasts half way through the summer. any ideas???

A bunch of great guys have offered really good advice and suggestions but it occurred to me that not everyone is equipped with the aptitude to polish a boat no matter the size. It is time consuming, dirty,
backbreaking work and if your not versed in using a mechanical polisher you can easily damage the finish and some of the plastic fittings/ fairings not to mention even break a wrist if you get the buffer jammed on a cleat or bow sprit ECT. If your not inclined to polish the boat your self you need to ask around the area for different detailers in the area and interview them to let them know what your expectations are and find out how they are going to meet them. Hopefully your marina allows outside venders to provide services or you may need to take the boat somewhere that does.
Good luck finding what works for you, I love my Blue hull, It's the second and LAST one I will ever own though
Carpe Diem

 

[liv2ryde100]

thank you all for the responses. its alot of information to absorb for sure. i have the shurfhold buffing machine, do u guys think that will get the job done? or do i need to invest in another machine?
as far as soap goes i did find that last year i never even used soap on the blue, i just religiously hosed it down as soon as i docked the boat. i would pull into marinas and just start hosing down every time and the hull stayed nice last year. so i agree the soap strips it and makes it oxidize faster.

 

[liv2ryde100]

I think I need a 101 class on polish, compound, wax. What pads to use for what. Most oxidation is light, one spot is more towards medium I would say.

Do I need to use the 3m super duty if it’s not heavy oxidation? Md can I use the shurhold machine to apply it?

 

[liv2ryde100]

You are not going to find a silver bullet. Everyone has been through this by experimenting with this and that. Myself included.

What I have learned is:
Use a quality rotary pad for compound ..3M does a good job

Experiment with various compounds, the goal is to set the foundation by compounding.... oxidization if not completely removed comes back....so spend the most time here... quality pad and quality compound is going to give you the best result

Polish to improve the compounded surface

Quality wax... I have used Smoove Bubble gum the last two years which is a polish and wax and a I am very impressed.... but that’s me...others will have their favorite

The key is to find what works for you.... and unfortunately it takes experimenting. It has taken me two years to come up with my process and I have the bottles to prove it

some suggestions

View attachment 83942 View attachment 83943 View attachment 83941 View attachment 83944 View attachment 83945

What do I use to apply the smoove bubble gum? So u compound once and then do the bubble gum and that’s it?

 

[liv2ryde100]

A bunch of great guys have offered really good advice and suggestions but it occurred to me that not everyone is equipped with the aptitude to polish a boat no matter the size. It is time consuming, dirty,
backbreaking work and if your not versed in using a mechanical polisher you can easily damage the finish and some of the plastic fittings/ fairings not to mention even break a wrist if you get the buffer jammed on a cleat or bow sprit ECT. If your not inclined to polish the boat your self you need to ask around the area for different detailers in the area and interview them to let them know what your expectations are and find out how they are going to meet them. Hopefully your marina allows outside venders to provide services or you may need to take the boat somewhere that does.
Good luck finding what works for you, I love my Blue hull, It's the second and LAST one I will ever own though
Carpe Diem

Haha I agree may be the last blue boat unless I learn a method from everyone above.

 

[Blueone]

To compound you need a rotary and a good wool pad. Every compound is designed to have particulate to be abrasive at the beginning and breaks down to polish as you are using it.... the stronger the compound the bigger and more particulate.... you are not going to hurt anything going with an aggressive compound... just keep going so it breaks down to start polishing... and don’t use a ton... start out with a few squirts and look at the result

The problem with everyone’s solution is no one says how much to put on, what rpm and how much pressure... everyone has a different technique....you just need to experiment

 

[Blueone]

What do I use to apply the smoove bubble gum? So u compound once and then do the bubble gum and that’s it?

That’s a tough question.... it depends on your surface after compounding.... if you were really aggressive compounding... and it didn’t turn into polishing... you might want to use a true polish like Finesse and even a rotary with a polishing pad.... if you have a really nice surface you can go with an orbital and bubble gum.... just try both if not sure....

just a side note.... I am the only one on here using Smoove bubble gum.... it really works for me.... lots of people use Collinite wax.... I have it and was not extremely happy with it for longetivity

I said this before on here... everyone can show you a shiny pic... me included... what counts is how easy was it to apply and how long does it last