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

[tc410]

Thanks to both of you. Yes, I understand the difference - wasn’t asking that in my post. I was asking whether Spikedaddy and Henry used Awlgrip or Awlcraft. Henry is a check box for “grip” and I’ll stay tuned to see what S-Daddy had on his.

I’m going with Awlcraft mainly because it is what most people use these days and it is much easier to to do blended repairs without the need to respray an entire side of the boat. Keep in mind, this is on a 23’ center console - so even to respray the entire side isn’t that big of a deal or expense. However, due to frequency of trailering this boat and risks associated with trailering, it also makes sense to me to use a product that is easily touched up.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Gotcha. If it makes you feel any better, I had the boat for 9 years and never had covered fenders. Shine never got dulled. (I was never warned about that or I probably would have) I wasn't warned about other products either. I'm not saying don't be careful because you should, but the yard who did my paint years ago likened Awlgrip to armor. He loves the stuff.

We’re also in the harbor at the mouth of one of New England’s more violent rivers. So it becomes no surprise it’s also the birthplace of the USCG. So between tides and river current it can get pretty bumpy. And with that comes a lot of hull refinishing. There are also three other Sabres in our marina that were also Awlgripped.

 

[Seldom Right]

For labor hours, it took me 20 hours to do just the blue. Yeah, it was hard work, but rewarding. I used a right angle buffer to begin with, and then switched to an orbital.

 

[spikedaddy99]

Thanks to both of you. Yes, I understand the difference - wasn’t asking that in my post. I was asking whether Spikedaddy and Henry used Awlgrip or Awlcraft. Henry is a check box for “grip” and I’ll stay tuned to see what S-Daddy had on his.

I’m going with Awlcraft mainly because it is what most people use these days and it is much easier to to do blended repairs without the need to respray an entire side of the boat. Keep in mind, this is on a 23’ center console - so even to respray the entire side isn’t that big of a deal or expense. However, due to frequency of trailering this boat and risks associated with trailering, it also makes sense to me to use a product that is easily touched up.

Mine was -grip.

 

[JVM225]

As others have said, there is no magic bullet.
It will take hard work and time to get it looking good.
Unfortunately, when you buy a used boat, the finish on it will only be as good as how the previous owner maintained it and you may never get it perfect.
I’ve never owned a new boat, but I don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.
I’ve been using different polishing machines compound, polish, wax, sealant products for about 50 years. Started with cars, before clear coat, and moved on to boats when I had the funds to get in to boating.
IMHO: The products you use with your machines are not nearly as important as the type of machine and pads you use them with.
I’ve got a couple of long shelves in my garage and basement loaded with products that I bought in search of the next “greatest” product.

Random Orbital polishers, used with foam pads, are fantastic for cars. I’ve got two. My first one is a Porter Cable 7424 that I hold on to as a back up, and a Flex 3401 that is my go to machine for cars. In fact, I spent the whole day polishing my Corvette with the Flex 3401 yesterday in a two step process.
But as much as I love my Random Orbitals for cars, I have never had much luck with them on a boat.
Rotary polishers and wool pads are the only thing that has worked for me on boats. My current Rotary is a Makita 9227 that I’ve had for about 10 years. It replaced a Rotary that I had since the late 70’s.
I just started my 4th season with my 2002 boat. The previous owner was proud of the fact that he had his marina “detail” it every year. The dealer I bought it from had it “detailed” by the people they use before they launched it for my delivery. I wasn’t impressed.
Not sure about other parts of the country, but around here most boat “detailers” buy Garry’s Cleaner Wax by the tub that they use with a rotary machine. It’s a great solvent based one step products that will make your boat clean and shiny. I use it myself on the sides of my boat in November before it gets shrink wrapped so that it goes away clean with a little protection. But it won’t correct gel coat and it lacks real longevity. It certainly won’t last a season. That’s why so many boats look weathered.
I used a compound and more aggressive wool pad on my 2002 boat the first season that I personally was prepping it for launch because it really needed it. Then I followed it with a polish and wool polishing pad before applying 3 coats of wax. It came out pretty good, but will never be perfect.
In subsequent seasons, I routinely just use polish and polishing pad before applying the 3 coats of wax.
Could I compound more often? Absolutely, but every time you compound or polish you are removing more gel coat so I try to be more conservative. Repeated compounding is not going to get my 2002 sides looking all that much better so it isn’t worth diminishing the gelcoat any more than I have to. Polishing is less aggressive and gets it where I want it to be.
I’ll compound out a specific mark or imperfection here and there, but that’s about it.

I currently use Presta Products for compound and polish on the boat. Not because they are any better than anything else, but they are water based so it’s really easy to clean my wool pads.
My current choice for wax on the boat is Collinite Insulator Wax or their #925 Fiberglass Boat Wax. Both are liquid and I really believe they are the same thing in different bottles so sale price determines which I buy. They’re as good as anything else out there, but are really easy to use. I apply three coats to the sides a day apart to make sure I have good coverage. I’m in the water from around April 1st and come out around Thanksgiving so no wax is going to last that long. I can’t wax the sides in the water, but Collinite seems to hold up better than most things I’ve used.
Topsides get waxed with it several times a season.
Boat soaps that have Carnauba in them are my choice for regular washings in season. No need to spend a fortune on them. Remember though that the more Carnauba it contains, the less deep cleaning it will do.
I don’t fish with my Sundancer so there is no blood or guts to worry about. The worst things I usually face are black streaks and occasional bird droppings.
My routine is to use a spray cleaner wax to remove black streaks or bird dropping before washing the whole boat with cleaner wax. Avoid using anything harsher, including Black Streak Remover, if at all possible so you don’t remove your protective coat of wax. I keep some Spray 9 on the boat for really tough spot cleaning, but very rarely use it outside the bilge.

 

[Seldom Right]

I agree on what your starting with for a condition matters. The previous owner had the yard detail it. When I bought it the yard detailed it and I was not impressed. I have to say though that when I got done it looked perfect, I really could not believe how nice it cleaned up.

 

[JVM225]

I agree on what your starting with for a condition matters. The previous owner had the yard detail it. When I bought it the yard detailed it and I was not impressed. I have to say though that when I got done it looked perfect, I really could not believe how nice it cleaned up.
View attachment 84096

Great work!

 

[liv2ryde100]

thanks everyone for the responses. i'll get to work on this after i change my impellers