Detailing a boat....any tips?

0

01bluecls

New member
Hey guys and gals...customer of mine who i detailed the Lotus Elise a month ago just bought a brand new boat and wants me to detail it. It is about 17 ft long and 7ft wide jet boat, orange in color. It is brand new and I dont think it has even seen water yet. He told me though that it has sat outside the place where he bought it and has some oxidation/dullness etc. I have never detailed a boat before. I know boats have gelcoats...anyone got any tips before I detail it tomorrow. He said he bought some Meguiars cleaning products, what exactly, i dont know. Any tips would be appreciated. Will probably use APC and various products to clean. Claybar?? I have no idea, probably wouldnt hurt....I would imagine since I believe gelcoats are much harder than clears on cars that the rotary with cutting pad and compound should suffice for oxidation removal and bring out the shine? Would a wool pad be better or worse than the LC pads? I know they have gelcoat specific pads for boats but I dont have any and dont have the tmie to get them. What RPMS should I be using with the rotary? I was thinking anywhere from 1500-1700. Whew. Thanks folks. Im actually somewhat excited to be doing a boat. :spot
 
Oh for LSP...I guessing boat waxes are more for durability then say looks...do you all think Zaino or Collinite IW845 would hold up nicely? Or should I use specifically a boat wax that the owner may have bought?
 
I would like to know as well. I have a bass boat lined up, owner mainly wants interior, but he also wants polishing on the top part of the boat.



How do we treat it? Exactly the same as a car?
 
The main rules of thumb for boats is that you can step in (and usually have to) much harder than on a car. Gelcoat is rather strong and a bit tough to correct. No need to clay.



You can usually use a compound and cutting pad and finish clean. I usually jump in with Meguiar's DACP, Optimum Hyper Compound, or a light cut compound that finishes almost clean on cars. Usually a one-step polish + LSP will be sufficient.



For LSPs, well, Collonite originated for boats back in the day. The vehicle sector was just a bonus. My marine clients all swear by the entire Collonite line. Try to find their Metal Wax as it works absolute wonders on all metals (cleans.seals).
 
Im in line to get our marlin 17 footer detailed some time this summer. I too need some information on this. Our boat has seen hours upon hours of boating (it stays at our cabin) so it has alot of crap on the outside.



Would



washing

claying

AIO do the trick?



Dont meant o hijack but I need some answers as well, same topic so It shouldnt hurt I suppose. :getdown
 
Dont be worried about hi-jacking the thread, you arent. Detailing boats is not a topic brought on this forum for obvious reasons. Im gonna try a few things tomorrow with some before and after pics. I will try different polishes, cleansers, etc. and report back in tomorrow night. Hopefully I will help answer some questions other people may have as well. I will use the Rotary to polish as PC with the gel coat may not do squat to do any type of corrections. The owner isnt expecting swirl free finish and neither am I, but good overall clean up and shine! :)
 
Sean I was actually thinking of using the Flitz Metal and Fiberglass polish to see how that works. Im pretty sure that will work well. My bottle of AIO is gone from me lending it to someone :( So im not gonna have that on hand tomorrow morning.
 
If AIO works then maybe Prime will too? I have Prime, P:Carnauba, P:Strong. Think I'll work with OHC and Prime Strong on the boat.
 
I ilke to use Zaino, nu finish, and/or collinite on boats. All work well and hold up.



As for polishing, don't be afraid to go a bit more agressive than what you would do on a car if you have to, but for a new boat, the oxidation should come off easy and fast.
 
I added this to the other post.



For new or freshly polished boats, OCW might be the way to go. If they can do the top surfaces them selves. Then the boat should be fairly oxidation free next year. I say next year because i have done customers that have skipped a year (with other sealant products) and the oxidation builds up. Then it becomes a problem to bring back the shine.



I now try sell them OCW. It is easy and fast.
 
The Gelcoat is unbelievably tough to get through. The owner just sold the boat so he didn't want me to polish it. Just wash and do interior detail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top