newbie wanting to wax and/or polish an old boat

[mynetdude]

I haven't read through enough threads yet so I don't claim to be totally unknowledgable nor an expert in any way, and I know there's plenty of redundant threads already so I will keep it simple.

I'm already currently learning about how to do automotive detailing (which is totally different than boat hull detailing I am sure), and I haven't even gotten to the polishing/waxing part yet as far as automotive detailing goes as I've spent my time doing the mundane maintenance (keeping the tires clean, cleaning the general body, dressing up the plastics/trim, etc).

I'm not looking to do anything ultra complex even as I learn more about it; there's so much I only want to do as the rest I probably will not care about.

So, is it possible as a newbie to do a general polish/wax (if waxing is even done to boats?) I already know about and have a dual action polisher and like I said I haven't really started ebbing into the polishing aspect but I will after I polish all the windows (water hard spots and I picked up duragloss 755 for that).

The boat I want to do is over 20 years old; has only been polished a handful of times, its heavily oxidized/luster has been lost and I don't know if holograms are important or not (its not my boat, belongs to my relatives and they are wondering if I would like to try doing it just for fun; but I am not going to do it unless I have a good base understanding first).

I know there are a lot of compounds & polishes so I definitely want to keep it simple (that doesn't mean cheap or easy, just simple). Are one step compound/polishers better for my needs?

[Kengo123]

I like meguiars marine/rv one step compound. It removes pretty heavy oxidation and works pretty well with DA polishers

[mynetdude]

I like meguiars marine/rv one step compound. It removes pretty heavy oxidation and works pretty well with DA polishers

will I get a shine out of it? And what about holograms?

If it were MY boat, I wouldn't care about the holograms unless it were a show boat then I would, but its not a show boat nor is it mine so I need to be able to tell my folks since they are going to buy the supplies and I'll provide the equipment/labor.

And what pad(s) do I need to use? will I need to use more than one pad for the one step process? (fine with me if I do, I just need to know).

This doesn't sound as hard as it seems it can be.

[mynetdude]

hmm ok can't find the edit button so I looked at the meguiars marine one step compound; it doesn't say anything about it having wax included so I assume this is a 2nd step? (which I would not mind doing)

I noticed a lot of people are using wool pads of some sort and I am familiar with LC and groits garage which both have good pads so what do I use for the one step compound and waxing?

Also what do I use for dealing with the metal and rubber? I assume I shouldn't do anything to the window frames, but there's a steel band that runs alongside the shape of the hull that I've been warned to be careful of when doing the polishing process (not sure about the waxing) and I noticed there's a Meguiars product for conditioning the rubber & vinyl that supports the metal bands and the upholstery since its made of vinyl.

[BillE]

I think what Meguiar's is saying is...compound and polish in one. Hence a follow up 'polish' isn't needed.

On the back of the bottle is does say, "For long lasting protection, follow with Meguiar's No 56 Marine/RV Pure Wax."

Bill

[mynetdude]

I think what Meguiar's is saying is...compound and polish in one. Hence a follow up 'polish' isn't needed.

On the back of the bottle is does say, "For long lasting protection, follow with Meguiar's No 56 Marine/RV Pure Wax."

Bill

awesome thanks :)

I found other products that help with the metal/rubber/vinyl along with it by the same brand too :)

So does anybody know about hologram issues with using these products or if that's even a concern?

Also am I supposed to only use wool pads? Or should I use a heavy cutting pad then go back over with wool? I understand that wool can leave behind some and so a finishing pad would be used to eliminate that from what I understand.

Also I assume I should also wash the boat before polishing and is there any need to clay the boat before putting the wax on like it would be done to automobile vehicles?