Polishing a Boat @ Detail Fest w/Marine 31 Waxes, Cleaners & Polishes

[Nick McKees37]

Really?! You want me to stand there for two days buffing on a boat?! That's the first thing that came out of my mouth when Max told me that I would be working in the marine section at our 8th annual Detail Fest. Before Max even had a chance to open his mouth and respond, I demanded (see "asked politely") that if I had to buff, polish and wax a boat for two days straight, my product line of choice would be the recently-introduced Marine 31 Waxes, Cleaners & Polishes. Max grinned, nodded his head and walked away. Now if getting the keys to his Crystal Red Corvette Convertible for the weekend was that easy.....

Marine 31 booth at our 8th Annual Detail Fest last weekend...

Why Marine 31? It's simple - the products are exceptionally easy to work with and they perform without a fuss. Severe gel coat oxidation removal? Check. Polishing metal surfaces to a brilliant shine? Check. Removing mildew from vinyl seats? Check. Marine 31 Waxes, Cleaners & Polishes has a product for virtually every square inch of your boat, from stern to bow. It's only an added bonus that each and every Marine 31 product is harbor-safe and eco-friendly. I'm an advocate of working smart, not hard, and Marine 31 Waxes, Cleaners & Polishes enables me to do just that.

The boat set up in the Marine 31 booth had light to moderate oxidation from sitting outside and being taken out on the water every other weekend. While Marine 31 offers varying levels of gel coat compounds and polishes (ultra heavy cut, medium cut, fine cut) I decided to take the simple approach and use what is my favorite product in the Marine 31 line, All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax.

Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax is the ideal one-step solution for removing light/moderate oxidation and staining on gel coat – standard and painted. Formulated using advanced micro-abrasives, propriety cleaning agents and nourishing oils, Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax maximizes color and gloss while leaving a durable layer of wax protection. This zero-dusting formula is incredibly easy to apply by hand or machine.

I decided to go with the latter and use a Flex PE14-2-150 Rotary Polisher equipped with a Rotary Backing Plate Extension, Lake Country Rotary 3 3/4 inch Backing Plate and a Lake Country 4 inch CCS Orange Light Cutting Pad. This was the ideal set up for polishing smaller areas of the boat. For the hull I used a 6.5 inch CCS Orange Light Cutting Pad. A Porter Cable 7424xp or Flex XC3401 will also get the job done.


Before:

During:

Notice how the Rotary Backing Plate Extension places the backing plate and buffing pad farther away from the body of the rotary polisher so you can more easily see the small, intricate area that you’re working on.

After:

Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax paired with the FLEX PE14-2-150 Rotary Polisher effortlessly removed the oxidation revealing a glossy finish. Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax has a long working time and wipes off with ease; it can even be used in direct sunlight. The durable coat of wax left behind will protect the gel coat against salt degradation and UV rays.

If you have a boat or RV and would prefer to spend time enjoying it for its intended use rather than constantly polishing and waxing it, pick up a bottle of Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax and take the simple approach.

Featured products:

• Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax
• FLEX PE14-2-150 Rotary Polisher
• Rotary 3 ¾ inch Backing Plate
• Rotary Backing Plate Extension
• Lake Country CCS Pads

The buttery-smooth, lightweight Flex PE14-2-150 paired with the easy-to-apply Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax made for an enjoyable Detail Fest weekend overall. Maybe polishing a boat isn't that bad after all....

[Chris's FX4]

Awesome Nick!

Can't wait to try this out this summer. The black waverunner in my sig has some light water spots and I think this would be perfect for it.

[silverfox]

Has anybody asked the obvious question yet? Are these products clearcoat safe?

I know the Duragloss 501 marine polish works beautifully on clearcoat and is a fantastic AIO.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Does a rotary buffer not leave holograms in gelcoat?

What RPM did you use, nick?

Nice job!

[Pats300zx]

Great stuff Nick. I had a chance to play around with some of the Marine 31 stuff at Detail Fest. Pretty impressive. I want to see how the AIO compares to my old "boat go to" DG 501.

Can't wait for May to pull my boat out and prep for summer with some Marine 31

[davidc]

I would be more interested in durability.

Dave

[FUNX650]

Hi Nick...

No wonder I didn't see you anywhere "On-Camera"...all weekend long!!

(No rest for the weary, I suppose)



Bob

[Nick McKees37]

Has anybody asked the obvious question yet? Are these products clearcoat safe?

I know the Duragloss 501 marine polish works beautifully on clearcoat and is a fantastic AIO.

They're all clear coat safe with the exception of Stainless Steel & Aluminum Brightening Soap and Finish Cut Metal Restoring Polish. I would advise against using Heavy-Cut Oxidation Cleaner outside of the marine/RV environment as its abrasive is very aggressive, which is required to level gel coat (gel coat is very hard).

I've used Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax on soft and hard clear coat finishes and have been extremely happy with the results. I wouldn't hesitate comparing it to your favorite AIO - it's that good.

Does a rotary buffer not leave holograms in gelcoat?

What RPM did you use, nick?

Nice job!

Mark,

Great question. Gel coat is considerably harder (and thicker) than clear coat. You'll be hard pressed to see holograms left on gel coat from using a foam pad and an AIO. A wool pad and a heavy cut compound would likely leave holograms behind.

Great stuff Nick. I had a chance to play around with some of the Marine 31 stuff at Detail Fest. Pretty impressive. I want to see how the AIO compares to my old "boat go to" DG 501.

Can't wait for May to pull my boat out and prep for summer with some Marine 31

Pat,

I know a guy that knows another guy, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to hook you up with some Marine 31 products since you were such a huge help at Detail Fest.

I would be more interested in durability.

Dave

Marine 31 All-In-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax, when used as a stand-alone form of protection, will easily provide 4-5 months of real-world protection. If you apply a coat of Marine 31 Carnauba Wax + Sealant afterwards, you'll be looking at close to a year.

To key to success with any wax or sealant (car or boat) is to properly maintain it. To ensure maximum protection, regularly wash your boat/rv with Marine 31 Gel Coat Wash & Wax with Carnauba and apply a coat of Marine 31 Gel Coat Spray Wax Plus about once a month.

Hi Nick...

No wonder I didn't see you anywhere "On-Camera"...all weekend long!!

(No rest for the weary, I suppose)



Bob

Bob,

Great observation!

[Meghan]

I do believe my boat is next Nick, it would love some Marine 31! Great line Max came out with looking forward to more feedback from the members.

[Nick McKees37]

I do believe my boat is next Nick

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