3m restorer & wax

[scott craven]

My hull is faded and no shine to the gelcoat, although
it is not chaulky.
Anybody tried this product on oxidized gelcoat ?

 

[Last Chance]

It's basicly like acrylic floor wax if it's like any of the other brush-on shine restorers. I've never used the 3m stuff, but if it just paints on, and has no brushing or anything, get yourself a bottle of acrylic floor wax and a foam brush, and see how it looks. Worked better on coloured surfaces then on white. I tried a bit on my Hourston when it still looked like a Dill Pickle.

 

[Kisinana]

I use it every year on my boat and it does a great job. Even the muck that gets on the hull when pulling the boat out of the harbour just washes off when sprayed with the hose. it also took out a number of small scuffs from the hull.

 

[salmon9]

I was just using some on the weekend. It is a does a very good job of removing dirt, oxidation and markings in the gel coat and buffs up to a gloss. I use it on spots that need a good cleaning and prefer to apply it and buff it by hand. The bottle says "For heavily oxidized finishes. Combines rubbing compound and wax in one application." It's a tan coloured paste of similiar consistency to that of tooth paste. I use the 3M Marine Ultra Performance Boat Wax and while it takes a bit to apply and buff it sure looks good at lasts a long time. I use the wax on my Jeep and car as well.

 

[Last Chance]

If it's a rub on, it's different then what I had in mind.

 

[SeaFunMan]

You’ll love it

 

[marula]

Ive been restoring the finish on my boat. (sunshine permitting) Its new used to me and what is working great is 3m heavy buffing polish then the 3m marine finesse-it II finishing material. The shine and polish is great. I use an electric buffer for it. Some areas heavy with light scratches i take 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and go over it on a wet surface first, after that I will give it a good coat of wax. You want to wash and scrub the boat well as any dirt will just get ground into the gelcoat pours.

 

[Mongoose]

i used that(3m restorer and wax( on my boat. it hasnt been re painted in years according to the previous owner. it wasnt shiney, had groths on the hull, roller marks, random scratches, and water marks. used it once and looked like new paint and is very shiney to this day. first waxing in like 8 years

 

[Maxpower]

When I used to work for current designs (kayaks) we used the blue bottle from meguiers(spelling) and also a buffing compuond called blue block and white block. And "50" wax from the same company and it brought faded hulls and decks right up to new.

 

[scott craven]

Thanks for the reply's, i bought a bottle and will try it
out this weekend.

 

[scott craven]

So after a test , my opinion is that the product is very good at removing stains such as fish blood, rust, etc.
It seems to bring some life back into the almost 20 year old gel
coat, however not a glossy shine.
I think i expected a little too much.

 

[marula]

raven, my experience is those combo products are marginal in performance and soon fade out. To really bring up the shine in to orignial gelcoat finish try a more agressive procedure. Cleaning of dirt and old wax is very important to get down to pure gelcoat. Use single purpose products like the oxidizer remover, finish polishing compond and seal it with wax. Iv'e been doing this on my boats and it is working well.

I cropped this from a web site also.

1. Hand scrub the boat's exterior to remove all surface impurities
2. Hand wet sand with 600 grit wet sand paper to remove any scratches or sun burning
3. Hand wet sand with 800 grit wet sand paper for a smooth and even surface area
4. Wet sand with 1200 girt sand paper to restore the gel coat to it's original condition
5. Machine buff with the best liquid compound to remove sanding scratch marks
6. Machine buff with liquid glaze to create a mirror-like finish
7. Hand wax to protect and seal the new finish from oxidation and sun burning

 

[Slabby20]

Marula's post is very close to what I did when I bought my 91 Trophy a few years back. I got a great deal on it because the hull was so scratched and oxidized. It looked like crap! I started out just using the rubbing compound and it wasn't getting it done so I started over by wet sanding as someone suggested to me. I spent quite a few hours wet sanding it before completely buffing with 3M rubbing compound. Wow, what a difference! When I was done it was like a mirror. From a short distance it looked close to new. The key was the wet sanding. You need to get of "burned" get coat off. Buffing won't do that. It's worth the time. Not only does it increase the re-sale value of your boat but it gives you that pride of ownership since it looks so much better when you're done.

Slabby >&gt)))'>

 

[Fishinnut]

I use it and it works great. I used it on my old Trophy. I bought a buffer and didn't even need to use it. It works really well.

I bought another Trophy that is going to require a real buffer and not an orbital one. It is really oxidized bad. If if doesn't work, I will have to wet sand it first.

 

[Fishinnut]

Oh for Rust stains use FSR. (Fiberglass Stain Remover)heavy ones take two applications. You can get it the same place as the 3M.

 

[SIR]

My welded aluminum isn't very shiney..... but I'm VERY happy to say I've never had to buff it or wax it

 

[marula]

ya don't "rub" it in