Buffing compound...
 

Well it actually looks like I may get out fishing this coming year as I think I have my boat straightened out. So, what brand name of compound should I use on a heavily oxidized dark blue paint? I tried Star Brite Restorer but no good. I used straight rubbing compound from Trojan boat mfg. but no real results from that either. Reading magazines and most are recommending "Yacht Brite Buff Magic". If anyone knows of a good brand that works please post. Thank you, Bob

better late than never? i've struggled with some oxidized boats. usually winds up more or less the same - quickly returns to crappy looking. usually within 2 weeks, sometimes after 1st rain.

last go around i went with the 3m system, starting with their most aggressive for heavy oxidation and heavy-duty, high-speed polisher. it looked pretty good and i didn't need the fine cut finesse-it product. but 2 weeks later it wasn't looking nearly as nice. i would describe it as a disappointment for how much work i had done, but still an improvement overall.

my last boat, i relied on yearly polishing with 3m and just left it at that. for what it's worth, i think nearly all rubbing compounds include wax, silicone, etc to impress user.

there's also acrylic floor finish type products. sort of like the old 'Future' floor finish, a coat of acrylic is kind of like a clear coat of water-base paint, and only lasts a few weeks.

if you've done the polishing, you might try googling for more info about a product called 'penetrol'. it's a paint additive, a 'vehicle', for improving paint flow but it really does make old gelcoat color look pretty good. can buy it at home depot cheap. a little tricky polishing it back off but it brings out the color and shine. not sure how long it lasts. like i said - google around for more info about penetrol and old gelcoat.

I've been fairly satisfied using 3M's compound/wax on my previous boats, but they only thing I have to compare it to is Bass Pro's alleged equivalent....which was NOT as good as the 3M.

The 3M stuff sure did a nice job cleaning it and giving it a good shine, but like Southerly said it only lasted a few weeks on the white. The blue never re-oxidized on my old Bayliner; it looked good for the entire season.

But the white topsides seemed vulnerable to the UV rays.

Two things about the Penetrol:

It's a solvent, so be careful with the stuff. It's meant as an additive for OIL based paints. It might mess with any pinstriping or decals on your boat.

It's deadly. The VOC content per gallon is well over 500 grams/liter. For comparison, a good quality acrylic interior paint will run between 0 g/l VOC and about 100 g/l VOC.
Don't inhale it. Or do if that's your kind of thing. :rolleyes:

I used to sell a lot of the stuff to one of the now defunct boat dealers for this exact purpose. They claimed it was the best polish ever for fiberglass, but I've never tried it myself.

Southerly and Spot77, I appreciate both of your replies. I've been searching on the net and everything is coming back as to Buff Magic being the "hot" item this year. Last year was "collenite". Buff Magic lists for $36.00/can but I can find it everywhere for $28.00/can. I even found some for $18.25/can. I think I'll try it and post the results here so others know what works and what doesn't work.

Thanks again, Bob

ahhh, the smell of Penetrol in the morning. smells like,..., boat sale in the afternoon.

ps - the stuff polishes off like syrup, keep working area small.