Detailing a boat

I have heard alot about wetsanding and then polishing boats on here previously. I was wondering what grit sandpaper and the procedures for doing this. What type of polish or wax works best afterwards etc.

First decide if you absolutely need to wetsand or if you can just polish and buff it, Gel coat is tougher than automotive paint and 15 to 20 times thicker. More often than not, you will be able to machine buff out most oxidation and other blemishes or scratches. If you're finish is real bad use a 1500 grit and keep the area very wet. For polishing try a very fine cut compound first and if you need more go down and then come back with finer compound and finish with a good sealant wax. An electric buffer is a must for doing a boat and make sure you have a good quality non-abrasive wool pad for all work. As far as brands, I use Meguiars, their compounds have a scale on the bottle telling you how light or heavy the compound is so you can work up to the finer one. Just take you're time, doing small areas at a time polishing and buffing; it should turn out great. If you want, post a picture of your boats finish and we can help you decide if you should wetsand or not.

(Message edited by bcmach on May 15, 2007)