Suggestions on Boat waxing and detailing

[S6T6]

Collinite 476s Double Coat wax. One of my favorites when I have the time. Turtle Wax Ice spray when I'm short on time or in between full details.

 

[swatski]

Big thanks to @pagekl! And @BakedZiti.

I have looked at Klasse upon @pagekl's initial recommendation. Outstanding, ridiculously awesome product.

Try Klasse All-In-One Polish. I use it on my truck and boat. Really good stuff made in Germany. Talk about shine. Google it.

Absolutely, the headlights on my then 08 Tundra were a little foggy, I put some Klasse on and hit it with the DA polisher and as good as new. I've tried most of the waxes everyone is mentioning and to me Klasse stands apart. My boat is black and my old truck was white and let me tell you, it brought both back to a showroom shine. I am in no way affiliated with Klasse or in no way benefit from the sale, just passing along my experience with it. A little expensive, but worth it IMO.

I have now used it enough, including several side-by-sides with my other faves. I am completely convinced it is superior to anything I ever tried. Meguire's Flagship has been my go-to wax, and I like it a lot. But going forward, I am a 100% Klasse convert. The big bottle of Flagship that is half full may never be finished...


There are 3 things I like most about Klasse:

1. The ease of application and toweling it off. Outstanding.

2. It repels dirt. It repels dirt. And river water scum. The first few times I launched and retrieved my boat after Klasse wax job, I could not get it dirty. I ran around the boat after retrieval, my quick wax and towels in hand, and I could not see dirt/scum... Where did it go? It seemed to have just slipped away.
I'm just toweling the hull anyway to dry it. But it is weird.

3. Seems to work on cars with all the trim, too. Especially going over those non-clearcoat/gelcoat parts such as trim and seals, it comes off effortlessly, which is great.
(Duh... I know, it is designed for cars. But some waxes can be a pain to get off of the trim).

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[d_coyne1984]

Has anyone tried the Klasse Sealant Glaze after the polish?

 

[swatski]

Has anyone tried the Klasse Sealant Glaze after the polish?

Good point. I may try this, cannot imagine it would be anything but great. And if it holds the slickness up longer, that would make an outstanding product even better.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Good point. I may try this, cannot imagine it would be anything but great. And if it holds the slickness up longer, that would make an outstanding product even better.

That was kind of my thought. If you try it, please post on your results. I think I am going to finish up my bottle of Meguiars before I try switching to Klasse. One question I have on the Klasse All-in-One is, is it a polish or a wax? The label says polish on it, but I didn't see any mention of a wax, although it sounds like many people are using it as such. Please school me.

 

[swatski]

That was kind of my thought. If you try it, please post on your results. I think I am going to finish up my bottle of Meguiars before I try switching to Klasse. One question I have on the Klasse All-in-One is, is it a polish or a wax? The label says polish on it, but I didn't see any mention of a wax, although it sounds like many people are using it as such. Please school me.

Will do! I am tempted to actually do half/half tests with Flagship and Klasse, if I can find time.

Is it a wax or a polish? Good question, I certainly use it as a wax (although I am also pretty certain that it is technically a polish, doubt there is any real wax in it... I maybe offending many purists here, but I think it's semantics). Apply to clean and dry surface, let dry to a haze, towel off with microfiber. I generally do not buff, unless I have to.

I am not throwing my Flagship away, it is a fantastic product and it is going to be used. Could be better long term - who knows? But I'm virtually certain I am switching. And I did not see this coming, bought that Klasse because I was intrigued.

EDIT: I kind of spaced, forgot to mention a very important feature of Klasse - it is EXCELLENT in removing residual dirt. Better than Flagship in that regard, as it does not smear, and just powders the dirt off. (Whatever light dirt is left after good cleaning, that is)

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[mraz72]

if you follow the advice of car detailers, the answers to your questions depend on the condition of the paint on your boat.

1. Does your paint need correction? Are there swirls and marks in the paint that need to be buffed out?

if the answer is yes, you may need a wet sanding step, followed by a rotary buffer step

if the answer is no, you should be able to do a 1 stop cleaner wax to shine and protect.

My boat has MANY swirls in the paint, and i have two high end buffers (Rupes 21 Bigfoot and Rupes Mini)

I plan on testing a small area, trying the one step compound, if that doesn't work I might have to sand followed by the compound

https://www.amazon.com/Marine-31-Captains-One-Step-Compound/dp/B00N24ZS5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471884706&sr=8-1&keywords=captains+one+step+compound+and+polish

http://www.marine31.com/marine-31-captains-boat-coating.html

 

[swatski]

if you follow the advice of car detailers, the answers to your questions depend on the condition of the paint on your boat.

1. Does your paint need correction? Are there swirls and marks in the paint that need to be buffed out?

if the answer is yes, you may need a wet sanding step, followed by a rotary buffer step

if the answer is no, you should be able to do a 1 stop cleaner wax to shine and protect.

My boat has MANY swirls in the paint, and i have two high end buffers (Rupes 21 Bigfoot and Rupes Mini)

I plan on testing a small area, trying the one step compound, if that doesn't work I might have to sand followed by the compound

https://www.amazon.com/Marine-31-Captains-One-Step-Compound/dp/B00N24ZS5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471884706&sr=8-1&keywords=captains+one+step+compound+and+polish

http://www.marine31.com/marine-31-captains-boat-coating.html

I used cutting compounds for gelcoat restoration, but on much older boats than yours... I seriously doubt you would need sanding, other than to buff out damaged spots.

Meguire's 105 (ultra-cut, whatever they call it) works wonders with a good orbital.

 

[mraz72]

you're probably right. I am surprised at swirls in my paint, if I can get away with the compound + polish and then seal the pain (whatever gel coat wax) I'll be happy.

My guess is
1. I will wash and rinse as best I can while the boat is on the trailer
2. run the compound and polish with my buffers (not sure about the speed yet, I'll test a small area and see what the different speeds get me)
3. spray and wipe the cleaner (prerequisite for the UV wax I am using)
4. wax the boat by hand

I'll be doing this mid-late october which means it could be 40-50 degrees. I have a steel barn (over 1000 sq ft) that I can work it. I was thinking about a heater, not sure if I want to spend the money to heat that size. I will probably hope the chemicals I am using work well in that environment.

not looking for show room quality, just hoping to get the swirls out of the paint

 

[pagekl]

Has anyone tried the Klasse Sealant Glaze after the polish?

I have that too, but to be honest, you don't need it. I bought a bottle at the same time as as the "All-in-One" and may have used it once. The shine with the "All-in-One last a longtime.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Klasse has a ton of fillers @Michael Rasmussen , so Klasse could make your spider webs disappear with no work. It's not the right way but sure is easy!

 

[pagekl]

@swatski, glad you liked the Klasse. My new truck is black and I've used once so far, but haven't hit it with the Shurhold DA polisher yet to bring out the real shine. As you already know, it works great buffing by hand, but a DA polisher will bring out that deep shine.

 

[Shannon]

Try Klasse All-In-One Polish. I use it on my truck and boat. Really good stuff made in Germany. Talk about shine. Google it.

@pagekl I have to tell you I got the Klasse All-In-One Polish. It is by far the best stuff I have ever used.. The stuff is on my car,truck and boat now. I can not believe how easy it is to use and the shine is unreal...It also helps prevent the dirt to not stick to the paint. The boat and car are so slick like ice! I have a 2014 silver Audi S4 and I swear it shines more now than when I bought it new. I set in the garage and just stair at them..Thanks for telling us about Klasse!!!!

 

[pagekl]

@Shannon, glad to hear you tried Klasse and liked the results. This will be the only product I wax and polish my boat, car, & truck with. They use this stuff on planes and anyone who has ever flown knows how much a plane shines. If you saw my old truck, you would have thought it was newer than it really was. For any skeptic out there, give this stuff a try, you won't regret it. My boat is a 2010, always kept outside and I guarantee it shines just as much or more than a brand new 2016.

 

[Swimmingly]

Picked up 303 Protectant Quick Detailer spray today to try it out on my new FSH. Directions say its good for clear plastic, metal, gel coat, etc. Have always used their UV vinyl spray.

 

[swatski]

@pagekl I have to tell you I got the Klasse All-In-One Polish. It is by far the best stuff I have ever used.. The stuff is on my car,truck and boat now. I can not believe how easy it is to use and the shine is unreal...It also helps prevent the dirt to not stick to the paint. The boat and car are so slick like ice! I have a 2014 silver Audi S4 and I swear it shines more now than when I bought it new. I set in the garage and just stair at them..Thanks for telling us about Klasse!!!!

No kidding!
@pagekl I want to buy you a beer. Or a case of beer, really.

 

[Wayloncle]

Picked up 303 Protectant Quick Detailer spray today to try it out on my new FSH. Directions say its good for clear plastic, metal, gel coat, etc. Have always used their UV vinyl spray.

I use the 303 quick detailer quite a bit on everything including glass, I like it!

 

[swatski]

Picked up 303 Protectant Quick Detailer spray today to try it out on my new FSH. Directions say its good for clear plastic, metal, gel coat, etc. Have always used their UV vinyl spray.

I use the 303 quick detailer quite a bit on everything including glass, I like it!

I buy 303 Protectant by a gallon.
How does 303 Speed Detailer (I'm assuming that is the one) compare to Boat Bling /Hot Sauce hard spot remover that many here rave about? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GWVBQ8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[Wayloncle]

I buy 303 Protectant by a gallon.
How does 303 Speed Detailer (I'm assuming that is the one) compare to Boat Bling /Hot Sauce hard spot remover that many here rave about? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GWVBQ8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I got my first bottle of hot sauce a couple days ago....it worked good on my black refrigerator. There was a magnetic clip holding a picture on the door, after using the hot sauce the clip just slid down the door (weak magnet) but it was funny.
I haven't used it on any vehicles yet so I can't compare, 303 does smell better though.

 

[zipper]

Restoring the shine on old boats. The 10 yo Yamaha at the time. Using wetsanding and a D/A and a rotary pollisher.

I removed the graphics and started wet sanding with 1000 grit, then 1500 and 2000.





You can see the shine coming back after the 2000.
Then after polishing and waxing I see this



I use these on our boats.




You can even restore the shine on 30 yo white gelcoat.





I like this 3m cleaner/wax a lot.