So in one of my other threads it was brought up about the bottom of my boat shouldn't be polished and shiny but rather somewhat roughed up for best performance. The theory behind it makes total sense to me that the polished/shiny bottom is stickier than a semi rough bottom. My question now is how do I put this to real world use? I plan to pull the boat off the trailer this winter anyway to check the bottom for hook, rocker, and just general imperfections....my question is...should I hit the whole bottom with say 2000 grit paper on a sander to roughen it up a bit or is there a better process to use?

Thanks

Seems like I remember this discussion years back, and you are supposed to go length wise.

Back when I used to race jet skis we used 36 grit in the lengthwise direction.

Lotta work for little gain.

We 220'd the race boat and there was consistently a "higher" mark on the GPS needle. If I could quantify it for you, yeah it moved the needle a little more. Is it worth the additional staining that seems to stick to it when in dirty water, nope.

So I guess where I'm is that the bottom of the boat doesn't look bad...no stains, no build up, no yellowing but it's just dull. Highly doubt it's ever been waxed or buffed or anything and it looks shabby in my opinion. Rest of the boat is nice shiny white and the bottom is dull and feels rough like a car that's never been waxed.

So will I lose speed by buffing and waxing it to make it look better or would it be better to hit it with some sand paper and yes obviously doesn't solve my dull look but at least it would have a purpose to look dull. Kinda torn on what to do...have to do something cuz I'm not happy with it now.

I think reading your posts that you will be happier if you buff and wax. Not sure of the speed increase or decrease for this but I agree with Rookie, it is going to stain terribly after about 10 minutes in the water and trying to keep it clean after sanding is going to consume a lot of time. Plus how many people are really going to know the "purpose" why it is dull and overall doesn't match the rest of the boat. Buff and wax will last the entire season (probably more) up here.

Very good points...The boat NEVER stays in the water over night and is always inside my barn when not in use so I think pulling it out and having the whole thing top to bottom be as shiny as possible will suit me better from the sounds of it. I mean if we are talking 5+ MPH that's a different story but it doesn't sound like it will be that significant either way....Thanks!!

Bet that bottom will hold grime and growth like crazy. I’d only do it on back in the middle if you’re serious.

I was actually just thinking after my last post and since this boat is supposed to ideally ride up on only the pad, maybe I can buff/wax everywhere else and rough up the pad a bit since you won't see it anyway and get the best of both worlds?? If I happen to find that I do indeed have a hook in the bottom then I think that is exactly what I will do. Fix the hook, scuff the pad, and shine up the rest