fountain44

marine customs is right. Do not use sand paper and wax I would first try 3m's finess-it 2 (finessit II) I think thas what the bottle says? But it is called finess it 2

RollWithIt

Ive had good success with my Makita buffer and wool pad. I use 3M buffing compound. ( Dont know the technical name, Im at work) It will get all the oxidation out but it will come back. My problem is keeping it from coming back.

US1 Fountain

iTrader: (1)

That's my thinking also.
As your average do-it-yourself guy, I always work backwards until I reach the method that gives results. Makes for less work and looks better in the end.

Some info I read here a couple yrs ago on this very topic. I beleive this is how it was explained. I 'think' it was Glassdave that explained it as:

Gel can be compared to an egg shell. Has an sealed, hard, durable outer layer, but once you sand thru it, you have removed that sealed hard layer. Thus the reasoning why many times a boat that has been wet sanded to remove the fading, it requires more upkeep to keep the fading from coming back as it does so easier. Some times wet sanding can't be avoided.

jimmyjr

im new to this forum but i have been lookin here for years.im in the car buisness and we use a material called x-cote.i put it on my boat three years ago after wet sanding and buffing and 1 coat of wax per year ,it still looks great and my boat is solid black.

Pismo10

That is very impressive. Black is the hardest to keep. Do you have anymore details on the name/brand and what kind of wax do you use to top it off. Thanks, you may save me hours with the buffer.

jimmyjr

our detail shop is closed today. but i know it is a mothers wax product.and the x-cote is a chemical formula that is applied by a cloth and is self leveling.it is like a super flexible clear coat.our head detailer says its the chemical bond between the gel coat or paint and the x-cote.thats what makes the surface shiny.but you have to maintain it hence the reason for the wax.

ToTheMax

Those are amazing results!

dockrocker

My first thought as well - who wants to do business with people like that? Fugg'em, lots of boats out there.