Have a 31 ft boat and the thought of hand waxing the whole thing is frightening. Would like some recommendations on hand electric polishers/buffers that people have had good experiences with in the past. Not trying to break the bank with this and I know you can spend as little as $25.00 at Walmart to >$200.00 for the top of the line. Just need a good polisher that will most likely be used 2-3 times per year (boating season at the Lake of the Oazrks is only about 5-6 months long)
Does orbital vs random orbital rotation make a difference?

I will be using performance boat candy wax and polish products if that helps.
Thanks

Only on i would ever buy is makita!

Harbor Freight dual action if you're looking to apply wax and lightly polish. Don't use a rotary(Makita, Dewalt, etc) to apply wax, that's just nonsense IMO. I've had one for a few months down that's had heavy use and it's still ripping as good as the day I took it out of the box.

Makita 9227C. Right around $200. Only buffer I will buy.

Yep, outlasted anything else in my shop by far. My big burly "heavy duty feeling" Dewalt ate itself in maybe a year and a half. The Makita that has replaced it was much lighter and to be honest felt cheaper but has been going strong for eight years now no prob (cept for a couple power cords that may have been pilot error lol)

If you are trying to restore your gel coat/paint get the Makita. If you are just waxing the boat you don't need one of those. For just waxing my boat and cars I use this one in the link below. Got it at the local auto store $34.00 and I have had it for 4 years.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0684&ppt=C0063

For removing oxidation your best tool is a rotary buffer with wool pads. Dewalt has upgraded their rotary (DWP849X) with a larger motor and better cooling for low speed buffing (still fairly new so not much history on it yet). You can't go wrong with the Makita 9227C. I also have a Flex 3401 forced rotation DA and it is slower and takes more effort to remove oxidation using foam pads. Best to use a rotary with wool pads to cut thru oxidation.

I have to cut the cord down a few inches a few times a year and brushes every few years. The wires in the cord isn't strong enough lol. Same deal here with the Dewalt, ate up in about a year, junk. And it was heavy as a Milwaukee and a fuggin workout when I used it.

Air polishers really are the way to go but around double the price of the Makita. And if you have your air intake on the compressor outside it will frost over and freeze your hands in the winter.

I really appreciate all the suggestions from everyone and its nice to hear about how well people keep up their boats.
Thankfully on my 97 there is really no oxidation so no real need for oxidation removal at this point. I would like to lay down a good coat of wax a couple times a year (rather than pay $300-400 per boat detailing) and I like doing the work myself.

Another +1 for the Makita. Love mine.