Tried a new method for detailing the exterior of the boat today. Had power washed the hull, but the gel coat was looking dull. As you all know, waxing the topside of the boat is a major pain with all the corners and angles and getting a orbital waxer on it is near impossible.
Anyhow, I've been researching and reading a bunch of discussions on the use of commercial floor polishes on fiberglass gelcoat. There are a ton of YouTube videos on the subject with long term tests showing the products stand up for over a year without having to be re-applied.
Here are the steps I used along with some photos that do a side by side comparison of the hull.
Step 1: Clean the Hull
First stage: used a pressure washer to remove the pollen and major chunks that had accumulated.
Second stage: I then used a $1.75 bottle of toilet bowl cleaner to remove the stains and marks off the boat. Applied with a microfiber cloth on a long pole (for areas hard to reach) and a washing mit for areas that needed more scrubbing. I did the entire topside and hull sides. Gave the hull a good rinse with water
Third stage: Washed the boat again with TSP to remove any of the cleaning products and residual grease/grime.
Step 2: Wax the Hull
For this step I used Zep Wet Look Floor Polish. This product is found at Home Depot in the floor cleaning section in a 1 gallon bottle for approximately $20. It's applied full strength using a microfiber cloth. I used the same cloth on a long pole I used for washing (after rinsing it off well). The product is simply wiped onto the hull wet, and left to dry for approximately 30 minutes. I applied 4 coats (so far) of the product. I simply went from bow to stern with both the pole and mit, had a coffee, and went back to the bow once again.
I have to say, the outcome is stunning. The gelcoat on my boat has never looked this good. I had people walking by on the dock saying "wow"!!! Seagulls actually bi-passed my boat and crapped on the boats elsewhere in the marina it looked so good! This product is acrylic. It can be easily removed using the correct removal product (Zep floor polish remover).
Now, I know that if it's not the first reply... there are going to be the naysayers -- you can't polish your boat without using an expensive wax and a polisher and getting super tired and sore. All I can say, is do the reading,
and long term tests (YouTube and elsewhere). There is ahttp://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/395916-commercial-floor-wax.html#b great overview on THT that I found helpful.
So here are some comparison photos. I did half the boat. It's easiest to see the difference on the brow -- an area I simply can't wax because I can't get up there. You can see the polish applied to the left side. The right side is clean but not polished. Basically where you see the reflection is the area that has been polished. The other area is simply too dull to reflect. This is what the product looks like after it has dried too!!! Even the rubber bow trim and the paint around my windows came out looking fantastic!
Some friends watching me.....
Anyhow, I've been researching and reading a bunch of discussions on the use of commercial floor polishes on fiberglass gelcoat. There are a ton of YouTube videos on the subject with long term tests showing the products stand up for over a year without having to be re-applied.
Here are the steps I used along with some photos that do a side by side comparison of the hull.
Step 1: Clean the Hull
First stage: used a pressure washer to remove the pollen and major chunks that had accumulated.
Second stage: I then used a $1.75 bottle of toilet bowl cleaner to remove the stains and marks off the boat. Applied with a microfiber cloth on a long pole (for areas hard to reach) and a washing mit for areas that needed more scrubbing. I did the entire topside and hull sides. Gave the hull a good rinse with water
Third stage: Washed the boat again with TSP to remove any of the cleaning products and residual grease/grime.
Step 2: Wax the Hull
For this step I used Zep Wet Look Floor Polish. This product is found at Home Depot in the floor cleaning section in a 1 gallon bottle for approximately $20. It's applied full strength using a microfiber cloth. I used the same cloth on a long pole I used for washing (after rinsing it off well). The product is simply wiped onto the hull wet, and left to dry for approximately 30 minutes. I applied 4 coats (so far) of the product. I simply went from bow to stern with both the pole and mit, had a coffee, and went back to the bow once again.
I have to say, the outcome is stunning. The gelcoat on my boat has never looked this good. I had people walking by on the dock saying "wow"!!! Seagulls actually bi-passed my boat and crapped on the boats elsewhere in the marina it looked so good! This product is acrylic. It can be easily removed using the correct removal product (Zep floor polish remover).
Now, I know that if it's not the first reply... there are going to be the naysayers -- you can't polish your boat without using an expensive wax and a polisher and getting super tired and sore. All I can say, is do the reading,
So here are some comparison photos. I did half the boat. It's easiest to see the difference on the brow -- an area I simply can't wax because I can't get up there. You can see the polish applied to the left side. The right side is clean but not polished. Basically where you see the reflection is the area that has been polished. The other area is simply too dull to reflect. This is what the product looks like after it has dried too!!! Even the rubber bow trim and the paint around my windows came out looking fantastic!
Some friends watching me.....
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