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[ Home > Polishers & Accessories > Polishers, Pads & Accessories > Professional Circular (High Speed) Polishers, Pads & Accessories > Gel Coat Labs Professional
Marine Polish & Shine Kit ]
 Gel Coat Labs Professional
Marine Polish & Shine Kit
Our best kit for restoring gel coat finishes that are moderately dull and
chalky.
A kit recommendation by Terry
Freiberg
If the gel coat
on your boat is moderately chalky and dull or if you just purchased a used craft
with neglected gel coat, this is the kit you need to restore the finish to "like
new". This kit will restore both standard white and painted gel coat finishes.
Unfortunately, this kit requires the use of both a circular machine polisher and
a dual-action polisher. Compounding dull, chalky gel coats requires a circular
polisher. Applying the final sealant requires a dual-action polisher like the
Porter Cable 7424. Don't be afraid of using a circular polisher on your boat's
finish. Unlike delicate automotive clear coats, the gel coat finish on your boat
is exceptionally tough and very resistant to damage. Even the first time user
can safely use a circular polisher to remove oxidation (chalky dullness) and
restore a glass-like shine.
In case you're new to machine polishers,
there are two different types of polishers available. One category are dual
action or orbital polishers. With these machines, the pads do not rotate, they
oscillate or "jiggle" in a random motion that duplicates the motion of hand
application. Dual action polishers like the Porter Cable 7424 will not create
swirls in painted finishes but lack the power for restoring moderate to severe
gel coat dullness. Dual action polishers are excellent however for applying the
final sealant.
The second category of machine polishers are
called circular or rotary polishers. This group includes the
Vector Waxxpro,
DeWalt DW849 and the
Makita 9227. These are the machines used by most professional
detailers and body shop technicians. With circular polishers, the pads do rotate
or "cut". These polishers have high torque motors and can run at higher speeds
to actually abrade the surface. Circular polishers require more skill on the
part of the operator when working on thin, automotive clear coats. This is not a
concern when working on gel coats. The rotary action of professional circular
polishers quickly removes even severe gel coat oxidation (surface dullness) and
restores the glass-like finish of new gel coat.
Another option.
You just purchased a used boat with a dull,
chalky or neglected finish. You called the detailer at your local marina who
told you he'll be glad to polish and seal your boat to make it look like new for
$1000. to $1250. You're here because you thought you could do the job yourself
for a lot less but now you're getting turned off because you have to buy two
machine polishers. You have another option. There is a third type of machine
polisher called a "Two Mode" polisher. These machines, like the Makita BO6040,
are two machines in one. At the flip of a switch the motor can be locked into a
circular motion for polishing and then switched to an orbital motion to apply
the final sealant. The Makita BO6040 also comes with a 6 inch flexible backing
plate that fits all the pads in this kit. With a machine like the Makita BO6040
and the products in this kit, you can fully restore the gel coat on a 28 ft boat
in about 8 hours. If you're an old salt, like me, you can do the polishing on
one day, take an afternoon "beverage break" and apply the final sealant the next
day.
This kit is available with and
without a Makita, Two Mode Polisher.
If you already own both a circular and
dual-action polisher, you can purchase all the products you'll need in our
BTS-MPS Kit. Both of your machines will need to be fitted with a six inch, Hook
and Loop Backing Plate. These backing plates do not come in the kit and may or
may not have come with your machines. The Backing Plates for dual-action
machines are threaded differently than those for circular polishers. If you need
a 6 inch backing plate for your dual action machine (Porter Cable 7424), you can
get it here:
Flexible Backing Plates for Dual Action Polishers.
If you need a 6 inch backing plate for your circular machine polisher you can
get it here:
Flexible Backing Plates for Circular Polishers.
If you do not own any machine polishers, you
can select our BTS-6040MPS Kit which includes a Makita BO6040, Two Mode
Polisher. This machine comes with a 6 inch backing plate so you'll have
everything you need.
Our BTS-MPS Professional Marine Polish and
Shine Kit includes:
- 32 oz., All Marine Cleaner.
- 16 oz., Gel Coat Fine Cut Polish.
- A 7-1/2 inch, Avenger, Gel Coat, Wool
Polishing
Pad.
- A Stainless Steel Brush (for fluffing wool
pads).
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- 16 oz., One-step, Gel Coat Micro-polish &
Sealant.
- A 7-1/2 inch, CCS Technology, Gel Coat
Orange Foam Pad
- Two (2) Power Scrubber Microfiber
Applicator Pads
- Two (2) Power Scrubber Microfiber Cloths
for removing polish residues.
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- Two (2) Perfect Shine buffing Cloths for
buffing Micro-polish & Sealant to a bright shine.
- Three (3) packets of Snappy Clean Pad
Cleaning Solution.
- 16 oz. Foam Pad Lubricant and Residue
Remover
- Gel Coat Labs
Application Guide.
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| Our Professional Marine Polish and
Shine Kit is also available with a Makita BO6040 Two Mode Polisher and 6
inch Backing Plate..
Select our specially priced BTS-6040MPS
Kit listed below. |
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A gel coat
primer.
Gel coat, the smooth glassy outer finish on your boat is porous. Seen
under a microscope, gel coat is millions of tiny holes or pores. As gel coat
ages from exposure to salt water and sunlight, these pores fill with
oxidized polymer molecules called "chalk". Waxing or sealing the gel coat
will slow the oxidation process but not stop it. Oxidation is still
continuing under the wax! This is why waxing alone is not enough.
Eventually, even with routine waxing, the gel coat will oxidize so severely
that it will require major refurbishing. |
It is prudent to cleanse your boat's finish once a year, remove any
accumulated oxidation, and restore the original surface gloss. We call this
cleansing process polishing.
Gel Coat Labs Gel Coat Fine Cut Polish
with a Gel Coat Wool Pad on a circular machine polisher has the power
to quickly and easily restore dull, moderately chalky gel coat. This cutting
speed and ease of clean-up is one reason this polish is used at the OEM
level by boat and yacht makers. |
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After compounding, you must re-apply a sealant. Again, you can do this
by hand but a dual-action machine polisher, with the proper pad, will
allow you to accomplish this in a fraction of the time it would take to seal
your boat by hand.
One-step, Gel Coat Micro-polish & Sealant
will take the already polished gel coat to the next level and seal the shine
under a tough, acrylic shield.
The actual procedure: |
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| Polishing is started by wiping a small
amount of polish over a 3 sq. ft. area using a dry, Microfiber Applicator
Pad. Next, put a Gel Coat Wool Compounding Pad on your circular
polisher and go over the area until gloss is restored. If pad becomes caked
with residues, fluff the pad with a stainless steel brush. (See application
guide). Finish by wiping off any remaining residues by hand using a dry,
Microfiber Wipe Cloth. Continue compounding in 3 sq. ft. sections until the
entire vessel is done. Applying the
final sealant is even easier. Place an Orange,
Gel Coat Foam Pad on your dual-action
machine, mist the pad with Pad Lubricant and apply two lines of sealant to
the pad. Work over 3 sq. ft. sections and wipe off residues by hand with a
dry, Microfiber Wipe Cloth.
If you want to review the complete
step-by-step procedure in more detail, I've published Gel Coat Lab's
Product Application Guide here:
Gel Coat Labs Application Guide.
Note:
I've had excellent results using the above
system on quite dull, chalky gel coats but there is a point where the gel
coat becomes so oxidized that Gel Coat Fine Cut Polish does not have the
power to restore gloss. These vessels require a three step process. The gel
coat should be compounded first with Gel Coat Labs Gel Coat Heavy Cut
Compound using a circular polisher and a Gel Coat Wool Compounding Pad.
After compounding, use Gel Coat Fine Cut Polish with a circular polisher and
a Gel Coat Compounding Pad to restore gloss and finish with a coat of
One-step, Gel Coat Micro-polish & Sealant applied with a dual-action machine
and an Orange Gel Coat Foam Pad. If you are trying to restore a severely
oxidized, chalky boat see our:
Master Marine Detailing Kit. |
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