Buying a new polisher

[leeccoll]

It's not so much the gel coat but rather the condition of it and the coarseness of the product used to buff/compound. You could wet sand the hull to a pretty fine finish and then use a RO to polish.
You may also find out that using a different pad like foam pad for compounding may work better than a fluffy wool pad. The wool pads when loaded up with goop can cause a lot of drag and load on the polisher. It is also best to apply the compound to the hull and not the pad.

Agreed seasick~

 

[SkunkBoat]

Your shine guilted me....
Just bought one on eBay New $121

So here she is after Dewalt polisher and 3m Compound & Finish and some West Marine wax.
Three 50 degree February days and the hull is waxed and the bottom painted, squids stenciled, scuppers replaced, and motors sold!
She'll be floating early with new Suzukis!

 

[leeccoll]

Looks great Skunk but you forgot a pic of you holding an Advil jar

Seriously nice polish man!!

 

[SkunkBoat]

Looks great Skunk but you forgot a pic of you holding an Advil jar

Seriously nice polish man!!

took 3 Ibuprofen last night...

 

[jillyrubyjane]

Makita 9237CX3 makita 7″ polisher. So far, its great. Used on my 24' boat & 3 personal vehicles. Im not a novice detailer, but Im also not an expert detailer either and I feel this is the perfect setup for those who detail a few times a year.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Here’s a video showing the cyclo buffer. It’s not cheap at $360 but you pay for what you get.

 

[oliver305]

I use Shurhold boat buffer kit, one of the things that I really like about this kit is that it allows you to save money since it includes all of the basic necessities for buffing your boat. It’s quite easy to use and maneuver. It’s also very compact and lightweight.

 

[Joe Hurley]

After doing a lot of research I don’t think one machine will do everything. Rotaries will cut the best but will leave holograms and you will need a random orbital to remove them. I hate to spend your money but you need 3 machines. #1 Mikita rotary to cut #2 Flex 3401vrg forced rotation for hologram removal #3 Rupes Bigfoot lhr15 for final finish. This is me on my new Flex 3401, it’s an awesome machine but will kick your ass.

 

[Joe Hurley]

More pictures of the water sponge area of a 07 marlin.

 

[jbloom]

I had the Dewalt Buffer/Polisher, Variable Speed, Soft Start, 7-Inch/9-Inch (DWP849X) and I returned it, it was huge and too heavy. I like polishing, but the Dewalt is a backbreaker. It's almost 7 pounds and I'm not getting any younger. 600-3500 OPMs, and a 12 AMP motor. Don't get me wrong it's a great tool just too heavy for me, and I'm not tiny I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs. just my arms were beaten after polishing up my boat all day.

I'm looking at the Griot's Garage G9 RANDOM ORBITAL POLISHER, it's around 5 pounds, 2000-6400 OPMs, and an 8.5 AMP motor https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/g9+random+orbital+polisher.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

The Surhold is 4.4 lbs. with a Variable speed of 2500-6500 OPMs and a 4.2 AMP motor.
My cousin and friend do bodywork at a shop and they both swear by the FLEX L 1503 VR, it's german made, it's light but expensive - $300 plus, 4 pounds, 1200-4900 OPMs. They both said lighter is the way to go on these.

I haven't pulled the trigger on any of these yet but spring is coming and the boat wrap will be coming off soon. I don't want to spend $300 plus on this would love to stay around $150 for the Griot's or the Shurhold just can't make up my mind.

 

[Joe Hurley]

I had the Dewalt Buffer/Polisher, Variable Speed, Soft Start, 7-Inch/9-Inch (DWP849X) and I returned it, it was huge and too heavy. I like polishing, but the Dewalt is a backbreaker. It's almost 7 pounds and I'm not getting any younger. 600-3500 OPMs, and a 12 AMP motor. Don't get me wrong it's a great tool just too heavy for me, and I'm not tiny I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs. just my arms were beaten after polishing up my boat all day.

I'm looking at the Griot's Garage G9 RANDOM ORBITAL POLISHER, it's around 5 pounds, 2000-6400 OPMs, and an 8.5 AMP motor https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/g9+random+orbital+polisher.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

The Surhold is 4.4 lbs. with a Variable speed of 2500-6500 OPMs and a 4.2 AMP motor.
My cousin and friend do bodywork at a shop and they both swear by the FLEX L 1503 VR, it's german made, it's light but expensive - $300 plus, 4 pounds, 1200-4900 OPMs. They both said lighter is the way to go on these.

I haven't pulled the trigger on any of these yet but spring is coming and the boat wrap will be coming off soon. I don't want to spend $300 plus on this would love to stay around $150 for the Griot's or the Shurhold just can't make up my mind.

I hear the G9 is the way to go if you don’t want to spend $450 on the Rupes Bigfoot. Check out Drakes boat detailing on YouTube. He loves the G9.

 

[jbloom]

I hear the G9 is the way to go if you don’t want to spend $450 on the Rupes Bigfoot. Check out Drakes boat detailing on YouTube. He loves the G9.

Just bought the G9 and thanks for the "Drakes boat detailing" video. The guy is awesome! Bought the pads and wax he recommends, I'm all set to detail in a couple of weeks.
Joe thanks again! I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Joe Hurley]

Just bought the G9 and thanks for the "Drakes boat detailing" video. The guy is awesome! Bought the pads and wax he recommends, I'm all set to detail in a couple of weeks.
Joe thanks again! I'll let you know how it goes.

Please send me before and after pictures. I’m going to try and do the “Drake” non skid polish method on my non skid this spring.

 

[weatherbymag]

have the PC and a FLEX..

Flex is worth the money!!

 

[PointedRose]

Flex 3401 is what I hope to get at some point. pricey though
Flex XC3401VRG Positive-Drive Rotary-Orbital Polisher https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DB0NVG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GC1BAFW4Y9PQ65370KAV

 

[jbloom]

Please send me before and after pictures. I’m going to try and do the “Drake” non skid polish method on my non skid this spring. View attachment 19090

Here’s the after.

Please send me before and after pictures. I’m going to try and do the “Drake” non skid polish method on my non skid this spring. View attachment 19090

 

[jbloom]

Here’s the after.

Here's the after. Took me all day to detail the boat, I followed Drakes's video got all the same materials. The sealer and the magic erasers worked great. Really happy with the outcome. thanks

 

[Joe Hurley]

Here's the after. Took me all day to detail the boat, I followed Drakes's video got all the same materials. The sealer and the magic erasers worked great. Really happy with the outcome. thanks

That looks terrific! Nice job.

 

[Joe Hurley]

A couple pictures of my dads boat on Saturday. We used the 3m heavy cut compound with a wool pad. Followed up with finesse it 2 on the flex with a lake county orange pad. We finished off with 3m marine wax.

 

[jbloom]

Looks amazing. What did you use on the rub rails? I tried Woody Wax, it did the job okay. Couple more shots I took this weekend. I even polished the hard top. The UTube video from Drake's Detailing was great. Made it way easier to do. The Griots Polisher is good. It did the job and I was really happy with it. The finish on the outside of the polisher is not high quality like the Dewalt's but if it breaks I like the lifetime warranty. I also like that it was lighter and a true random orbital polisher. I think eventually I will need to buy the Dewalt or the Flex to do more compounding, but for now I'm good with the Griot's. Thanks again.