Polishing Buffing tool idea

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SmokyMtnGrady

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Greetings:
I usually do the interior polish and wax by hand as well as the cabin top. I have an old 10 inch Craftsman buffer I got after college in 1994. Still works and use it to apply wax to the hull. It's gangly and not suitable for the smaller spaces in the cockpit. What orbital buffer do y'all use on the cockpit gelcoat surfaces? What size is ideal for this application? My boat is in need of some real work. Looking for a reasonably priced buffer . Thanks.
 
Shurhold random orbital. Not cheap though. There are less expensive options for smaller buffers but I have no hands on experience with them. Google Amazon, Random Orbital polishers
 
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I have the original shurhold random orbital. Think it’s about $169 new now. Worth every penny.
 
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Well I guess that's my answer ...thanks guys ! I will use the interwebs and go from there. shurehold sounds like a winner.
 
i use shurhold as well, but for the smaller to reach areas or areas with limited access, I sometimes use that foam wheel from car headlight restore kits on a cordless drill at slow speed. seems to work well for me.
 
I have a porter cable random orbital I have used for years for the larger flat areas. I also have rotary buffer with an extension and a smaller backing plate which will accommodate the smaller 3" pads on it to get the harder to reach areas around the rails and gunnels. The combination of the two allows me to get pretty much every area easily.
 
I not only have a Grady but restore 13 ft Whalers - have done 8 of them. While I have 2 RO buffers including the Shurhold, my go-to buffer is- believe it or not- a Harbor Freight rotary 7" unit. Much better power and great for medium to very heavy oxidation. 3M products especially Restore. Use a wool pad from Lake County. Much faster than the RO. If you see swirl marks move the buffer around more. If still present then use 3M Finesse w/ the RO buffer. I've only had to do the follow-up buffing once.
 
Harbor Freight rotary 7" unit. Like Max says, it sure has power. And Im not one to buy power tools from Harbor Freight. But I took off all the striping of the boat and with rubbing compound and a sponge pad. I clean the area, then polish with cleaner wax. After that some Ultra polish. Looks amazing
 
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