welcome msteiner!!!

[Rollingrock]

Cafe members, I would like to introduce you to Mike....it's a long story but my wife and I consider Mike and Cathy to be our adopted parents. 

Mike has a very nice boat on a lake in IN...they are about to take it out and want to polish it up for dry storage.   I know we have a few boat guys here.   (TOM)  Mike is about to invest in a PC7424 and has pad questions and product questions for gelcoat.  I don't know this area so I was hoping that Tom and the gang could jump in and help my dad. 

Thanks guys

RR

[Too Stroked]

Mike,

My name is Tom and I'm a boataholic. Have been since I was about 4 years old. And that would make it a, um, well, a long term problem.

So you'd like to polish up your boat before putting it away. Great! The first question I'd ask is whether or not you have any oxidation on the gelcoat. If so, how bad is it?  Light oxidation just makes the surface look somewhat cloudy. Heavy oxidation makes the surface feel like sand paper. You'll generally be able to get light oxidation out with a P-C 7424. Heavy oxidation will require the use of a rotary buffer. And both will require the proper pads and products - which of course I can help you with.

Tom

[Kitzy]

Welcome, Mike!  My name is Mike.  I don't know jack squat about boats. 
Carry on...

Tapatalkin...

[Rollingrock]

Welcome, Mike!  My name is Mike.  I don't know jack squat about boats. 
Carry on...

Tapatalkin...

Dude, I you are messing this up....I totally told him over TEXT that you guys were the bomb.....

[Kitzy]

Welcome, Mike!  My name is Mike.  I don't know jack squat about boats. 
Carry on...

Tapatalkin...

Dude, I you are messing this up....I totally told him over TEXT that you guys were the bomb.....

Well you are half right.  Tom is awesome.  My toys, however, have wheels.  I don't do boats. 

Oddly enough I love the water.  Go figure.

Tapatalkin...

[msteiner]

Hey Tom,

Tom, Thanks for reaching out.  My boat is in a fresh water lake all season (no lift).  So it will have a heavy coat of brownish stains, algae, etc.  What I did last season was powerwash most of the heavy algae - water only.  Then I used a product called Slimy Grimy - which works ok but takes lot of elbow grease.  As I'm getting older - this year I intend to use the PC7424 mentioned to make that task easier.  Then I hope to finish off the job to protect the fiberglass gel coat.  I'm open to your advise on any and all of this, particularly - which pads could I use on the stubborn growth / stains, ie. yellow, orange, pink - or are they too aggressive?

[Too Stroked]

Hey Tom,

Tom, Thanks for reaching out.  My boat is in a fresh water lake all season (no lift).  So it will have a heavy coat of brownish stains, algae, etc.  What I did last season was powerwash most of the heavy algae - water only.  Then I used a product called Slimy Grimy - which works ok but takes lot of elbow grease.  As I'm getting older - this year I intend to use the PC7424 mentioned to make that task easier.  Then I hope to finish off the job to protect the fiberglass gel coat.  I'm open to your advise on any and all of this, particularly - which pads could I use on the stubborn growth / stains, ie. yellow, orange, pink - or are they too aggressive?

Mike,

Ah, algae growth. Ugh! We use Muriatic Acid to remove that stuff. Spray it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then give it a slight brushing and the power washer does the rest. Oh, and you need to use proper personal protective equipment including goggles, a respirator and gloves. Better yet, take the boat to a local marina and have them do it. Trust me, it's much easier! We probably acid wash 350 boats every fall for our customers.

As for staining, the Slimy Grimy gets good reviews, but I've never tried it myself. That should get the really ugly stains off the bottom. As for any type of wax or sealant that prevents it from forming / growing, there just isn't anything out there short of anti-fouling bottom paint that will do anything about it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Getting back to the P-C 7424, you can use that to polish and then apply a sealant to the whole boat when you're done. I'd suggest the Meguire's system if you have some oxidation. You'll probably need some Lake Country orange, white and black pads. Orange of light oxidation removal - which is all you're going to be able to do with the 7424. White will be for light polishing and black for sealant / LSP application.

I could probably go on for another hour, but I just got home from an 11 hour day at the marina and I'm beat. Why don't you get my cell number from JP and call me some Sunday when I'm not working. I can give you the full skinny live that way.

Hope that helps!

Tom

[Rollingrock]

Thanks Tom....this boat has no oxidation. ...at least I didn't see any last time I visited.    Mike will have to tell us

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[Kitzy]

How would OptiCoat fair in an application like this?

[Too Stroked]

How would OptiCoat fair in an application like this?

Good thought, but marine growth will grow on just about anything. I really doubt it would do any good.

[Kitzy]

Would it be any help in the clean off department?  that was my initial thought.  Less about preventing it in the first place and more about cleaning it up later.  I just can't imagine it would survive the better part of a year submerged. 

[msteiner]

Thanks Tom...  I'll get the orange, white and black pads.  But as JP says - not much oxidation really - mostly the staining problem.

I'd like to know more about Kitzy's suggestion re: Opticoat - or any product that can help make the cleanup easier each year?

[Kitzy]

Optimum Opti-Coat is a semi permanent synthetic wax.  Considered more of a coating.  There is a vendor here, Justin of Obsessive Detail, who sells it.  It's been a huge hit within the detailing world.  I've used it on wheels before.  I seem to be in the minority of those who aren't 100% sold on it.  My understanding is for wheels it just doesn't hold up as long.  I've used it on all the forward facing portions of my truck, ie the headlights, grille, bumper and mirrors, and haven't noticed anything extraordinary about it.  That said, I seem to be the minority so I still throw it out there as an option.  I'd be curious to see how it would hold up and clean up in this situation. 

[Rollingrock]

Pop (Mike), where are you getting your kit from?

Make sure what ever kit you get, you get the right sized backing plate.

We can help you if you post a link to what you are looking at.

[sscully]

How would OptiCoat fair in an application like this?

Good thought, but marine growth will grow on just about anything. I really doubt it would do any good.

The anti stick properties of it won't help ?

I know wax won't stick it, but that is not algae and barnacles.

Front and back of dad's RV, it made a big difference.