[Interactive]

Which pad should I use for AIO Marine 31 Polish/Wax?


I'm still trying to figure out the right combination of products for my boat. I picked up a bottle of the Marine 31 AIO Polish/Wax and I have a Griots DA polisher.

I like the Lake Country pads, but which one should I use?

http://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-7inch-pads.html

I'm confused because the "polish" leads me to a pink or white pad, but the "wax" portion leads me to a Grey, Blue or Red pad.

Which is right for an AIO product?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally Posted by Interactive

I'm still trying to figure out the right combination of products for my boat. I picked up a bottle of the Marine 31 AIO Polish/Wax and I have a Griots DA polisher.

I like the Lake Country pads, but which one should I use?

http://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-7inch-pads.html

I'm confused because the "polish" leads me to a pink or white pad, but the "wax" portion leads me to a Grey, Blue or Red pad.

Which is right for an AIO product?

When it comes to boats, gel-coats tend to like more coarse pads for removing oxidation and softer pads for simple maintenance.


Also, the link you includes goes to pads that are 7.5" in diameter and that is HUGE for any dual action polisher like the Griot's which is a copy of the Porter Cable type of DA polisher.

I'd recommend sticking with both smaller diameter pads and thinner pads as they will rotate better and pad rotation is KEY when trying to remove any type of defect like oxidation.

Take a look at the 5.5" pads in either Flat or CCS


What condition is your boat in?

Are you working on a gel-coat or a painted boat?

[Interactive]

Thanks for the quick reply, Mike. Clearly I need the guidance. :-)

My boat is all gelcoat. The only painted surface is the bottom paint.

I've tried a variety of products and methods and never seem to get the look I'm hoping for. Prior to this year I think I was too focused on what I thought was oxidation. There are a few spots on my boat that stay out in the sun (the pulpit, bow) but most of my boat stays under a covered slip all year. I never have "chalky" residue at all. I just lose the gloss during the season.

In prior years I compounded with a mild product then went right to wax or sealant. I think I was addressing the wrong problem (oxidation) and skipping the step I should have been doing (polishing).

My boat has a lot of surface area (40' aft cabin cruiser) so the idea of a single step is appealing. So the AIO polish/wax caught my attention if I can get the results I want.

I tried it last weekend on some areas. I started with the white 7.5" but the pad started to fall apart after 30 minutes. I wanted to blame the pad, but it's possible I was doing something wrong (too fast, too much pressure?).

I had a blue pad on hand as well and got decent results. But it still didn't "pop" with the like-new look I was hoping for. It's also a 14 year old boat (2000 model) so I may need to temper my expectations. I'm also not willing to go over my boat with 3-4 passes of anything. I'd like to spend some time actually using the boat. :-)

So I should move to a 5.5" pad...will order hat today. Based on my condition, am I using the right polish product and, if so, which color pad should I use?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally Posted by Interactive

So I should move to a 5.5" pad...will order hat today. Based on my condition, am I using the right polish product and, if so, which color pad should I use?

In the car world I'd recommend a foam polishing pad, but gel-coat, which is pigmented polyester resin is a different animal all together. It tends to really like wool pads on rotary buffers at high speeds the best when it comes to cutting and polishing for maximum gloss.

When using a dual action polisher, for the polishing step with cleaner/wax or AIO I'd go with a thin Purple Foamed Wool Pad.

Hang tight, let me get a picture...

[Mike Phillips]

The below is from an extreme makeover we did here last summer when we these new pads first came in....


Pictures: 16' Key Largo Center Console Boat Detailing Class with Marine 31

Here's where we started... a 2007 16' Key Largo Center Console Boat that has not been polished or waxed for years...


Dull, oxidized gel-coat, no shine, no reflection, rough to the touch...





We're going to use a number of Marine 31 products to restore this boat. For the gel-coat finish we're going to use the Marine 31 All-in-One Gel Coat Polish & Wax, this is a light one-step cleaner/wax for mildly neglected gel-coat surfaces. It will clean, polish and protect in one-step.

To apply it, we're going to use dual action polishers but bump up their cleaning and oxidation removing ability by using the new Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool DA Pads, which are thinner so they will rotate better under pressure on dual action polishers. Thick pads don't work well on these types of tools, especially when doing heavy correction work.





Here's Chris using the Porter Cable 7424XP with the 5.5" PFW thin pads...







Here's Marcos using the Porter Cable 7424XP with the new thin PFW pads...




And here's the beauty shots...

This boat had zero gloss and shine when it arrived and the hull felt rough to the touch. Now it's a dramatically brighter white, with excellent shine, gloss and even reflection....




The hardest thing to do is to get sharp reflections off a white surface...






Check this out... I'm standing when I took this shot...




Then I dropped down to one knee and captured the red and black tile floor reflections off the white gel-coat finish...

[Mike Phillips]

The Griot's polisher you have is the most powerful polisher of this "type" of tool, that is it has more power than the Porter Cable 7424XP and the Meguiar's G110v2 as well as all the rest of the copies of the original in this category, the Porter Cable unit.

The benefit to this power is you can really spin one of these pads fast which is what gel-coats seem to like. The bad part is you'll tend to generate a lot of heat and the heat wears out pads and even backing plates.

This is where sometimes we push technology to the limit and the right tool for the job, at least if a person wants to get in there and get the job done quickly, then the right tool for the job would be a rotary buffer. A much more powerful tool and the backing plates and pads can take a lot more punishment before failing.

So with the above said, I think a guy could use the thin, purple foamed wool pads with a dual action polisher like the Griot's and a one-step cleaner/wax and this combo should remove any dullness and restore a high gloss finish that's protected at the same time.

Hang tight while I upload a few pictures....

[Interactive]

Could you please be a little bit more thorough with your response [sarcasm].

Seriously, thanks for this info. This is exactly what I needed. I'm going to order the thin PFW pads today in hopes of having them for next weekend!


BTW, on the rotary with wool pads. I have one of those too and have used it in prior years. My boat has a very challenging forward section that includes stairs and a narrow walkway down each side of the boat. It's not all that much square footage, but it's a large number of small surface areas that are at ankle height. The width of this walkway is probably only 12" so it's just real cumbersome to manage the rotary in that area. I found the DA much easier to manage at awkward angles. It's also possible my technique with the rotary is wrong...who knows?! If I could get decent results in one pass with the polish/wax and the DA polisher, life would be good.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally Posted by Interactive

Seriously, thanks for this info. This is exactly what I needed. I'm going to order the thin PFW pads today in hopes of having them for next weekend!

Sorry for the delay, I was helping to show a guy how to wetsand, cut and buff a 1955 Chevy with my keyboard.

Hang tight, I'm going to post a couple of pictures for you.

Originally Posted by Interactive

BTW, on the rotary with wool pads. I have one of those too and have used it in prior years. My boat has a very challenging forward section that includes stairs and a narrow walkway down each side of the boat. It's not all that much square footage, but it's a large number of small surface areas that are at ankle height.

The width of this walkway is probably only 12" so it's just real cumbersome to manage the rotary in that area.

I found the DA much easier to manage at awkward angles. It's also possible my technique with the rotary is wrong...who knows?! If I could get decent results in one pass with the polish/wax and the DA polisher, life would be good.

With what you wrote above, lets get you trying the thin PFW's

PFW = Purple Foamed Wool Pad


For a boat your size I would recommend getting at least 4 pads because you're going to flat out punish them and nothing lasts forever.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's your Griot's polisher with a 5" Lake Country Backing plate and a 5.5" THIN Purple Foamed Wool Pad.






Here's the deal...

A thin pad like this and a hard backing plate like the one in the picture usually makes for some less than smooth buffing. It will also tend to create more heat and wear your pads out faster.


What you want is a foam interface pad like we use when we machine sand. This is a Rupes 5" foam interface pad. It's the perfect size for the 5" Lake Country backing plate and the 5.5" PFWs.

Here's the issue with this interface pad.

A: We don't stock it. I have one or two as gifts from Marco D'Inca at Rupes.

B: Even if we did stock it, the Velcro Hook and loop is wrong for the Lake Country backing plate and PFW's. (There's different types of hook in loop in the world).

So the size is right, everything else is wrong.















We do stock a Meguiar's and a 3M interface pad but these are both 6". The hook and loop matches but in order to use it you would have to take some scissors and cut it down a little.











I've sent the link to this thread with these pictures to a couple of friends in this industry just for their knowledge plus they might have a solution.

[Interactive]

Before seeing this latest post I went ahead and ordered a package of 2 of the PFW pads. I'll give those a try and order more if it works out.

Are you suggesting I should NOT use them without an intermediate pad or just that my experience will be better if if do?