Brian GorsethExterior Boat Detailing in Boise | Gel Coat
Hey, Brian with Limelight Detailing in Boise, Idaho. I want to show you a demonstration today about how we remove small defects and markings on the exterior of a gel coat. What we have today is a beautiful Supreme ski boat that we’re working on that I want to show you how I like to go about removing markings and scratches on the side of a boat. We get a lot of questions from our customers and even some other detailers out there, just wanting to know what kind of tools we use when we’re removing scratches and other defects from boats, cars, trucks. What we’ve started to use is a Makita Dual Action Polisher.
Makita Dual Action Polisher | Exterior Gel Coat Detailing
The Makita Dual Action Polisher is amazing for any mobile detailer.
- It’s simple.
- It’s battery operated, so we don’t have to have cords running all over the place.
This has become our workhorse. It’s an awesome, awesome tool, I’m using a five inch. This is a Meguiar’s microfiber cutting pad, it’s mildly abrasive. It’s not going to cut really, really deep. It’s not a wool pad. I like to use microfiber and then work my way up if we’re getting more aggressive. If we have deeper scratches, we would use more of a rotary polisher or a wool pad combination as well. But for today, I’m going to be using the Makita Dual Action Polisher, and then a Meguiar’s microfiber pad.
Rupes Uno Protect | Exterior Gel Coat Detailing
The polish that I’m going to be using is Rupes Uno Protect. This is an amazing product. This boat that we’re working on today only has some mild scratches. We’re not dealing with anything super deep today. Why I love this product is it’s a two-in-one product. It’s going to polish, but it’s also going to leave some protection behind.
You can use this on really any exterior surface on a gel coat, single stage paint, as well as any clear coat on most normal vehicles. What I like to do is:
- Make five little dots on the pad.
- Work it into the pad a little bit so it’s not going to fling as I get going.
Makita Dual Action Polisher Settings | Exterior Boat Detailing
Then, on the Makita, it’s great because it has two different settings on it. We can either do what’s called:
● A forced drive setting. It’s a little bit more aggressive, and that’s what takes out scratches.
● A free spin mode, which is really what we use to apply waxes and sealants.
I have it on a forced drive setting, and I’m going to be operating at about 3000 RPMs. I don’t like to go much higher than that when removing scratches. We don’t want to damage or hurt the gel coat.
How to Remove Imperfections on Exterior Boat Gel Coat Paint
This little marking right here, this black smudge, it looks like maybe the boat hit a buoy or maybe a strap or something left a mark. What I’m going to do is, and I always start slow …
1. Dab the surface where I’m working.
2. Work side to side, and then up and down. Try to do a hashtag motion. Side to side and then up and down when you’re working with removing scratches.
I’ve applied the product nice and even. Then, I’m going to go ahead and speed it up a little bit to actually try to remove the marking. As you can see, it did a great job removing it. This is an amazing combination. I love this pad. I love this tool. And the Rupes Uno Protect polish is an amazing combination to get really good results.
Does Your Boat’s Gel Coat Need Detailed?
If you have a boat that you need detailed, or some scratches removed, we can definitely help you with that. Just select our boat exterior detail service on our website, or feel free to give us a call 208-391-3455.
View "5 Tips for Interior Auto Detailing" for More Information!
5 Tips for Interior Auto Detailing
In these 5 tips you will see how to demonstrations and quick tips for:
- Cleaning Carpets with a Carpet Extractor
- Removing Stains from the Interior Door Panels
- Steam Cleaning the Interior Liner
- Steam Cleaning the Interior of a Vehicle
- Applying Dressing to the Interior of a Vehicle
We Clean Dirty Cars, Trucks & RV's
