[Ed]

Hey Dink-

Here is a post I made several years back in regards to wetsanding and buffing....


"Wet sand the entire hull with 600grit wet.dry sandpaper. Keep the surface very wet while sanding (a spray bottle works best), and squeegee the residue off the area you're working on. Be sure to keep the paper FLAT against the hull and be careful around corners/chines/strakes. If your boat is really old and you don't know how much gelcoat is on the hull....you can skip this or try and do it with 1000 grit paper. The problem with really old boats is you don't know how much gelcoat you have to work with and you DON'T want to burn through it.

AFter you're done with the 600...go back and repeat with either 800 or 1000.

Step 2-

If you don't already have a professional buffer....Go to westmarine or boat us, and buy a 3M wool buffing pad (about $20) that fits onto a standard electric drill. Then, either buy the 3M rubbing compound (red in color - comes in a tall skinny plastic bottle) metioned earlier or even better...use 3M's high gloss gelcoat polishing compound (white/gray in color - comes in a paint type can). Spread some of the compound onto the pad, and then turn the drill on very slow and spread the compound over a 3foot by 3foot area. This will prevent the compound from "slinging" all over the place. Now turn the buffer onto high speed and while pushing hard, work the area left to right and then top to bottom. BE SURE TO KEEP MOVING THE BUFFER SO THAT YOU DONT BURN THROUGH THE GELCOAT. As you work the compound in this fashion, it should start to dissapear.....when it does, DECREASE the pressure on the buffer and it will polish the surface. Wipe off the excess from the entire hull.

Step 3- Now take Starbrite TEFLON polish (or Collinite wax) and rub it HARD onto the hull in small circles with a standard applicator pad in a 3foot by 3foot area. Let the Teflon polish dry to a slight haze (don't wait too long) and wipe off with a soft & CLEAN terry cloth towel. This will remove the swirls caused by the buffer and will also make the hull shine very well. Add a second coat of TEFLON polish in a day or two. I prefer the TEFLON polish over the Collinite because in my experience....it goes on easier, and lasts longer.

Although your arms may feel like they're going to fall off....it will be well worth the effort. Just be sure to take your time and watch what you're doing. I just did this to a boat that looked like it had been left out in the Sahara desert for 10 years."