MacGregorSailors.com

Would like to buff out some scratches on the black gelcoat (around the side windows) and some areas on the white gelcoat.

I think I will purchase the Porter Cable 7424XP as I have read here in other posts.

Can someone suggest the best grit to get the scratches out of the gelcoat followed by a good polish.

Also there are some scratches on the top two plixi glass windows that I would like to remove also.

Last week my girlfriend took were car to a local autobody place to have the head lamp lenses cleaned. The guy used 600 grit and then followed up with polish. Looked fantastic and took him like 5 minutes on each.

So I am guessing working on the gelcoat and plexiglass will be very similar???

Buffing out the white and black gel-coat is not an issue.. 3 M along with countless others make buffing compounds.. If its your first time doing this?
I suggest going easy ..Use a High Number versus a low number rubbing /buffing compounds. The sponge heads work better that the old wool bonnet heads YSYK.. Go Easy. There is a leading and a trailing edge to the buffer as it spins.. You do not use the buffer flat... you use it on an angle about 60 degrees..
AS for the window.. Two TOTALLY Different kinds of plastics here.. The Mac have a very soft plastic so ...Be careful..Thats why you have those scratches in the first place .. It doesnt take much to scratch Plexiglas..Then we have the difference in opinions? To You its a scratch To Me? It may well be considered a Gouge.. If its truly a scratch there is a Plastic polish that works well .. I do not recall the name but its common and at all the Auto Parts Stores.. IF you can feel the scratch with your fingernail ? Its NOT a scratch its a Gouge.. That... you will not repair.
You Tube is yoyur freind if your ever in doubt how to do just about anything... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et6Egpw-f-s

Great little video.

I may just leave the plexi glass alone for awhile!

Thanks

Matthew

I have read alot on this forum (and other web sites) and everyone seems to state that the Mac 26X and M have extremely thin gelcoats. Some say the gelcoat is too thin to remove scratches.

Some posts that I read are now over two years old.

What is the most current way in terms of materials and buffers to remove scratches, buff and wax.

I have the blue hull and the entire boat is in good shape but I have a couple of scratches to buff out (in the back around the side windows and on the white gelcoat) and the bow of the blue hull has a lot of scratches.

I am headed to HF to buy their 6" Variable Speed Dual Action Polisher and some foam pads. Don't know yet if they are open or closed cell foam pads.

The products in my head are 3M compound to remove scratches, Maquires 2nd step glaze and then Collinite wax.....

Would love some input....

I looked at a blue that was being prepared for shipping to a new owner when I was in Maine several years back. The mechanic had brushed on gel coat liberally wherever there was a scratch and I am pretty sure he just went over those areas with a buffer the next day.

IMHO having owned numerous boats in the past, there really is no issue with the gel-coat.. Buff away.. you would have to... IMHO and Experience buffing my boat no less than 5 times.. you would have to be an animal to buff through the gel coat.. That said there is some very aggressive compounds out there .. Your Buffing Fiberglass not aluminum plate. Proper product... proper tool .....a little practice... and have at it.. IMHO and having Painted and Buffed out a Zillion ....Cars Trucks and Motorcycles back in The DuPont Lacquer Paint Job Days.. Its always better to go finer and work longer than Coarser and RUIN the job and then , have bigger issues than when you started...

The Porter Cable you chose is a no brainer. It is a random orbital so you could almost sit on it without creating swirl marks with normal buffing compound. MacGuires has a series of compounds with grits ranging from heavy oxidation to polishing only. Depending on how chalked the stripes are make your selection accordingly. Auto Geek or Griots garage sell and assortment of Lake County pads for your PC. The thin flat pads work very well on heavy oxidation with MC 49. 3M '00' works on the plexi, it is a very fine grit compound. I found anything that works on the gel coat will cloud the plexi. When I get home I'll post the specific compounds.

I have asked several places about the 3M 00 and no one has ever heard of that. I understand that it has no grit but I can't find the 00 on anything, even when I did a google search.

I picked up 3M rubbing compound with no wax.

Then all I could find was 3M Finess It and I did find the Collinite wax.

So my steps will be the 3M rubbing compound followed by the Finess It and then I guess the wax.

I would like to hit the plexiglass.....

Try Meguiars PLastX for the windows.. Very very fine .. see how that does for you...

Ok, I have started on my scratch repair using the 3M rubbing compound and the HF dual action polisher (which is very nice) using the compounding/cutting pad.

So far no real results. The black looks really good thou and that's without anything else.

I can feel the scratches with my fingernail so don't know if it will be possible to buff that out or not.

Should I look for a compound that is more course?

Thanks

Matthew

That scratch vs gouge thing is a good way of looking at it.

Household cream clensers (like Jif) can be used to polish out light scratches but nothing gets gouges

The polishing the racoon stripe thing goes round and round on here, but at the end of the day, gel coat shouldnt be black, especially if you have a hot climate Mine starts to look tied about 1 week after polishing. The Macs at the marina near me dont bother and the racoon stripes look pretty grey and horrible - some believe a layer of oxidization giving a little protection to the gel coat is a lot better than taking a layer of gel coat off every month or so. Of course, I want the boat to look pretty so polish/wax. One day I will paint those dam racoon stripes and be done with it


Based on the gouge I had to fix in the bow, I dont think the gel coat on the hull is any thinner than other trailer sailers. It does appear to be a bit thinner on the deck/cockpit mouldings though.

My error. For the plexi I used 3M Perfect It #1. I purchased it from a professional automotive supplier of 3M proline products. I use a combination of Auto Geek / Griots garage glass pads and foam pads. The glass pads cut faster with all grades of compounds because you can transfer more pad pressure. Then I finish with foam pads.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/3+i ... y=ourPicks

OK I am following this thread and ask?? How are these electric 6" buffer/polishers workinig? Are they too heavy to use for long periods?
I would love to use an air operated tool , but alas I sold my big compresser when I moved here to SWFl.
I too am looking at the one from Griot Garage and I am wonderiung ? Am I about to buy a quality tool or just an overpriced inferior tool from a popular website.. With assorted pads I am at $202 + S&H and have yet to buy any product.. Be it from them or some OTC supplier..

Man I know Harbor freight has a stigma about it but for home use items that are not going to get worker everyday,they have some great stuff. I'm 5 years into their Chicago electris variable speed buffer which is still just 29.95 on sale. It has worked flawlessly, if it breaks at 6 years I will drop it in the trash and go get another, at 6 years that would be a 5 dollar per year cost. And I know you can make any job as technical as you want but buffing and polishing gelcoat is just not that bad, all I use is walmart turtle wax brand buffing or polishing compound, the polish grit works well on the plastic windows, no need to order high dollar 3m products and pay shipping ,just get what ever is on the shelf locally. Your not polishing a NASA moon rocket, just a Macgregor. and for those who think you need to be an expert to use a buffer and worry about buning thru gelcoat, Don't, it wont happen, you can hold a DA sander with 180grit in one spot for several minutes and still not get through the gelcoat, much less with a buffer and compound.

Depending on your skill level a random orbital buffer produces the best results with no swirl marks. Rotary (DA) sander/buffers not so much. Not that you cannot use them successfully it's just that the random orbital polishing action with the right compounds will not leave swirl marks.
I like the Griots polisher with the D-handle vs. the Porter Cable etc. with the right or left hand stick handle. Not a big deal but a D-handle puts the pressure and edge control directly over the pad and is easier to control and hold on vertical surfaces. I have the PC the stick handle. I purchased the PC because of available parts and service network. Not needed so far after several years of use on the boat, truck and car.