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    #16
    I went ahead and took on this project on sunday. 1-wet sand/1000 grit- This to me was very important step. didnt really realize how lumpy/damaged the surface was. when I started to sand you could feal the bump bump bump but ony after a few strokes it started to get nice and slick. just light pressure and constant wet surface worked well. for my first time ever wet sanding i felt it came out great and was fairly easy to do as you could feal the results when it happened.2-compound- again i have never used a power buffer before. The tip i got from the pro was KEEP IT MOVING i found this was not to hard of a job. drizzle some compound on pad not alot a little goes along way then smear it over the section to be buffed before you turn the buffer on. i worked 1ft sections from left to right over lapping as i crossed the back of the boat. I spurred the bad after every section.3-polish- i went with the 3M finess-it #2 applied this per the 3M website put just a few dabs on the boat itself then smear it across area to be buffed same as compound. again a little goes along way and this stuff is pricey. the only thing i would do different here is i am going to get the foam pad for this step next time. It came out so good im going to finess the whole boat when i get a chance i think the foam pad will be better for this step.4-wax i used my orpital buffer to apply a coat of wax then switched pads and removed it. all in all it came out real good im very happy with my results.

    this is what i started with.truth be told it was worse than this. these first to pics are old it got real bad over the last few months. the wife had the camera when i started this project not that i wanted a pic. of my boat looking as bad as it did.the whole back was greyish white.
    this is after wet sand and compound
    this is after finess-it.

    like a mirror when all done. well i got to put the d-rings and handle back on.
    I am also going to have the cover extended over the back and the swimplatform to try and help keep both of them lasting longer.
    After doing this i would say if your boat needs a little help in the shine department i would give it a 3 out 5 on the do it yourslef project meter. just take your time. i didnt find it as difficult as i first though it would be. the buffer does get heavy after awhile but thats about it. so if your thinking about it GO FOR IT!.
    Last edited by kko; 03-15-2009, 09:20 PM.

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      #17
      Wow, now that is a shiney boat. You could shave in that reflection

      Job well done in my book.

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        #18
        Originally posted by wake454 View Post
        how much of the compound would you need for the back of the boat? I have to do the same exact thing. Is 32oz enough?
        I can now anser this question. i used about 2oz of compound on the back. and i bet less than 1oz. of the finess-it. the finess-it from napa was $52/32oz bottle(list) but man does it work well.

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          #19
          Great results! Good write up as well.
          Mike Allen, Tigé owner since 1997

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            #20
            Awesome job! Looks like a new boat.
            Last edited by Fit to be Tige; 03-16-2009, 01:19 PM.

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              #21
              Nice work!
              Cursed by a fortune cookie: "Your principles mean more to you than any money or success."

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                #22
                Great job! That looks a lot better. Always been an advocate of patience and using the right tools. Thanks for the write up and pictures, they say it all.

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                  #23
                  I was planning on doing the same without the wet sanding. I have no clue how to do that. Any tips on that?

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by wake454 View Post
                    I was planning on doing the same without the wet sanding. I have no clue how to do that. Any tips on that?
                    Wake it was my first time doing it as well.You know some said you dont need to wet sand i think it really preps the area for a good buffing and was way easier than i thought it would be.you may be able to get it as good with just the buffer and compound but i think you would risk heating up the gel to much and this is one thing everybody told me not to do "dont burn the gel".
                    To be on the safe side i went with the 1000 grit if you want you can do 1200 or 1500 less chance of taking to much off. Use lots of water keeping everything wet at all times i was dunking the paper constantly some people even drizzle the hose the hole time. Just use slow light pressure and you will feal it when it gets nice and slick move to next area. I did 1ft sections top to bottom across the back.I was very concerned with this step as well but truth be told the buffer is the step were you really need to be careful IMPO. Now when your done wet sanding your boat will look all faded/flat until you buff dont get freaked out.
                    If i had anything to do over i would have gone a little more aggressive on the sanding. may start with a 6-800 then then like 1200. but the 1000 was a good safe effective starting point for the first time and its what i would reccomend.
                    Man i put it back together today and it really did turn out nice. Now i need to finess-it the rest of the boat. But i was so worried about this project so i put it off and now our season is here so i dont know when i will find time.Maybe one weekend with crapy weather i will get a chance.

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                      #25
                      I'll drop my boat off after work wednesday for you, pick it up friday afternoon

                      Just kidding, that looks great though! I love that the cover like mine goes all the way around the edge of the platform, I bet my ble transom would not look so great if it was always exposed to the sun. Good writeup.

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                        #26
                        Thanks for the info kko....this is very helpful.

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                          #27
                          I want to do the same thing. What pads did you use?
                          "a what? i can['t] say/spell/pronounce that word..." - wannabewakeboarder
                          "the plural of boo is booze."

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                            #28
                            i used a 2 sided wool one from napa. one side for the compound and the other for the finess-it. again it turned out well but when i do the rest of the boat with the finess-it im going to use the foam pad.
                            sorta like this onehttp://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...03_0006436728#
                            this is the other kind i want to use http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...35_0006436728#

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                              #29
                              Great job. Boat looks awesome!!
                              Let it be!!!

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by kko View Post
                                i used a 2 sided wool one from napa. one side for the compound and the other for the finess-it. again it turned out well but when i do the rest of the boat with the finess-it im going to use the foam pad.
                                sorta like this onehttp://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...03_0006436728#
                                this is the other kind i want to use http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...35_0006436728#
                                Thanks for the help, can you provide part #'S? I just to make sure I'm using the right stuff at the right time.
                                "a what? i can['t] say/spell/pronounce that word..." - wannabewakeboarder
                                "the plural of boo is booze."

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