Buffing textured finish

woodsman

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Thats perfect timing you should ask. I just picked mine up from the body shop yesterday. Had it buffed, waxed and washed thouroughly. And yes the textered area of my 90' XTB came out awesome. Looks brand new, was very pleased the out come.
 

Dave Hensley

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Try some Finesse It and a Mothers wheel buffing ball. Did a boat today with it and the textured areas have a nice luster.
 

B HEBERT

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Thanks guys. I wanted to know if there was a reason not to do it. I brought my 2002 to a body shop to have it buffed. The owner said the texture could not be buffed because it would tear up his equipment. I brought it home and did it myself this weekend. Still have to go over it with Finess It and wax. I did my 2003 a few years back, so I knew it could be done.
 

loop

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I tried everything I could find and was about to give up. I was at an automotive paint supply store looking at all the different polishes and compounds available.
When I asked the guy working there what to use on my boat he said "we dont sell it here but all the professional detailers in the area use 3M Imperial Compound and Finishing material". Its a one step compound. Starts off a little coarser then breaks down to a finishing compound. Just about the time it starts to dry up,the shine comes through. The pros like it because its one time around the boat instead of 2 or 3.
I used a wool pad with a rotary buffer and even the textured areas looked nearly new.
I used about 1/3 of the bottle last summer and it still looks great. Brought back the color and has a wet look to it. I have very little experience with this type of stuff but this made it so easy it was worth every penny.
I tried some on a heavily oxidized boat. Although it would have looked better if it was wet sanded first it still shined right up
It was expensive at $51 for 32oz but nothing else even came close. I will buy it again in a heartbeat when this bottle is empty
 

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Volatile

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A long time XB2002 owner taught me a nice cheap trick to keep the textured areas in front and on the port and starboard step areas in back looking great. Scrub brush with baking soda to remove the old wax that may be trapped. Buy a can of clear spray paint. Done. Clean and reapply with lacquer thinner as needed or just reapply the clear. It looks awesome with minimal work.
 

F2008

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A long time XB2002 owner taught me a nice cheap trick to keep the textured areas in front and on the port and starboard step areas in back looking great. Scrub brush with baking soda to remove the old wax that may be trapped. Buy a can of clear spray paint. Done. Clean and reapply with lacquer thinner as needed or just reapply the clear. It looks awesome with minimal work.
+101 !! Exactly how I brought back the new look to mine also.
 

loop

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Only problem I see with that is that on a xb2002, nearly everything on the topside is textured so you would be clearcoating the whole top of your boat.
I know what your saying will work but a proper buff out with the right compound (see my other post) and a good wax job is probably less workin the long run. I would be willing to send someone a sample of the 3m stuff if they want to try it. I believe in it that much and just want other Ally owners to experience it.
A long time XB2002 owner taught me a nice cheap trick to keep the textured areas in front and on the port and starboard step areas in back looking great. Scrub brush with baking soda to remove the old wax that may be trapped. Buy a can of clear spray paint. Done. Clean and reapply with lacquer thinner as needed or just reapply the clear. It looks awesome with minimal work.
 

F2008

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Loop, I'm pretty sure he was referring to the accent colored step areas on the bow and stern. No matter how many times I polished and waxed those areas on my boat in a week or two they would get dull and faded looking (especially the rear). So I taped around them for the overspray and applied a couple of coats of clear. Over a year later and they still shine like new.
 

bigtis

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Loop, I'm pretty sure he was referring to the accent colored step areas on the bow and stern. No matter how many times I polished and waxed those areas on my boat in a week or two they would get dull and faded looking (especially the rear). So I taped around them for the overspray and applied a couple of coats of clear. Over a year later and they still shine like new.
unless your boat stays in the weather and the sun when it's not in use, I'd say you didn't do all that great of a job buffing it out. I buffed my drag boat when I got it 2years ago, and I haven't buffed it again since. It stays in a shop next to my xb03, and I have no problems with compounded area's fading. even my boats that stay under a boat shed don't fade after they've been buffed, and they're more exposed to the elements they my drag or my xb03.
 

bigtis

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on the clearcoat comment, I just got finished removing all the clearcoat off the top cap of an xb03 cause they didn't take care of the oxidation before they cleared over it, and the clear started to YELLOW like it alway's does when it's applied over a gelcoat finish. if the boat is left in the weather not only will the hull fade, but the seats and the carpet will begin to show age, wear, and tear as well. once it's coumpded, just wax it and keep it clean. it'll stay in the same shape it is as long as you maintain it.
 
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