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hgvandy
06-20-2011, 03:19 PM
I have learned a ton on this forum about buffing a boat and feel comfortable tackling this job. I read where the Porter Cable is a preferred buffer, but the cheapest price I found was $119.00. I also found a Black and Decker, which I know is not as good, but only $30.00. Is is worth the price difference, or can I get by with a Black & Decker. The biggest difference I saw was that the PC has variable speed that goes over 6000 OPM while the B&D is set at 4400 OPM. Also, there are a lot more pads I found online for the PC, but I have found 4 different ones for the B&D that should work for all my needs. Just trying to save a little money.
Thanks.

viking
06-20-2011, 03:26 PM
I was in the same predicament a few months ago. Bit the bullet and bought the PC 7424XP and Lake Country pads. Quality stuff and glad I did it. I'll use it a ton for all my vehicles and the boat at least once or twice a year.

brain_rinse
06-20-2011, 03:29 PM
I have the PC but in the end it's just a random orbit sander with a buffer plate bolted on. The adjustibility is nice but 4400 sounds decent for most jobs. You should still be able to get all the same pads. I really like the Lake County CCS pads personally.

lsvboombox
06-20-2011, 03:29 PM
I have learned a ton on this forum about buffing a boat and feel comfortable tackling this job. I read where the Porter Cable is a preferred buffer, but the cheapest price I found was $119.00. I also found a Black and Decker, which I know is not as good, but only $30.00. Is is worth the price difference, or can I get by with a Black & Decker. The biggest difference I saw was that the PC has variable speed that goes over 6000 OPM while the B&D is set at 4400 OPM. Also, there are a lot more pads I found online for the PC, but I have found 4 different ones for the B&D that should work for all my needs. Just trying to save a little money.
Thanks.

def get a variable speed... 4400 rpm will cut right thru your gelcoat with an aggressive polish....... all you need is around 2000 rpm's to get the job done with an aggressive polish..

for just buffing the 4400 could be ok but if you arent paying attention you can still burn thru the gelcoat

with the variable speed you can start off slow and work your way up as you get more comfortable...

KSmith
06-20-2011, 09:11 PM
I got the B&D polisher from Lowes, sounds like the same one. I have some scratches in the gel-coat and some ghosting from where I removed the lettering. If I end up burning through the gel-coat then I am one step closer to a ZDecals 3/4 or maybe even full wrap ;-)

I'm thinking Xeon Blue/White... yeah that's the ticket

brain_rinse
06-20-2011, 09:16 PM
No way you're gonna burn thru gelcoat with a random orbit... they don't generate heat like a rotary so they're great for DIY guys like most of us. And gelcoat is surprisingly thick and you'd have to really try hard to get all the way through it, even with sandpaper.

loudsubz
06-20-2011, 09:38 PM
I have the PC buffer with CCS pads. I also used Poor Boys Polish (SSR1 and SSR2 as well as Black Hole and let me tell ya, on an all black hull it gives such a deep rich look that it almost looks like there is a piece of glass in front of the hull and your looking at the hull about 2-3 feet away...amazing.

I also use it on my familys cars and it is able to get out all the scratches they have on it...and even a line down the side of my parents 2007 accord that was keyed by some immature kid

lsvboombox
06-20-2011, 10:05 PM
aaahhh.. i overlooked the opm and assumed rpm.... yes you can sit on top of one of those and they will not do any damage .. good for a wax but thats about it....

jmo.................

hgvandy
06-20-2011, 11:25 PM
aaahhh.. i overlooked the opm and assumed rpm.... yes you can sit on top of one of those and they will not do any damage .. good for a wax but thats about it....

jmo.................

Are you saying that the Black & Decker will not work for buffing, just waxing?

deafgoose
06-20-2011, 11:40 PM
aaahhh.. i overlooked the opm and assumed rpm.... yes you can sit on top of one of those and they will not do any damage .. good for a wax but thats about it....

jmo.................

Not true.

I removed an incredible amount of damage with a PC orbital polisher.

mnpracing
06-20-2011, 11:58 PM
Everything's relative...a DA (dual action aka random orbital) is less likely to cut too deep too fast compared to a rotary buffer. A rotary is much more difficult to master without leaving holograms or cutting too deeply. While you can't get out some paint / gelcoat issues without a rotary, a DA will get even some deep imperfections to 80-90% correction. At the end of the day a lot depends on how much clear you have to work with (on a car that is). With the B&D at 4400 you won't be able to get everything out that the PC would be able to but it should work fine if you aren't looking to fully correct deep scratches. Another consideration is whether you can get different backing plates and pads for the B&D.

My $.02

myster
06-21-2011, 07:44 AM
I was gonna use a buffer, but instead I did it by hand using Maguires wax. It is pricey as far as wax goes, but it is sooooooo easy on and off that a buffer isn't required, and the results are incredible!!!

lsvboombox
06-21-2011, 08:08 AM
Are you saying that the Black & Decker will not work for buffing, just waxing?

you will get some results for compounding/buffing, they just wouldnt be satisfactory(for me anyway).. it will take a lot more time and effort as well. the only orbital polisher i think i would use is the cyclo dual head orbital polisher..

bscheuny
06-21-2011, 05:30 PM
Recently I bought my 99 outback and when i bought it, the gel coat looked like a cloudy sky. it was pretty sad of how much neglect a person can do to a boat. However in my case i got the boat for a steal so I am pretty satisfied. Anywho, on to the polish job. I painted my car and to do the final polish I had bought some Norton Liquid ice polish compound and it came with 3 polishing wheels. It is a kit you can get on eastwoodco.com. The polisher I bought from advanced auto, of all places, for 40 bucks and was a great neck brand and was variable speed. I figure with my polishing experience I would give it a whirl on the boat and the results where absolutely amazing. About 6 hours later, a gallon of sweat and a 6 pack of beer the gel coat turned what looks like a blue mirror. As for burning through the gel coat, I had to apply a decent amount of pressure to really cut into the gel coat to get out the oxidation and I never burnt through once. It has been 3 months since and I have had the boat out on the water 1-3 times a week (saltwater :-( it is virginia beach) and the gel still looks amazing. Hope this helps anyone with rough looking gel coat.

hgvandy
06-21-2011, 10:33 PM
Thanks for all the posts. I decided to spend a little extra and go with the Porter Cable. I will try and post some before and after pics, but I am really excited to get this done.