Cleaner and polish[wax]?

What are most people using to clean and wax[polish] their gel coat.I have a 04 Mobius LSV 2004.Thanks for any response.
John

I've been very happy with meguires products. They have alot of different stuff depending on how bad your boat is and exactly what you want to do.

Thanks for the reply.
John

Thanks for the info Jeff.I will use the same.
John

Meguiar's is great stuff and I used to use it a lot. But after talking to some people who are absolute fanatics about this stuff, they recommended Zaino Brothers. Bad thing is that you have to order it from zainobros.com.

The good side. I have never used wax that is this easy to apply and remove and have never used anything that lasts as long. Just my opinion, but I'd give it a try if I were you.

I use some products that are not mainstream but the results are fantastic. To clean the gelcoat I use a product called Troubleshooter, made by Car Pro. I used it many years ago when I was a detailer for a Chevy dealer. I discovered it worked great on corvettes and any other fiberglass surface. It can be used by hand or with a polisher, and it really brings back the luster. Hard to find on the internet, but a lot of REAL detailer supply stores carry it. It's marketed more towards professional detailers, I think.
For the wax I use Collinite's, it's pure carnuba wax and been around for years. It's the longest lasting wax I've ever used. Another product that's not always easy to find and geared more towards professionals, but you can't beat the results. I even found a wax comparison test on the internet once that rated Collinite's Doublewax the best.... if this turns into a raging wax debate I'll try to find it again.
Anyway, a good pre-cleaner if there are stains to be removed or the hull is not as shiny as it could be, and then any paste wax with carnuba in it (Meguiar's has it I believe) will do fine. Keep it waxed and it'll look new for many years.

Brian

Brian
Is that used with a buffer or by hand.My old Supra Comp's 1st owner used a wax with a buffer and it left swirl marks.This is my main concern.I am dumb when it comes to the difference between wax and polish.Wich one is more dangerous to use.Thanks for all the help.Glad when April will be here!
John

John,
A wax has no abasives in it, and it has 2 purposes. One is to protect the finish from the elements, and the other is to add depth to the finish....kind of like the same effect clearcoat has. It allows more light (or color if you will) to be reflected off the surface and back to the eye.

A polish or cleaner has a very mild abrasive, the amount of which varies from on manufacturer to the other. It's purpose is to remove fine scratches and light stains from the finish.

Swirl marks can be left in a lot of different ways, the worst cases are usually from a person who uses a buffer and doesn't know the proper technique (keep the pad flat for less marks!) or someone buffs using a heavy rubbing compound but doesn't use a finer polish afterwards to remove the swirls, or a combination of both. A buffer can do a great job of restoring the luster to a dull finish, but the compounds and polishes must be used together to gradually remove any marks left in the finish from the previous stage of polishing.

Hand finishing with a cleaner then a wax will remove most if not all remaining swirl marks. Your final coat of wax should always be applied by hand.

Hope that helps and wasn't too long winded a response.


Brian

Brian
Not long winded at all.Thanks for the explanation and help.To cold in Indiana right now to do it but can't waite til April.
John