What to use to buff a boat??

I am cleaning up a 1978 fishing boat. It's a orange color with metal flake and was wanting to buff it. Anybody have any suggestions on what to use to get the shine back? There isn't much oxidation just dull.

Ive done a few and refinish cars for a living. If the gel coat is just mildly dull i wetsand them with 2000 grit sandpaper then buff it with a wool buffing pad and a mild rubbing compound. If there are spots that are a little worse you can sand it 1000 grit then go back over it with 2000. Then ill go over it with a polish and foam buffing pad, then wax it. They make products that you can wipe on that will temporarily make it look better but buffing it will really restore the shine. If you have any more questions feel free to send me a pm

[QUOTE=Simonlawnservice;506562]I am cleaning up a 1978 fishing boat. It's a orange color with metal flake and was wanting to buff it. Anybody have any suggestions on what to use to get the shine back? There isn't much oxidation just dull.[/QUOTE]

"Fishin is life" is the guy that can answer that as well as anyone.

get some bass boat saver its in a blue spray bottle. That stuff is awesome it should do the trick without buffing the boat.... Just spray it on and wipe it off...

[QUOTE=ryan_ekubass;506587]get some bass boat saver its in a blue spray bottle. That stuff is awesome it should do the trick without buffing the boat.... Just spray it on and wipe it off...[/QUOTE]

I've used it and its a temporary fix and doesn't actually remove the oxidation. Its a good product to use after you've buffed it

I use 3M products which are pricey but im sure you can find aftermarket products that will work. Just make sure not to use extra cut compound or itll leave marks that will be tough to get out

[QUOTE=Simonlawnservice;506562]I am cleaning up a 1978 fishing boat. It's a orange color with metal flake and was wanting to buff it. Anybody have any suggestions on what to use to get the shine back? There isn't much oxidation just dull.[/QUOTE]I have refinished cars and boats for almost 25 years, your best bet is to get some bar compound, what you do is push the bar coumpound into the wool pad and buff, it is similar to what is used for polishing metals and plastics and other verious substrates, depending on where you are at you may be able to pick some up at a local boat shop or you can order it from advanced plastics in nashville, if you are close to louisville, right behind arnolds boats is a shop called marine tech, the owners name is bob and he may sell you some, or you can check other local boat shops, it comes in different grades also sanding the bad gel off will deffinitly save some time, 3m or norton make good paper, you can get hand paper or you can use da sander paper which takes a lot of the elbow grease out of the process, if you need more info pm me and I can give you part numbers as well, good luck.

Some good replies on here.. I am and Insurance adjuster and have ran body shops and have restored cars and boats all my life. You need to determine the problem first, and then the next course of action will be based on that. If the gel coat is still there and just dull from fine scratches over time then sanding w/ 1500-2000 grit paper will sand out those fine scratches and you can buff a shine back on it. If your Gel coat is starting to delaminate, and feels gritty, and you can see it breaking down, It may need some extensive repair and at that point a temporary wipe on wipe off fix, may be more appropriate. If your gel is delaminating, and you sand it, you can cut through the top layer but also down into the color layer and make it much duller than it is now.
Pose some pictures and I'm sure we can help you make the best decision. Either way, if you buff it, use a good liquid medium to light weight rubbing compound. It is my experience that 3M products are the best and although they cost a little more, it is well worth the money and time you will save by not using crap.. No matter what, do not use a heavy paste compound.. what you have to remember is that sanding and buffing is actually taking of a thin top layer of the Gel-coat, so the more aggressive sand paper or compound you use, the more of the finish you will remove and the more likely you are to get down into the color layer and make it dull

It depends how much work you want to put into it Jon if you want to do it right, wet sand, rubbing compound, buff with higher compound, then wax if you want give me a shout ill let you know more if your are interested- I just put like 25 hours into mine..