wet sanding and buffing?????

my SN had a large scratch on the side where the PO apparently let it rest on a dock and get scratched as waves came by. I wet sanded the scratch with 320, 600, and 1000 and then buffed it. I also did the same on the top of the bow where it was scratched from using the trailer with no wood on the bow stop. I have buffed the rest of the boat but none of it looks as good as the spots I wet sanded. The sanded spots look brand new. My question is can I buff the rest of the boat with a more aggresive compound to attain this quality of finish or will I have to wet sand the rest of the boat with 1000 or 1200? This boat is 19 years old so I don't want to remove very much gelcoat because who knows how thin it could already be. Any advice?

320 is pretty agressive, wet sand the rest with 1000 and i dont think you'll bust through. do what pete said, the 1000 grit will speed it along

You can use the 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound and a variable speed polisher with a wool bonnet on it. It's supposed to be abrasive enough to remove swirls created by 1000 grit sandpaper. Just follow the directions on the bottle and set the polisher to the recommended speeds.

I just used it on my entire boat and was very happy with the results.

Here's a link: 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound

Randy, Im sure it will remove 600 grit scratches... eventually! Really its best at removing 1000-1200 grit scratches- it says 1000 on the bottle.

FYI, I dont care what 3m labels it, Finesse-It II is a POLISH, not a glaze. My understanding is that a polish removes material to smooth the surface, while a glaze adds material for the same effect... Finesse-It II definitely does the former. I tried a true glaze once after polishing- what a waste of time!

Ive gone down to 320 (actually, Ive gone down to 220 before) but I would strongly advise doing so unless its absolutely necessary! Go as minimally agressive as you can- try the SD compound on a test spot first. If you need more grit, try 1000. Work your way down until you start seeing results that you like- then bring it all the way back up. Sanding sucks, so the less you have to do, the better.

Do be a little careful on corners and edges, but it is damn difficult to damage the gel on these boats. It is hard and thick!

eric lavine wrote: It is hard and thick! I will second that

It depends on the use...LOL also check if your shaft its straith...