Polishing your boat with Riwax!

Over time, your boat, which used to be so beautifully shiny in the water, loses its shine due to all kinds of weather influences. The polyester or paintwork of your boat becomes duller and may even weather. It is therefore very important to maintain your boat properly every year and polish it properly every now and then. But how do you do that and which products do you need? In this article, we explain how to make your boat shine again with the cleaning products from the Riwax Nautic product line (RS)!

In this article, we work with the Riwax step-by-step plan. This step-by-step plan consists of the following five steps:

• Step 1. Preparation (initial cleaning).
• Step 2. Matting.
• Step 3. Polishing the boat.
• Step 4. Finish and protect.
• Step 5. Maintenance during the season.

You can easily order all Riwax products online at Polyestershoppen.com. Do you need advice on maintaining your boat? Then feel free to contact our product specialists!

Step 1. Preparation (initial cleaning)

Supplies

• Riwax RS Boat Clean
• Brush
• Riwax RS Surface Clean (optional)

Before polishing, sanding or waxing your polyester boat, we recommend that you first thoroughly clean the boat and/or engine with RS Boat Clean. This multi-purpose cleaner is suitable for deep cleaning and degreasing boat hulls, bilges and engines. Riwax RS Boat Clean does not remain in emulsion so oil and grease residues can be easily separated. This cleaner can also be used in the usual cleaning of your boat.

After washing, always rinse the boat well with and chamois the surface dry.

Step 2. Matting

Supplies

• Riwax eccentric sander
• Abralon sanding discs
• Riwax intermediate disc (optional)
• Sprayer

What is matting?

Matting is a method in which a wafer-thin layer of the gelcoat or varnish is ground away. This sounds heftier than it is because the gelcoat is quite thick. So you can mattify the surface without any problem. Matting is also a suitable method to get a dirty waterline (relief from old letters, scratches and similar damage) completely smooth again.

When should you mat?

Assess the condition of the paint or gelcoat. Is the gelcoat or lacquer still in good condition? Then you don't need to mattify. Then proceed to step 3B or 3C.

We do recommend matting the surface if there is:

• Weathered and/or dull gelcoat or varnish.
• Repaired gelcoat.
• Deep scratches from fenders.
• Orange effect.
• Visible relief from old adhesive letters.

How should you matte?

To mattify a surface, we recommend using an eccentric rotary sander in combination with Abralon mattifying discs in fine grit. Sand the surface with the mattifying discs in grit P1000, P2000 and P4000. Always sand wet and, using a spray nozzle, ensure that the surface remains wet during matting.

Areas you can't reach with the matting disc can simply be done by hand. To do this, take a new disc with a bucket of water and mattify in a circular motion.

Matting results in a clean, smooth and, most importantly, dull surface. This is the perfect time to repair or sand away scratches and damage in the gelcoat. Is this not the case? Then proceed to the next step, polishing!

Step 3. Polishing the boat

In this step, we will polish the matted or dull gelcoat. For correct polishing, we recommend using the following products:

• Riwax roterende polijstmachine
  Use a suitable polishing machine to achieve a perfect result. For polishing, we recommend using a rotary polishing machine such as the Riwax polishing machine. This machine is of high quality and features adjustable speed so you have a lot of control while polishing.

• Polishing pads
  Riwax polishing pads last a long time and are available in the following coarsenesses: black (soft), white (medium) and blue (hard). You easily attach the pads to a Riwax polishing machine.
  
  
• Sheepskin
  A sheepskin is widely used by DIYers to quickly remove damage and unevenness. The big advantage of a sheepskin is that the surface does not heat up as quickly. To work with a sheepskin, you do need an intermediate disc that prevents heat build-up. We recommend using several sheepskins if you are going to treat the entire boat. Rinse the sheepskin regularly in a bucket.
  
  

3A: polishing highly weathered gelcoat 

Use Riwax RS02 to polish a heavily weathered gelcoat on the boat. Apply a small amount of polishing compound to a blue polishing pad or sheepskin and set the polisher to low speed. Rub the paste slightly over the surface and start polishing. Work in a structured manner from top to bottom and left to right with a small overlap. Slowly increase the speed during polishing.

For the finishing touch, after polishing, clean the surface with Riwax RS20 Spray Finish. Are you satisfied with the result? Then proceed to the next step!

3B: polishing slightly weathered gelcoat

Use Riwax RS04 to polish a lightly weathered gelcoat. Apply a small amount of polishing compound to a blue polishing pad or sheepskin and set the polisher to low speed. Rub the paste slightly over the surface and start polishing. Work in a structured manner from top to bottom and left to right with a small overlap. Slowly increase the speed during polishing.

For the finishing touch, after polishing, clean the surface with Riwax RS20 Spray Finish. Are you satisfied with the result? Then proceed to the next step!

3C: new gelcoat polishing (gelcoat in good condition)

Use Riwax RS06 to bring back the shine of gelcoat when it is in good condition. Apply a small amount of polishing compound to a white polishing pad  and set the polisher to low speed. Rub the paste slightly over the surface and start polishing. Work in a structured manner from top to bottom and left to right with a small overlap. Slowly increase the speed during polishing.

Then move on to step 4: finish and protect!

Step 4. Finish and protect

Now that your boat has been polished again, it will look great and shiny again. Of course, you want to keep the beautiful high gloss as long as possible, so this last step is certainly not unimportant. In this step, you will apply a protective wax layer. Applying wax makes the shine even deeper and provides a dirt-repellent layer.

Riwax has two types of boat wax: Riwax RS08 (Star Finish) and Riwax RS10 (Hard Wax). Both waxes are easy to apply by hand. Machine application is also possible. For long-term protection, we recommend using Riwax RS10 (Hard Wax).

Processing boat wax manually (recommended)

Apply the wax manually in a thin layer. When 'waxing' always use a clean Riwax cleaning cloth and not a microfibre polishing cloth. This is because the polishing cloths have an open structure, which allows you to apply the wax properly. After you have treated the entire boat, allow the wax to work in completely. After application, rub the wax thoroughly with a microfibre cloth until the gloss is complete. Avoid working in direct sunlight for optimal results.

Processing boat wax mechanically

Besides manual processing, you can also choose to apply the wax with an eccentric rotary polisher. For this, use a black polishing pad and let the machine do the work.

Step 5. Maintenance during the season

After following the previous steps, your boat, fully polished and protected, is ready for a wonderful boating season. But even during the season, of course, you want to keep your boat in top condition. Use the following products during the boating season for periodic cleaning.

• Riwax RS Surface Clean
  Riwax RS Surface Clean is a must-have for the boat owner. With this cleaner you can effortlessly remove limescale from the paintwork and clean teak on board. Very handy to keep your boat in top condition during the season.

• Riwax RS Wax Shampoo
  Wash your boat during the season with Riwax RS Wax Shampoo. The shampoo removes grease and dirt without damaging the paintwork and gives a new shine while washing (wash & wax in 1).

• Riwax RS Wax Polish
  Use Riwax RS Wax Polish for minor maintenance during the season. Use this wax to remove dull spots on the paintwork, for example.

• Riwax RS Spray Finish
  With Riwax RS Spray Finish you clean a surface without water and give the paint a finishing touch. This spray cleaner contains selected preservatives and can be used on all surfaces.

More information about boat polishing with Riwax?

As a result of reading this article, do you have any questions about the Riwax step-by-step plan or about Riwax products? Then feel free to contact our product specialists. We will be happy to provide advice to make your project a success!

Also check out Riwax's visual step-by-step plan for a good overview while polishing your boat.