Re: Boat Waxing:What Power Tool To Use
as boom said, it depends on the current condition. if your boat is in great shape, you could get away with waxing by hand. if you have light oxidation, the orbital buffer might do the trick. if you have heavy oxidation that returns shortly after waxing or a hull that looks great wet but not so great when dry, then in my opinion you'll want the polisher.<br /><br />the buffer isn't as aggressive as the polisher, but you can do what the buffer does with the polisher. i've only used cheap buffers though.<br /><br />from what i can tell with the 2 harbor freight polishers, one looks like a new model with an LED display and the other is the no-frills model.<br /><br />the terms buffing, waxing, and polishing will be used somewhat inter-changably depending on who you talk to. technically, you buff with compound, polish with polish, and then cover with wax in that order. some jobs might not require all steps and some might require wet sanding before buffing.<br /><br />to add another variable, some people spray 303 periodically and skip the wax entirely. i wouldn't do that in salt.
