Polishing my vintage aluminum boat

**MackPrince** · 05-04-2011, 01:30 AM

I can't believe my grandpa's old boat is turing 50 this year. Although it spent over half it's time upside down either next to a barn, in a barn, or near our previous lake cabin this old girl's been moored for a few seasons and recently enjoying the comfort of a trailer and my garage when we are not on the water.

Two years ago I stripped the vinyl off the bench seats and replaced it with plastikote, similar to a rhino liner material. Now, it's time to polish the hull.

Phew, here we go!

**MMDON** · 05-04-2011, 04:35 PM

Patina is a thing. I'm not even going down the path of polishing aluminum.

**SuperD** · 05-04-2011, 05:01 PM

Polish the sides and then shark hyde I can understand. You do the bottom and I'll have to wonder about you.

**twisted lines** · 05-04-2011, 07:54 PM

I did that to my little pond jumper, and the next year I redid the wood and polished it again because it got a little dull, then put a for sale sign on it and it was gone in 15 minutes.

Looked really good but not a good time..

**MackPrince** · 05-05-2011, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by SuperD

Polish the sides and then shark hyde I can understand. You do the bottom and I'll have to wonder about you.

I think I might just jump all the way into it. I figure it's been 50 years, so it deserves an all over shine job. It's a "cartopper" model so even though it now rides a trailer a new owner in a few years might appreciate the extra effort.

I checked with a local shop about a professional polish and shark hide job and they wanted almost $1000. Yikes! I decided to buy a buffer, extra pads, towels and polish, and one of these weekends I'm going to make some noise and see how it turns out.

**Get'nJiggy** · 05-05-2011, 12:58 PM

Let me know if you want/need a hand...might cost you a couple beers though!

**skookum9** · 05-05-2011, 10:57 PM

MackPrince,
You'll have to do whatever suits you but I have some experience with the whole polishing aluminum thing. My father owns a Silver Streak travel trailer that he trying buffing out. It was a lot of work and always a race. He found that he could only buff a small area before he had to apply some wax he had bought for it to keep it from oxydizing. If he worked too large an area, it just got dull again before he could wax it. I believe he used carnuba wax. I too have a Silver Streak. But I heard about a little trick I thought I would try before committing myself to this much work. This trick worked like a charm. The secret was, believe it or not, WD-40. (Not sure what this stuff doesn't work for). Just sprayed a little on the skin and rubbed it around with a rag or shop towel and all the ugly came off and the anodization and paint stayed in place. No need to wax it. No need for a buffer. No need for any extra headaches. It shined a little more than I wanted but that is cured either by washing or by time and weather. Polish your boat if you want to but, you might consider trying this first to see if it would do the job for you. It's a whole lot easier.

**MackPrince** · 05-06-2011, 02:11 AM

Thanks for the info Skookum.

Jiggy, my fridge is always stocked.

**SilverBullets** · 05-06-2011, 12:10 PM

I repainted the top portion and hand polish the exposed aluminum sides on the SmokerCraft with Mothers Aluminum polish. I've tried the buffer but like the way it comes out doing it by hand better.The first time I did it I had to go over everything twice to remove the oxidation (the boat is over 20 years old.) Doing it once a year and cleaning it with soap and water between trips keeps the finish looking like a mirror.

**MackPrince** · 05-07-2011, 02:43 AM

Since everyone else is sleeping I just spent an hour with the elbow grease. I'm not worried about this 'ole girl being a show boat and it looks like once I get a rough hand polish done, a pass over with the buffer should shine up the hull pretty good.

Here we go!

**MackPrince** · 05-08-2011, 01:46 AM

Jar #1 of the Blue Magic is gone. Here's the update from tonight's effort.

**Mav186** · 05-08-2011, 02:05 AM

Mack,
I respect your decision and admire your determination...it wouldn't matter to me how large or small it was, but if I had something 50 years old, that used to belong to my Grandfather...I'd spend as much time and effort as necessary to make it shine in honor of him. I wouldn't be who I am today without him! Nicely done Mack.

**SilverFox** · 05-08-2011, 10:20 AM

I have personal experience buffing an aluminum boat, and it was only 3yrs old when I did mine. If you want any tips, let me know and I'll share. I highly recommend applying Sharkhide once you're finished, it will keep your hard work looking nice for years to come.

What a cool project and for the right reasons!

**Koke-n-a-smile** · 05-08-2011, 02:04 PM

Mack,
Add a little splash of color, or some reflective tape and you will have a nice flasher to attract the Kokes when you are done!

Seriously though, nice job!

**MackPrince** · 05-08-2011, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Koke-n-a-smile

Mack,
Add a little splash of color, or some reflective tape and you will have a nice flasher to attract the Kokes when you are done!

Seriously though, nice job!

There ya go. Maybe some underwater hot rod flames

**MackPrince** · 05-15-2011, 01:38 AM

Only about 3' left to go on the starboard side that I can't get to with the garage closed. She's lookin' pretty good. Can't wait to hit the top 1/2 above the rivets with the buffer to really bring out the shine after I flip 'er back upright.