Discs & Pads - Polishing - Sanding - Grinding

Discs & Pads for Polishing, Sanding, and Grinding - Resources & Information

Polishing, sanding, and grinding are all part of keeping the exterior of your boat in excellent condition for optimal performance on the water. Whether you’re putting on a seal coat of wax for the new season, winterizing the exterior against moisture, or removing surface scuffs, have everything you need on hand with Discs & Pads for Polishing, Sanding, and Grinding

PartsVu offers a wide catalog of Sanding Discs, Grinding Discs, Polishing Pads, and Buffing Pads to keep your boat looking its best, as well as polishing tools, sanding tools, and grinding tools to get the job done right. 

Need help servicing your boat and outboard engine? PartsVu regularly publishes helpful how-to guides and other valuable maintenance information to help boaters properly service their boats and engines. Browse our outboard maintenance blog for a wide range of relevant topics and see the FAQ section below, covering everything you need to know about maintaining your boat in confidence.

Sanding Discs, Grinding Discs, Polishing Pads, and Buffing Pads FAQ

What should I know about Sanding Discs, Grinding Discs, Polishing Pads, and Buffing Pads?

Here’s some info you need to know about Sanding Discs, Grinding Discs, Polishing Pads, and Buffing Pads:

• Polishing pads are typically used to apply wax or other polishes to the surface of a boat. They are made of a soft, absorbent material that helps to distribute the polish evenly and can be attached to a power drill or other tool to make the polishing process easier and more efficient. Polishing pads can also be used to remove surface scratches and scuff marks from the hull of a boat.
• Grinding wheels are commonly used on boats for a variety of tasks, including:
• Removing burrs or excess material from metal parts
• Shaping and smoothing metal surfaces
• Removing rust or corrosion from metal surfaces
• Grinding down welds to create a smooth, even surface
• Sharpening cutting tools

These wheels are typically made of abrasive materials, such as aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, and come in a range of grit sizes to suit different applications. They are often used with a power tool, such as an angle grinder, to make the grinding process faster and easier.

• Sanding blocks are typically used on boats to sand down surfaces, such as the hull or deck, in preparation for painting or refinishing. They are usually made of a block of wood or other firm material with a piece of sandpaper attached to one or more sides. Sanding blocks can be used by hand or with a power sander to remove old paint, smooth out rough surfaces, or create a uniform finish on a boat's surface. Sanding blocks are also sometimes used to remove rust or corrosion from metal surfaces on a boat.

Can I reuse sanding disc pads?

In general, it’s best to use fresh sanding disc pads for any boat sanding job that you perform. While there are plenty of guides showing how to reuse sanding pads for small jobs, having a cohesive look is best achieved by fresh sandpaper. Plus, flecks of paint, adhesives, and other contaminants can become melted in with the sandpaper, perfmanently staining porous surfaces like your deck or hull. 

Can I reuse polishing disc pads and buffing discs?

As stated above, it’s always best to use fresh polishing disk pads due to contamination between different materials that you’re polishing. This is especially true when dealing with different surfaces, such as stainless steel stanchions versus a gelcoat, which contains polyester resins and epoxies that may be scratched by small metal burrs and flakes. 

How do I learn how to care for my boat’s exterior?

When it comes to boat cleaning and exterior care, PartsVu has plenty of articles geared towards new do-it-yourself boaters. Browse the following to learn what you’ll need to have on hand, tips and tricks, and everything else you need to know:

• Marine Vinyl Care Tips & Tricks - PartsVu Xchange
• The Top 8 Offseason Boat Projects - PartsVu Xchange
• Gelcoat or Gel Coat? Either Way, You Need to Protect It
• Boat Wax, Boat Polish – Which Products Are Best for a Fiberglass Boat?

How do I polish and wax my fiberglass boat? 

1. Secure Boat Out of the Water

Boats should be polished and/or waxed when they are out of the water, so you’ll likely be conducting the job when your boat in on a trailer or storage pad. Additionally, make sure you can freely move around all sides of the boat.

2. Wash Your Boat

Before you do anything to your boat’s exterior, you need to first clean it. We recommend using lots of fresh water and a soap intended for marine use. If you are in a saltwater environment, you will want to be sure that all salt is removed as it can interfere and break down boat wax and boat polish products.

Also, be aware that salt is good at hiding in any cracks and crevices as well as overhangs such as T-Tops and/or hardtops. 

3, Rinse Your Boat

After a good lathering, make sure to give a thorough rinse using clean fresh water and a reasonable amount of water pressure. After you’ve finished cleaning off the salt and surface dirt, you can begin the compounding and waxing process.

4. Remove Fittings

If your boat has any removable fittings, remove them. Removing fittings will help to prevent your buffer from getting caught. It can also be pretty tedious trying to hand wax around fittings. Of course, when you remove fitting make sure that you organize your hardware effectively so that reassembly is easy.

5. Polish Your Boat

It is not necessary to polish your boat every time you wax it, but you will want to polish it anytime the finish looks dull, faded, pitted, or scratched. When polishing your boat, start at the back and work your way towards the bow.

When polishing your boat:

• You have the option to apply the polish using a buffer or by hand
• Use circular motions to avoid streaks
• Work in 2-foot sections
• Buff until the surface looks glassy
• Before waxing, rinse the boat to remove dust

6. Wax Your Boat

Apply the wax either by hand or electric buffer using circular motions much in the same way you applied the polish. Wait until the wax is hazy, indicating that it is dry. Then buff the wax until it shines using a soft towel.

Should I paint my outboard cowling?

PartsVu carries a wide selection of Marine Spray Paint to protect the exterior of your cowling (as well as other exterior parts of your boat and outboard engine). The durable enamel coating of these spray paint products, in factory-matched colors, provides excellent coverage against the elements.

As is the case with any painting task, surface preparation is very important. Note that paint may fade over time on an outboard motor exposed to the elements over time, so the factory-fresh color supplied in this can may not match older paint exactly. Therefore, the application area may need to be larger to provide for proper blending of the color.

How do I protect my outboard engine? 

The marine environment is one of the harshest on the planet, and that’s why protecting your outboard is extremely important. For premium protection against rust and corrosion, we highly recommend products like Yamashield Rust & Corrosion Protectant. Yamashield replaces the T-9 formula that was designed by Boeing Aviation and is a combination of solvents, lubricants, and waxes. This means it has the ability to clean, lubricate, and protect your outboard.

How do I clean my fiberglass fishing boat?

While often overlooked, performing routine fiberglass hull maintenance is necessary to maintain and restore fiberglass shine. Regularly cleaning and protecting your boat’s exterior will keep your investment looking newer longer. But, when you look across the marine industry, there are so many boat wax and boat polish options – which ones are the best?

Boats should be polished and/or waxed when they are out of the water, so you’ll likely be conducting the job when your boat in on a trailer or storage pad. Additionally, make sure you can freely move around all sides of the boat.

Before you do anything to your boat’s exterior, you need to first clean it. We recommend using lots of fresh water and a soap intended for marine use. If you are in a saltwater environment, you will want to be sure that all salt is removed as it can interfere and break down boat wax and boat polish products.

Also, be aware that salt is good at hiding in any cracks and crevices as well as overhangs such as T-Tops and/or hardtops. After a good lathering, make sure to give a thorough rinse using clean fresh water and a reasonable amount of water pressure. After you’ve finished cleaning off the salt and surface dirt, you can begin the compounding and waxing process.

If your boat has any removable fittings, remove them. Removing fittings will help to prevent your buffer from getting caught. It can also be pretty tedious trying to hand wax around fittings. Of course, when you remove fitting make sure that you organize your hardware effectively so that reassembly is easy.

It is not necessary to polish your boat every time you wax it, but you will want to polish it anytime the finish looks dull, faded, pitted, or scratched. When polishing your boat, start at the back and work your way towards the bow.

Apply the wax either by hand or electric buffer using circular motions much in the same way you applied the polish. Wait until the wax is hazy, indicating that it is dry. Then buff the wax until it shines using a soft towel.

Why is it important to maintain my boat’s gel coat? 

Your boat will run just fine if you maintain your engine, even if you don’t maintain your gelcoat. However, if you don’t maintain it, your gelcoat will become porous. Porous gel coat stains much more easily, but of more concern, contribute to your boat’s fiberglass prematurely cracking. Generally speaking, staining is unpleasant—your boat will lose its luster, not look as nice, and could lose substantial resale value.

Fiberglass can and does suffer from age, elements, and wear and tear. This process of breakdown is the result of cracking.

Typically, the deterioration initially seems minor, with microscopic cracks in the formed fiberglass fabric. Over time, these cracks become more prominent, separating fibers and the resin that hold them together. The bigger the cracks get, the more stress occurs to the remaining material. Eventually, a significant break occurs when the integrity can no longer hold together.

Maintaining your gelcoat goes a long way toward protecting against premature fiberglass deterioration. The reality is, with regular gelcoat maintenance, both your gel coat and boat’s fiberglass will last a long, long time.