cleaning the outside of the 5'er

Thinking back to my boating days I had an old bayliner that had probably a half inch gel coat that used to be robin egg blue, I used a product called Penitrol and scotch brite to remove the oxidation then a buff with the 3M polishing compound and then a buff of McGuire's boat polish. Sold well...

Veebyes,
Would you explain your reason for using Maguiars POLISH in the final step instead of their wax/protectant. Just curious as they recommend a polish ahead of a wax which seals the surface.

On my partially faded trailer and decals I just used a wash and wax cleaning solution with long handle sponge mop and after good drying and removing any streaks with terry cloth towels I then applied a generous coat of liquid white 303 protectant all over with long handle sponge mop and then did extra waxing/buffing of certain areas by hand as needed. Made the trailer look nice and clean and white and shiny in some places but of course I still had a few faded decals that I lived with. They weren't too bad. Did this several times a year just for fun.

As a saltwater kept boat owner since 1981 I have learned a thing or two about gelcoat & the maintenance of it.

First of all, there is no such thing as EASY. The more oxidation, the tougher the job to restore & the tougher it is to keep it looking good.

Lots of products will make it look better, not good, for the short term. You get what you pay for. Your labour will be the same so you might as well pay for the quality product that will last first time around.

Keep that pressure washer far far away. It will do more damage than good.

Start with a good wash to remove long sitting road grime & bugs on the front cap. Easy step.

Next is the tough one which depends on the deterioration of the gelcoat. For relatively minor chalking of gelcoat either 3M Marine cleaner wax or Maguires Marine cleaner wax does the job. The work is in working the stuff in to remove the chalking. You will need a proper polisher to remove the product. One of those two handed cheap automotive buffer won't do the job. I carry a Makita polisher around. One of those buy it for life tools.

By now you are at the end of day two, maybe into day three, & looking pretty good but not finished yet.

The last step is the Meguires Flagship POLISH. This goes on easy but does absolutely nothing to remove chalking or stains, hence the importance of doing a proper job with the cleaner wax. The Flagship produces a visibly better shine & gives the protection for longevity of the shine.

My Alpenlite spent it's first 2 years of life in a storage lot in CO. I got it before the chalking set in. Eleven years later, it is looking almost new after many thousands of miles use.

The method here is frontcap cleanerwax & Flagship twice a year, mainly because of bugs. The rest of the trailer Flagship once a year. Every 3 years or so cleaner wax then Flagship.

Two weeks ago it got the full cleaner wax treatment then was put into indoor storage. Next spring it gets a wash off then the full Flagship treatment before it goes travelling.

Regarding ghosting, the original frontcap decal took a beating so I replaced it with a custom photo. The difference is in the quality of the material. Over three years & thousands of bugs beaten into it & it is looking like new. You have to look really really hard to see any evidence of the originl


Click For Full-Size Image.

Edd505 wrote:
Used this on 3 5W's and all my vehicles, about $7. Apply by hand and buff off with a random orbit buffer:

X2 - works great on my trailers. Especially when they start to show a little oxidation. My 5th wheel is a 2006 - I cover it in the winter. It looks great and many people complement me on how clean the trailer is. People think it is much newer than it is. My horse trailer is all aluminum, white. I use the same product twice a year, it also still shines like new, no cover on it.

I use F10 on my cars and truck, but they have better paint to start with.

3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax with a Porter Cable Random Orbit was the best thing I found. I tried the the Meguairs and Chemical Guys and everything else.
Traded it on the Landmark with full body paint.

Used this on 3 5W's and all my vehicles, about $7. Apply by hand and buff off with a random orbit buffer:

I have a similar issue with the decals peeling off but it's leaving the adhesive which is not pretty at all.
They even put some of the decals over some of the windows, why I don't know but the adhesive is not going anywhere until I find a solution.

fx2tom wrote:
The only way to actually remove the "ghosting" effect is to wet sand the entire trailer. 1500 grit and then 1800 grit. Even then it's not 100%. The best way is to remove the decals when new and wax it right away, along with every 9-12 months going forward. Once it is ghosted it is not likely that you will ever be able to get rid if that.

I tried , and after 12 years of ownership I gave up on my 2008 Montana that I bought new .

The only way to actually remove the "ghosting" effect is to wet sand the entire trailer. 1500 grit and then 1800 grit. Even then it's not 100%. The best way is to remove the decals when new and wax it right away, along with every 9-12 months going forward. Once it is ghosted it is not likely that you will ever be able to get rid if that.