Polished the Tubes
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:37 pm
Well I finally got it done. I took last weekend, and decided it was time to polish up the tubes on the pontoon. The wife had to work all weekend ( 12hr. shifts as an RN ) so I had plenty of time all to myself, with nothing else to do.
I started by giving the toon a complete wash with some nice car wash soap to remove anything that may have been rained on the boat in the last few months. This did nothing to remove any contaminants from the tubes. My original thought was to use scotch brite pads to scour the tubes down, and get that pesky water line off of them, that the previous owner instilled by not protecting a new boat, and leaving it slipped during boating season.
After a good scrub ( 1 1/2 hrs. ) the tube looked pretty good. From here, I was afraid that the scotch brite pad left too deep of marks on the aluminum, so I did some wet sanding with 1000 grit. Let me tell you, this was a pain in the ass.
Once I got the surface to a not perfect, but satisfactory condition, I let the polishing begin. I polished with a Porter Cable dual action polisher (7424) that I use on my cars all the time with some lake country CCS foam pads. As for polish, I ended up using some toon brite, and mothers alluminum polish. I've gotta say, they are virtually the same thing, and actually the Mothers was cheaper, and easier to remove. Maybe the toon brite I had sat on the shelf too long
For the other side of the boat, I decided that my scotch brite method might not be the best/fastest way, so I go out the A/C condensor coil cleaner. WOW, was I in for a surprise. I mixed this stuff very weak, almost 10:1, and it did a Fantastic job on the aluminum. After about 10 minutes it brought the log up to a nice new state, with a whitish hue. At this point, I almost wished I hadn't already polished the other side, so I could just leave it this way, and go on. I kinda like the look of this fresh aluminum, but had to carry on so the boat wouldn't look weird having one tube polished, and the other not.
After the 12 hrs. total I put into this project, I can say that I am fairly pleased with the results. I honestly was looking for more of a Chrome like shine at first, but then realized to obtain this, it would have taken several days of wetsanding the logs down to a perfectly smooth surface. Instead, I settled for this satin/gloss alluminum look, and I actually really like it. If it were like chrome, every little knick and scratch would show up. This way, it is a bit more forgiving. After 2 coats of shark hide, the logs repelled water like a newly waxed car. I must say too that the shark hide was extreemely easy to apply, and I didn't use nearly as much as one would have thought for a job this size. Then again, I only did the outsides of the logs, so maybe that's why the shark hide was able to spread further than originaly anticipated.
I started by giving the toon a complete wash with some nice car wash soap to remove anything that may have been rained on the boat in the last few months. This did nothing to remove any contaminants from the tubes. My original thought was to use scotch brite pads to scour the tubes down, and get that pesky water line off of them, that the previous owner instilled by not protecting a new boat, and leaving it slipped during boating season.
After a good scrub ( 1 1/2 hrs. ) the tube looked pretty good. From here, I was afraid that the scotch brite pad left too deep of marks on the aluminum, so I did some wet sanding with 1000 grit. Let me tell you, this was a pain in the ass.
Once I got the surface to a not perfect, but satisfactory condition, I let the polishing begin. I polished with a Porter Cable dual action polisher (7424) that I use on my cars all the time with some lake country CCS foam pads. As for polish, I ended up using some toon brite, and mothers alluminum polish. I've gotta say, they are virtually the same thing, and actually the Mothers was cheaper, and easier to remove. Maybe the toon brite I had sat on the shelf too long
For the other side of the boat, I decided that my scotch brite method might not be the best/fastest way, so I go out the A/C condensor coil cleaner. WOW, was I in for a surprise. I mixed this stuff very weak, almost 10:1, and it did a Fantastic job on the aluminum. After about 10 minutes it brought the log up to a nice new state, with a whitish hue. At this point, I almost wished I hadn't already polished the other side, so I could just leave it this way, and go on. I kinda like the look of this fresh aluminum, but had to carry on so the boat wouldn't look weird having one tube polished, and the other not.
After the 12 hrs. total I put into this project, I can say that I am fairly pleased with the results. I honestly was looking for more of a Chrome like shine at first, but then realized to obtain this, it would have taken several days of wetsanding the logs down to a perfectly smooth surface. Instead, I settled for this satin/gloss alluminum look, and I actually really like it. If it were like chrome, every little knick and scratch would show up. This way, it is a bit more forgiving. After 2 coats of shark hide, the logs repelled water like a newly waxed car. I must say too that the shark hide was extreemely easy to apply, and I didn't use nearly as much as one would have thought for a job this size. Then again, I only did the outsides of the logs, so maybe that's why the shark hide was able to spread further than originaly anticipated.
Wow, that looks great! I have a new/used toon coming soon if the test ride goes well. I am considering polishing mine too. Thanks for the pictures and for sharing the method/work/experience/etc. If you find yourself near Phoenix, AZ and have the desire to polish some more, let me know!
You need to stand it up on the but end so you can do the bottom side & where the bunks rest. 
You could otherwise get some bad reviews from some critical fish below . 
