How to polish your pontoon

This is the method I use to polish the toons on my boat.

[@zoubtube]

For those interested, I just finished polishing my pontoon using this method. It does work but there are some details you need to know. For starters, it took me quite a while, two days in total, between 12 and 14 hours per day of only 1 pass with the orange and blue pads, but I do have a 30 foot pontoon which has been regularly acid washed for 10 years. Use a quality polisher, not a cheaper harbor freight like I did. more speed the better, get a 6000 RPM if you can. The orange pads wear easily, I went through 6 of these and didn't have much to work with in the end (was to lazy to get more) . The blue pads are surprisingly strong, 2 of them did the whole boat. Do NOT over apply the metal polish. less is definitely more, a couple of small dabs is all you need per section. I worked in 4 foot sections on a cloudy mid 60's days with a good breeze, the polish dries fast, you want it off before it dries. also, I found the polish worked better on a clean dry log as opposed to wet. As for the degreaser (dawn soap). Do NOT apply it top down, apply bottom up or else you will immediately get black streaks that are VERY hard to remove. once applied scrub VERY hard and jet rinse top down, scrubbing is key, best to have a power washer, I really wish I did. work very fast. In the end you will need acetone to clean the remaining dark residue, you will be surprised how much comes off. my guess is a power washer would limit this. the end result is a bit better than new, although not as even a finish, which is actually what I was aiming for. I didn't want a highly reflective finish as it wouldn't match with the rest of the pontoon. Most important,,, do NOT work on this project with the pontoon on gravel ground. I didn't have a choice and it made for an absolutely miserable experience. make sure your on a trailer. your back, knee's, ass and elbows will thank you. Good luck!

[@user-yi8pf8on6w]

What do you acid wash with??

[@sirjames45]

I had a bad day today trying to do a job for a customer, and right in the beginning you said getting the black stuff of was the hard part! You just made my day. I am using dawn starting tomorrow!

[@glennr9913]

That looks really good. All the Pros recommend sanding & multiple polishing compound steps, but your results look good enough to me & are a whole lot quicker. If I only had a boat trailer I'd be set...

[@user-hb8be5wb4q]

When I saw the title, I missed the real meaning. I thought it read polish your poontane. I just know I had to see that! Oh well, this is a great vlog, thanks for posting and thanks for sharing with us. Guess I’ll keep on looking for that other thing!

[@rleviness]

Lol.... that's funny!

[@Chriscarnes1619]

I polish and wash trucks for a living . I recommend using a actually aluminum buffer with orange and yellow wheels . Your boat looks ok but a actually aluminum buffer /polisher is the only way to do it correctly . Always using acid bottom to top and rinse bottom to top never use a brush or scrub acid . A pressure washer is all u need .rinse bottom to top

[@SI-lg2vp]

On my Northriver aluminum boat I use Mothers aluminum polish without a buffer. then I go back with dawn soap and some mineral spirits and rinse with water. No buffing is needed. Great results with less time, and a new shine. If its easier, then you wont dread polishing the aluminum.

[@DURTYMAXLML]

Awesome video!

[@chrisbgarrett]

What do I do about the light and deep scratches?

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

Use a da sander ' for deep scratches start with 80 grit then 120/ 180/ 240/320/400/600/1000/2000/3000 grit papers then medium cut compound followed by polishing compound followed by foam pad polish.

[@melissabreedlove8211]

I have a question about the Dawn soap.. do u just scrub the toon down between each pass with the polisher? I seen u had a small bucket and rag in the beginning of the video.. I assume it is kinda like washing ur car?

[@adambatchelor4459]

Sweet video. Saved me a head ace. Now when you polish with the blue pad what are you using? Same polish as before? Thanks.

[@rleviness]

Yes! Same stuff.

[@mikefedor78]

Toons came out awesome! …. Do you put the white diamond polish on the toons or the polishing pad when you start?

[@rleviness]

Thank you! I put it on the pad. But I'm sure either way would work.

[@eduardomendoza6117]

Hey great video Robert! What speed did you use on your polisher if you don't mind me asking? and did you use the whole white diamond bottle for the pontoon or did you have some left? Great job man!

[@Djdiaz0809]

Question when I start using the blue polishing pad do I still apply the white diamond or just use the pad and water?

[@nickdeorio9055]

Looks great... Is there any chance of leaving swirl marks? Or damaging the toons?

[@rleviness]

If you don't polish them enough it will leave swirl marks, but I don't really think you could damage them in any way with this process.

[@nickdeorio9055]

I just picked up a new tri toon and want that mirror look.... so they are new toons...but do have that oxidation.

[@rleviness]

Yes, they will look better than new by doing this. I wish I had done mine from the beginning, but I did it after a season of it sitting in the water for about 7 months. If you use the shark hide treatment after you are done polishing them, it will dull the shine just a bit, but really preserves them and makes them easier to clean in the future.

[@nickdeorio9055]

If your not familiar with ceramic coatings...check that out... I figure once I polish them...I’m gonna apply a coat of Ceramic Pro. Lots of vids on that on you tube

[@donrechlin4832]

Robert Leviness said

[@hambone1331]

You indicated you went over each area three times. Was that three times with the orange and three times with the blue pads? Came out nice.

[@rleviness]

Thank you. Yes, that was three with the orange, and then then three with the blue.

[@joelmabrey2569]

Are you washing the polish off with water or wiping it off with rags ?

[@rleviness]

Wiping it with rags and Dawn dishwashing detergent.

[@joelmabrey2569]

@@rleviness thank you Sir

[@user-ew5ti3jm9v]

Did you use the polish when it was tor did you use Dawn to clean it first with the polish ? Thank you

[@rleviness]

If I understand your question, I use the polish first, then dawn to remove the residue left by the polish.

[@22josta]

Were your toons shined when you first started doing this polishing job like this? Or did you start with normal, acid washed toons. I just acid washed mine and am thinking about doing this.. just maybe not as mirror finished.. haha

[@rleviness]

I have never acid washed them, they were still pretty shiny from doing them last year.

[@Retired88M]

The professional s will tell you to never acid wash aluminum even if you boat in salt water

[@mrgoodtimes05]

I seen a comment saying spray with acid and let dry. You Never want acid to dry on aluminum especially pontoons. When using acid wet the area with water. Then start at the bottom work your way up when spraying acid. If sprayed dry it increases chance of burning aluminum. When sprayed top to bottom it will have streak runs. Wetting first decreases chance of streaking.

[@davebreton6381]

it would be nice to see some actual work being done

[@Bushgator]

how about the fencing walls how do I get the scratches out of the side fencing wall

[@lukekelley6581]

So when all the black residue is left on the toons, did you spray it with dawn and then pressure wash off? How did it come off?

[@reneemiller7989]

Robert, everyone I’m having contact with, is saying this process takes 20 hours. Was this anything you experienced?

[@reneemiller7989]

This is Scott Miller, btw

[@rleviness]

No! I spent about 3 hrs per toon. But, I don't do the whole inside of them, only the part that is seen.

[@SameeMcDanielSoccer]

@@rleviness am I understanding that you start the polishing with a completely "wet" toon, not dry application of polish? Just want to make sure. I have the identical boat in black, triple toon/rear lounger in 23' from Conroe.

[@rleviness]

Yes, that's how I did it, with the toons wet.

[@guitarslinger319]

@@rleviness all you used was polish and different pads???

[@thomasbrooklyn1820]

How often do you have to do this to keep them looking that good?

[@rleviness]

Well my boat sits in the water about 8 months out of the year. I would say they stay looking good for about two years. If you always take you boat out of the water, then I'm sure it would last a lot longer than that.

[@bertgarris4417]

Why use water on the toons? No need, when buffing you want to metal to heat up while bugging. It makes the Buffing speed up the process. Spray with acid first let it dry, acid opens the pores to get a faster shine.