Buffer / Polisher

[BlueSeas]

Hi Folks,

I bought a 1981 Catalina 22 to learn to sail and get experience renewing and refittting before I took on a bigger project! I have been wet sanding and compounding the hull by hand and the shine is coming back nicely.

My question is what is a good power buffer/polisher? I bought a Ryobi at Home Depot and had a problem with the buffing/polishing bonnets flying off after a few seconds. I returned it and am now looking for a better way to buff and ultimately polish the hull.

Any help or alternatives would be appreciated.

Dennis

[Vasco]

Makita 9227C.

[cat man do]

I always have used this style of head




A small amount of water on the foam pad to assist polishing works a treat

Sander polisher I use is a Hitachi sat 180 (have tried other cheaper ones but always go back to the Hitachi)

[Maine Sail]

The Makita 9227C is basically the industry standard. Light, powerful, no load motor, soft start and a low speed of 600 which can be very useful.

[BlueSeas]

Looks like I am going to have to pony up and buy a good one! Thanks for the recommendations.

Misread your post Vasco thought you were saying instead of waxing to go to

Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter

Thought that would be interesting in a Catalina 22 lol.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

The Makita 9227C is basically the industry standard. Light, powerful, no load motor, soft start and a low speed of 600 which can be very useful.

Indeed.

However, note this CAUTION:

"... If the tool is operated continuously at low speeds for a long time, the motor will get overloaded, resulting in tool malfunction..."

➥ http://www.makita.com/en-us/Assets/I...uals/9227C.pdf

[David M]

I have used the Makita through many haulouts. With a buffing pad, the ones that use the Velcro attachment stay in place. Forget any pad that uses elastic, they wobble all over. I prefer the wool pads over the sponge pads. The wool pads have two different coarseness designated by their color. The white ones (for buffing) are slightly more coarse than the yellow ones (for polishing).

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Indeed.

However, note this CAUTION:

"... If the tool is operated continuously at low speeds for a long time, the motor will get overloaded, resulting in tool malfunction..."

➥ http://www.makita.com/en-us/Assets/I...uals/9227C.pdf

Yes that is true but in my experience you'll feel it get hot well before you continue to use it at low speeds and burn it up. They do get hot and can run fairly hot with no issues that I have personally experienced.

Mine has done over 100 vessels and is still going strong. I also loan it out a lot to amateurs and even they have not yet killed it. Five loans and two boats I did this spring alone. The Makita's used at my boat yard have perhaps 200+ vessels under their belts..

The only problem with mine is that the cord keeps getting shorter every time I wrap it and do a field repair.. It has been soaked, dropped and run hard yet keeps on ticking. It does not however like to be run on dirty generator power...

Funny thing is I bought a HF "knock off" of the Makita and it was smoking, like the monster on "LOST" in under ten minutes, and was completely toasted in twenty minutes... For the $39.00 it was an amusing experiment. Though I would use it as one of my loaners...but.....not gonna happen..

I wrote a tutorial and if this site does not bag the link, because it takes you to another forum, you're welcome to read it.

Tips For A Great Buff / Wax (LINK)

[bassman1956]

Originally Posted by BlueSeas

Looks like I am going to have to pony up and buy a good one! ...

If it's any consolation, I've never regretted spending more to buy a better piece of equipment. I have often regretted buying a lesser piece of gear, tho.

And I'm facing the same dilemma. How big, what make, and can I get one that's good for both sanding and buffing?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by bassman1956

... And I'm facing the same dilemma. How big, what make, and can I get one that's good for both sanding and buffing?

18-1/2" long. 6.6 lbs .
Makita 9227C
Yes.
➥ Makita 9227C Polisher, 9227CX3 Bonus Kit

[SaucySailoress]

We have a very good buffer/polisher on our boat. His name is Kumar.

[BlueSeas]

Thanks again for all the help. Saw some pretty good deals on Makitas and one on a Hitachi. Really like the idea of the variable speed control as opposed to the two position switch though.

BTW Kate...

How much does a Kumar cost, is it easily housebroke...er boatbroke, and do they come in different gender options?

[bstreep]

Porter Cable. LOVE it. I'm also a classic car owner.

[BlueSeas]

Hi Bill,

Which Porter and Cable? I saw one at a big box store, but it was half the amp of the Makita and was $129. Was wondering about it.

[bstreep]

If you are using it as a buffer/polisher, it works great. And it weighs about a pound less. It gets old holding these things up...

I'm seriously considering a pneumatic. You can also try Griot's Garage: Car Care, Detail Supplies, Garage Organization, Car Accessories - Griot's Garage 800-345-5789. They have a larger one (7.7 amps) for quite a bit less ($130), and offer a 25' cord. Griot's ALWAYS gets great reviews from car buffs.