I feel like a dummy when it comes to polishing the hull of my Nordic 40. It (probably) has its original gelcoat, circa 1988. I've been using 3Ms Cleaner and Wax. I have a 1990s era 8" rotary polisher and no one seems to sell that size anymore, so I couldn't find the proper bonnet locally. I ended up ordering some terry cloth ones over the internet. I spent 4 hours polishing the hull today, and got about 3/4 done. I wonder if I should be using a more lush, lambswool-like cover like I used to have back when you could still buy them for my size machine. I also wonder if it should take this long for my boat. It still looks a bit dull in places, perhaps in part since the original gelcoat is starting to look old.

This whole business is making me feel old. Perhaps that's a good thing - the boat will match the owner. Still, it's nice to have that shiny gleam when you row up to the boat. I realize now I should probably get a 7" or 9" machine so I can buy the proper bonnet (that said, I'll hold onto my 8" machine in case the corporations do a double-switch and go back to the old sizes again).

I'm curious how long it should take to polish the hull of a 40 ft sailboat, and if at age 54 I qualify to pay some kid to do it.

Thanks for any thoughts,
Max