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I have a 1979 22' Revenge that I bought back in 2013 and I'm taking a couple days off at the end of this week to do some work on it. The main thing I want to do is wax it and remove the name that was painted on both sides with red paint. Looks like they used red barn paint and maybe a kid painted it on there. From what I understand Easy-Off oven cleaner will strip off paint from both boats and cars. Has anyone ever used it for that purpose on a boat? If so, how long do you leave it on there and what did you use to clean it off or neutralize the oven cleaner?

I have no idea when the boat was detailed last. I'd have to guess 10-15 years and the sides have some pretty heavy oxidation. At the advice of someone who details boats for a living I bought a Makita 10 amp 7" polisher, dual sided 3M buffing pad and 3M Restorer and Wax so I'm hoping I have all the tools I need. What I lack is experience. After messing around with boats nearly all of my 40 some years, I hate to admit it but I have never used a polisher to detail a boat. I will wash down the boat after I get the name off but in most cases do you wash the exterior of the boat (even if it is relatively clean) prior to compound & waxing and how long do you let it dry after washing it down? (Does it need to be bone dry)

What do you like to use to wash the exterior? I used Simple Green for both the inside and out and it seems to do a pretty good job but just want to get the opinion from those who have years of experience with boat detailing and make sure I'm not doing anything that might be counter productive.

Thanks!

John