Hull cleanup - a good buff?

So I'm looking at purchasing a used Wave. The boat itself is in good shape but the hulls are a bit scuffed, not deep scratches, but rub marks, scraps etc. I was thinking about 'cleaning' them up with a light sanding, orbital sander with something very high grit, like 600-800 just to 'erase' the scuffs and what not. I'm not talking about removing a significant amount of plastic, maybe 1/64" or less. The decals are a bit beat up, so I'd probably just remove them, light sanding, and put a small Hobie sticker on the back.

Is this a bad idea? I haven't done a lot of work with plastic like this so not sure if it's a huge mistake, should I just live with the scuffs or can I clean her up?

We have had good success with wet sanding with #320 grit followed by #600 grit. Finish with a polisher with a polyester pad, (the yellow one) using a mildly abrasive compound like 3M Finesset-It (6039). The polisher should be low speed, about 2700-3000 rpm. Both automotive and marine supply lines have these products available, with different numbers.



Mel
inland-sailing.com

_________________
Inland Sailing Company
Authorized Hobie Dealer

Sacramento/Rancho Cordova, CA.
www.inland-sailing.com

excellent, thanks for the details. Good to know is do-able.