I have an Explorer that has developed some scratches over hard use. While they aren’t hurting anything I would like to try and buff them out. Any suggestions on the best way to go about this would be appreciated. Thanks.
Depends how deep
– Last Updated: Oct-08-07 10:26 AM EST –
You can buff out blemish marks on the deck with automotive rubbing compound followed up by auto polish. A cheap electric buffer from Walmart works fine. For deeper hull scratches you have to sand out the scratches using wet & dry paper - maybe starting from 220 and working finer up to 1000 grit. Then follow up with the same procedure as the deck.
My brother bought a Pintail that looked liked it was dragged along a rocky beach for 50 miles. He sanded the hull bottom and went finer up to 220 and then buffed it with auto compound. The really deep gouges remained but overall it was fairly smooth and shiny. In essence you're leveling the gel coat and polishing it out.
more aggressive
We go after depper gopuges than rider, I guess. Then again, we polish out stems from 2 piece molds.
We start that w/ 120 grit dry, wiping w/ a wet rag to make sure we aren’t getting too deep.
Then we jump to 320 wet, 600 wet, 100 wet and 1200 wet. Our 3m buffing compound takes our 1200 grit scratches, so we are happy campers.
It is important to clean each grit with a clean, wet, rag and let dry to make sure all scratches from previous grits are taken out. [We use acetone to clean 'cause it dries faster.]
Best way
I polish out old scratches with rocks I find in the bottom of the river. If you reall a paddle a lot during a dry summer the old scratches will be completely replaced with new scratches.
If it is a fiberglass boat and you don’t paddle in the winter you can smooth out all the scratches with epoxy and even repaint it if you want.
Im also not worried bout em
I paddle ozark rivers, and that means lots of rocks. everywhere.
after this horribly dry summer, the brand new kayak I bought this last april looks like its been used for 10 years.
who cares really, the scratches will be right back after your next outing, and they really dont effect the efficiency of your boat through the water id think.
Also, whos gonna see it besides while shuttling it to/from the put in? I usually dont paddle upside down so no one on the river is none the wiser 
scratches add charachter… like dirt/trail damage on a jeep.
chicks dig scratches on your boat… that just means it gets used lol