Rubbing out dock rash

[SteveWilson]

My Lund has a couple of spots where the boat rubbed up against a dock and the paint is scuffed (not worn through, just scuffed). I have some 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound and 3M Marine Finesse-It II that I'm using to restore some solid surface material and was wondering if this would be a good buffing schedule to use on a painted aluminum boat? I'll be using a Festool Rotax (RO0-150) to apply and am considering use a soft felt or sponge applicator to apply the rubbing compound and then use the Finesse-It with a wool bonnet. Comments, suggestions

[John Mickish]

Paint dosen't know what surface it's applied on, and it dosen't care either. Your plan will work perfectly. If the paint is really rough you might want to hit it with 1000 then 1500 grit sandpaper first. If you do sand it, sand it wet.

[IFallsRon]

If you're using a high-speed buffing wheel, you might want to practice a bit first. It takes a light touch. Too much pressure and you can scorch the area you're trying to fix.

[Steve Bakken]

Make sure that you have a variable-speed buffer and watch out for any rivet heads. Low speeds are usually just as productive as high speeds. At the shop, we usually place a couple patches of duct tape over any protruding rivet heads. It's always a bummer when you catch one and it turns silver.