Polishing an aluminum boat

[Slick Rick]

I have an aluminum 16 foot stick steering boat that was my fathers before he passed away and I’m wanting to get it all polished up and in new condition, before trying to polish it is there anything to do that gets the surface cleaned and free from anything that is on the surface that can leave marks in the finish?

[sb220]

If its unpainted aluminum you can use Aluminum Brightener..any auto parts store will have gallon jugs of it for around 20 bucks. Pour it into a spray bottle, spray it on a section and hose it off a few minutes later. May take a few applications depending on the amount of grime. It works really well for unpainted aluminum.
Its got acid in it so wear gloves....and the fumes can get you sometimes

[jgiljr]

It's a lot of elbow grease but yrs ago I used to do my tracker Pro 17 once a yr with Nevr-dull It will make your aluminum shine like a mirror.