601 pictures - what a real hands-on detailing class looks like!

Mike Phillips · Dec 12, 2023

More...

Saturday Night Meet & Greet!

This is a tradition for my detailing classes that dates back to 2010 and is my favorite part of the class. By the time we arrive for the Meet & Greet, this class has detailed 6 cars in 2 days. That's a TON of hands-on training.

1937 Ford 2-door Sedan Streetrod - arrived here with D.A. sanding marks throughout the entire finish.
2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet - actually in very good condition and as such MATCHED the topic being taught for this class session.
1982 AMC Eagle - Original Single Stage Paint (rare).
1979 Ford F150 Stepside Shorty - Custom basecoat/clearcoat paint system.
2018 Ford F150 Truck - totally jacked-up black paint.
1965 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible Restorod - Custom paint job with lots of orange peel.

There's really no other car or boat detailing class on the market anywhere on planet Earth where you get this much hands-on training TIME on really cool training vehicles. At the Meet & Greet, after enjoying some great seafood, we go around the table and ask each person a few questions,

What was your favorite car to work on?
What was your favorite product to use?
What was your favorite tool to use?
What was the most interesting or eye-opening technique you learned?
Do you have anything special in your garage at home?

It's incredibly rewarding to hear everyone's experience, feedback and perspective after two full days of training and hard work.

Here's a few pictures from the November 2023 Dr. Beasley's FoD Meet & Greet at Fresh Catch, in Stuart, Florida!

I arrived early to secure our reservation and pre-order hors d'oeuvres.

I'm personal friends with the owner and his wife, Eric and Jocelyn and the reason we like to hold our Meet & Greet events at Fresh Catch is because they ALWAYS have the best and freshest seafood on the entire Atlantic coast.

These are the Fish Tacos on the menu, and they are delicious! Especially when paired with the homemade Datil Pepper Hot Sauce. Eric grows these Datil Peppers at his home and custom makes the hot sauce at his restaurant. If you love a good hot sauce, be sure to ask for Erics awesome Datil Pepper Hot Sauce!

Great people and great food!

Another stellar Meet & Greet and Fresh Catch!

And of course, you can't go to Fresh Catch without getting your picture taken with the Lobby Shark!

Great food, great people - good times!

Mike Phillips · Dec 12, 2023

Sunday - Extreme Boat Detailing!

First stop - Fresh Donuts!
Each morning I pick up a fresh order of donuts and coffee to jump start the class. The first day everyone is kind of shy, they don't know what they've gotten themselves into and only a few people go for the donuts and Joe. But by the 3rd day, everyone is in sync and the donuts don't last long.

Extreme Boat Washing
By the time Sunday morning rolls around, I know from experience, the class is tired, they've been through 2 days of intense training. They have probably used muscles they've never taxed before, and they are sore. But it doesn't matter. It's time to pull it together because we have another day of intense training, and it starts at 7:30am in the morning. First up, Extreme Boat Washing!

It's go time!

Cleaning the inside and the outside at the same time...

Safety first
With the hardtop, it's important to get the top clean but it's also important to do it in a way that's safe. After 12 years teaching boat detailing classes, we've never had anyone get hurt.

Here's Daniel pressure washing to hardtop while supported by a ladder.

Now it's time to do some machine scrubbing. Just like machine scrubbing tires and plastic cladding on automotibles, the human hand working some kind of brush cannot compete with machine scrubbing for effectiveness and speed.

Here's Crystal cleaning the topcap with the FLEX PE-150 Cordless Rotary Polisher with a 5" Rotary Brush. The best thing about using cordless tools is there's virtually no shock hazard.

Here's Jhonathan machine scrubbing non-skid to get it surgically clean.

This SeaDeck floor matt is completely stained and looking pretty worn-out. But a machine cleaning is going to bring it back to life.

Looks like brand new again!

Here's DeAnne machine scrubbing the tires on the boat trailer...

Dr. Beasley's Premium Degreaser -
Works great for cleaning tires and as you saw previously - cleaning engines and engine compartments.

Mike Phillips · Dec 14, 2023

More...

How to do a Gelcoat Test Spot
Before starting, we did a Gelcoat Test Spot to dial-in our process before tackling the entire boat. We also used this boat to show how to do a Gelcoat Test Spot in one of our LIVE Online Detailing Classes. Here's the link if you want to see the process.

We broadcast LIVE detailing classes from the Dr. Beasley's O.R. or Operating Room every Wednesday at 1:00pm Pacific Time or 4:00pm Eastern Time. To watch and interact, go to either of these social media platforms.

Dr. Beasley's Facebook Page

Dr. Beasley's YouTube Channel - Click on the LIVE text link at the top of the page

You should also subscribe to the Dr. Beasley's Newsletter to stay up to speed with all the upcoming LIVE detailing class topics as well as upcoming classes.

Click here to subscribe to the Dr. Beasley's Newsletter

After the Gelcoat Test Spot - it was time to turn the class loose. First up - machine wet sanding using the 8mm gear-driven FLEX BEAST polishers.

Large, comfortable training center with LOTS of POWER!
The Stuart, Florida Training Center is huge with enough room to bring in 3 huge center console boats for our extreme boat detailing classes. We can also bring in and work on 3 cars at one time and we have the electrical power to run 20 rotary polishers at the same time and never throw a breaker.

I started the concept of roadshow detailing classes back in 2006 when I worked for another car care supply company. I've travelled around the United States of America and other countries around the world teaching detailing classes. The most difficult obstacle to overcome for the majority of shops I've taught classes in is POWER. To hold a great hands-on class you need lots of power. If the class is just sitting in chairs looking at a PowerPoint, then you don't really need any power, just chairs. LOL

Here's Meko using the cordless BEAST or CBEAST to machine wetsand the hull.

Here's DeAnne showing up all the big strong guys!

Joe and David tackle the stern

On the Port side, Derick, Crystal and Andy tackle the forward hull

This is my arm pulling back the aluminum pole that hold a plastic guide to help center and load or unload a boat so Thomas can fit the sanding disc into the section of boat hull behind the guide.

The reason we use gear-driven FLEX orbital polishers for machine sanding gelcoat boats is because there's ZERO sanding disc stalling. It the FASTEST tool for sanding down a boat.

Here's Jhonathan using the ORIGINAL FLEX BEAST!

Machine wetsanding gelcoat can be a tick on the messy side...

There's always a few thin panels and tight areas and for these areas, Daniel is using the FLEX PXE-80 with Eagle Abrasives by KOVAX sanding discs.

David is also using the FLEX PXE-80 to sand a section of gelcoat just above the Sportsman emblem.

Mike Phillips · Dec 14, 2023

More...

Machine Dry Sanding
Just like the class used the machine dry sanding technique on the 1965 Ford Galaxie - now they're going to use this same technique for the final sanding step on the gelcoat finish on the Sportsman Center Console Boat. For this they will be using the Eagle Abrasives by KOVAX Super Buflex in K-2500.

Refining 2000 wet to 2500 dry
The goal is the same as it was for removing orange peel from the custom paint on the 1965 Ford Galaxie. That is to refine the coarser 2000 grit sanding marks to 2500 grit sanding marks. The added benefit to switching over to dry sanding with the Eagle Abrasives dry sanding system is this will act to level the gelcoat surface to make it flatter and thus smoother with great gloss and reflectivity.

Teamwork and Gelling
By the third day, everyone is gelling and working as a team. The days are long. The training is hard. But the end-results are these people will have learned a TON of skills, techniques and knowledge that will last them a lifetime. They will also know what to do and how to do it and just as important - what not to do.

Mike Phillips · Dec 14, 2023

More

Rotary work - removing the sanding marks - No pictures
We didn't get a single picture showing the rotary polisher, wool pad and NSP 150 Primer step. The reason why is because I always lead by example in our classes and in this context, this means I order to assist in removing 100% of the sanding marks, I grabbed a rotary polisher and joined in the fun. If any of the students that were in this class are reading this and if you have any pictures of the rotary step - please text or email them to me. -Thank you.

Mike Phillips Cell Phone: 760-515-0444
Email: Mike@drbeasleys.com

Machine polishing - removing the holograms and perfecting the gelcoat
Just like with the sanding and buffing work performed to the 1965 Ford Galaxie - after anytime you use a rotary polisher with some form of cutting pad - as a professional - you need to re-polish to remove any holograms.

Process
Dr. Beasley’s NSP 95 Primer
Dr. Beasley’s HDO Blue Cutting Pad
FLEX XC 3401 VRG 8mm gear-driven orbital polisher aka the BEAST
FLEX XCE 10-8 125 - 8mm Gear Driven Orbital Polisher – aka the Supa BEAST

On the Port side, we have Crystal and Jhonathan with Andy in the back machine polishing the gelcoat

On the Starboard side, we have from stern to bow - David, Joe, DeAnne and Daniel

Mike Phillips · Dec 14, 2023

More...

Installing the Dr. Beasley's Boat Coat Pro Ceramic Coating
After all the polishing work was finished and the gelcoat was inspected and passed inspection (no sanding marks, no holograms), it was time to install the Dr. Beasley's Boat Coat Pro Ceramic Coating.

Dr. Beasley’s BOAT COAT PRO is a ceramic coating for boats that protects against stains, salt and oxidation, leaves a brilliant shine and won’t harm marine life or the environment.

Protects against stains, salt and UV damage.
Leaves mirror-like finish.
Makes future cleaning faster and easier.
Will not harm marine life or the environment.

Extreme Durability
Boat Coat Pro is a ceramic coating more durable than any boat wax you’ve used before, lasting up to a year or more in most environments.

Easy to Apply
Goes on easily with effortless take-off and can be applied in the sun. Perfect for DIYers and professionals alike.

Also Protects Non-Skid & More
Boat Coat Pro is protects a variety of marine vessel surfaces like non-skid surfaces, metal and engine cowlings.

Works in Both Fresh & Salt Water
Boat Coat Pro resists corrosion from salt water, making it great for protection whether you’re lakefront or oceanfront.

Ultra Smooth Finish
Bonds with gel coat to create an extremely slick finish that resists dirt, grime and micro scratches from washing.

Reduces Water Spotting
Hydrophobic properties help repel water away from the hull, preventing them from drying into potentially corrosive water spots

3 layers Dr. Beasley's Boat Coat Pro
In our extreme boat detailing classes, we install 3 applications of the Dr. Beasley's Boat Coat Pro with a 30-minute waiting time in-between each layer.

Here's the class getting it done!

4 passes using the overlapping crosshatch pattern
Below you'll see Daniel using a textbook example for how to apply the Dr. Beasley's Boat Coat Pro using an overlapping crosshatch pattern working the coating over the gelcoat 4 times to this section he's working.