Roscoe,
I recently brought the finish back to life on my "77 CVX 16. You most likely will skip the first step I had to do, which was to wet sand the entire top with a 3M Scotchbrite pad and Acetone to remove whatever the previous owner applied for a quick shine, so skip ahead to steps two through four.
I wet sanded with 1000 and a spray bottle of warm water with a few drops of dish detergent. After the wet sanding I washed the entire boat. Followed with a product recommend to me by the salesman at West Marine. It's Collinite's No. 920 Fiberglass boat cleaner. It's a liquid and I followed that with some 3M Marine Liquid Wax 09061.
If you don't have one, go to Harbor Freight Tools and you can pick up a nice 7" variable speed buffer kit for $50 or less if it's on sale. I paid $34 for mine and I figured if it died on the final pass then I it was worth it. I've now buffed out three other boats for friends with it.
Start your buffing with the Collinite and work small areas as it dries out really quick and can burn harden on the surface. If that happens, just apply a little more product and buff that off. After you finish the entire area you want to do, follow with a fresh pad and either the 3M or a quality wax and you should have the shine you're looking for.
Pic is after I buffed it out.
