It does what they say and those pictures are real. In the kit, they supply you with a "white" 3m scotch brite pad (the color indicates the abrasive grade of the pad) for removing the loose oxidation in combination with a rubbing compound. This still requires a bit of elbow grease. I recommend using a buffer (a real one) with the supplied rubbing compound and just quickly go over the gel coat for much faster and easier preparation. Then wash the boat, dry it, and start putting on the coating. DO NOT go over the vertglas with the buffer (it quickly turns black) and don't get acetone on the vertglas unless you intend to remove it.