Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

GaBoy

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
154
Can someone tell me the best way to repair heavy oxidation on my 26' Searay Sundancer 1982? I have read so many different ways that I would like to know what works best from someone's experience.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Most guys swear by the 3M products. Or if real bad,wet sand then the 3M products with a buffer.
Or there is Poli-Glow, It works pretty well after about 5 coats and will last all season.Its the easy way to get a shine..;)
 

gcboat

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
1,822
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

What works best is sanding, compounding and waxing - period !!!!!
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Search this section with the word COMET and see what Mark42 wrote. That will be some 1st hand testamonial and results. 3m products are very big money when compared to what they do.
 

CTD

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Messages
234
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

For a 26 ft boat I would use a random orbit sander with 1500 grit paper then buff with a lambs wool buffer and automotive type compound then if you really want it to shine use a foam pad and some fine compound. Then the finish is smooth not covered up like with wax. Problem is all the small spots and curves that have to be done by hand.
 

Nova II 260

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
681
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Wash with Greased Lightning.
Wet sand by hand, 1800/2000 grit.
Rinse well with terry cloths.
Let dry and rinse some more.
Power buff and power polish.
Time: one sixpack on sunday.
Enjoy the results!

Before
After
 

Sorrento 25

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
181
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

I have many years of experience buffing classic cars and experimented quite a bit before settling on this method. The results are spectacular. My boat looks way better than anything on a showroom floor.

Pick up the following 3M products: 6" PSA sanding discs 400 grit and 800 grit, heavy duty rubbing compound, Finesse-It, powdered guide coat, double-sided buffing pads. You'll also need a high-speed polisher and a 6" dual-action sander.

Work about 9-15 square feet at a time. This should take 30-45 minutes with some practice. Sand the finish well with 400 until the chalky faded color that is powdering off is gone and the hard original gelcoat color is revealed. Remove loose dust and guide-coat the 400 scratches. Sand with 800 being sure to thoroughly remove the 400. Remove loose dust and buff 1-2 square foot areas at a time until the 800 scratches are gone. Wipe off compound residue with a damp rag, flip the pad and repeat with Finesse-It until the compound swirls are gone. With some practice one thorough pass is all that is needed at each step.

800 buffs out fine with the heavy-duty compound. Anything finer is a waste of effort if your gelcoat is as bad as mine was. Removing the dead gelcoat and leveling the surface by sanding first is critical. The Comet method or buffing alone can only remove the most deteriorated gelcoat and restore some shine to a surface that still looks like non-skid texture under a microscope. Doing it right takes a bit longer but the result is a better-than-new finish as long as there is sufficient gelcoat present on the hull.

Note the color change:Example

The amount of oxidation is somewhat evident where the original waterline stripe was removed. The gelcoat under the stripe was still at least the thickness of a vinyl stripe higher than the UV exposed gelcoat adjacent to the stripes.
 

smithrock

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
399
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Well, I tried the Comet and Scotchbrite pad and I'm nervous! I did the transom area which is burgundy and black. It took any shine off and left it very dull and hazy. :confused: Now am I suppose to use an oxidizer and then wax? Please tell me that I will be able to bring the shine back! I'm not going to do any more of the boat until I can be certain I'll be able to put a shine back on her.
 

MikDee

Banned
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
4,745
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

If you don't want to use power buffers, Many coats of "Gel Gloss" from Home depot, with some absorbing time in between, maybe a week or so, (not sure exactly how much?) but it will clean, & polish, better each time, and it's made for fiberglass cleaning, plus very inexpensive. Use it on your sinks, bathroom enclosures, & countertops, around the house too! "Seapower" is the Marine name for it, but it's the same thing, only more expensive. Or, just cheat like me, and rub-in vaseline over everything, let it sit in the heat, and wipe off the excess as it bakes in, the boat will look like new, the color, & shine will be restored.
 

smithrock

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
399
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

VASELINE , really ? Does it work? Doesn't rub off on you whenever someone rubs up against it?
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

After the comet treatment you need to use an electric buffer and buffing compound. There are coarse fast cut compounds and finer compounds that will give a higher gloss, you don't always need more than one type of compound though, most of the time you can get fairly good gloss just using one.
 

MikDee

Banned
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
4,745
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

VASELINE , really ? Does it work? Doesn't rub off on you whenever someone rubs up against it?

You rub it into the boat, leave it in the sun, or heat, preferably, then wipe the excess off with a rag, or paper towels, when it starts to look dull, a day or so later. The boat color, & shine, will look outstanding, and it will remove some dirt, & grime. You will probably have to remove the excess a few times, as it soaks into the boat, but it will get to a point when it no longer smears. It will last awhile, but I can't say how long, depending on the particular situation I guess. It is easy to do, and gives the quickest, best results,for the effort. Recently, I bought a used Bayliner that was badly weathered, and had a large short name on both sides in white vinyl, after removing it, of course under the name appeared unweathered, after I did the vaseline treatment, the name disappeared.

As an experiment, I also tried "Gel Gloss/Seapower" over this after a few days, and it took off all of the black tree spots (dirt), and it cleaned it real good, but lost some of the shine. The shine reappeared as the Gel Gloss soaked in about a week later, and the boat started to fade some, letting me know that it was working, and time for another coat of Gel Gloss.

By the way, either, or both of these will clean up stainless, aluminum (window frame), chrome, and the vaseline will make your vinyl seats, baby soft, but expect to be removing the excess a few times before you get the great final result. I did this to my jet ski last year when I got it, the seat is still soft, & full of color!
 

smithrock

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
399
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

After using the Comet, should I now use an ozidation product or a rubbing compound before I use the polish? Any suggestions on which works best?
 

Mark42

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
9,334
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Hi Smithrock,

Got your PM. After the Comet, the finish will be very dull. Thats a good thing, because you got off all the loose dead gelcoat and have found a solid surface to work on. Borrow or buy a polisher, don't use a bonet in a drill. I tried that and almost gave up. Then I bought a cheap polisher (about $40)and used regular auto rubbing and polishing compounds to bring up the shine. I ordered mine from harborfreight.com

The least expensive is the stuff off the shelf at your auto parts store, about $2 a can. Thats what I used. There are also more expensive "stick" or "rouge" abrasives that rub onto the polishing wheel then apply the wheel to the surface. Its cleaner, but more expensive.

To use regular paste auto compound and polish, use a damp 1-2" paint brush and brush the paste onto the surface, then run the polisher over it. You can use your bare fingers, but a brush is so much easier. Be prepared for polish to get flung around a bit.

Let the polisher do the work. In a few minutes you will see shine. after doing all the boat, go back and do it again with polish. Then apply wax. I used Turtle wax.

Lots of folks have used this method and got good results. The results depend on how bad your gel coat is. Other people will tell you to just use a polisher and use the Rouge sticks.

I would not use Vaseline, Transmission oil, motor oil or any other oil because you don't know how they will react with the old gel coat. You might end up with a gooey slimey surface as the gel coat disolves.

In the links in my signature, you will find the polishing writeup in Shareaprojec.com.

Good luck. And don't forget to post some pictures of your work!
 

lp142

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Sep 21, 2006
Messages
87
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Why not just pressure wash it, clean it and dry real good then spray Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel, wouldn't that work?
 

smithrock

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
399
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Hi Smithrock,

Got your PM. After the Comet, the finish will be very dull. Thats a good thing, because you got off all the loose dead gelcoat and have found a solid surface to work on. Borrow or buy a polisher, don't use a bonet in a drill. I tried that and almost gave up. Then I bought a cheap polisher (about $40)and used regular auto rubbing and polishing compounds to bring up the shine. I ordered mine from harborfreight.com

The least expensive is the stuff off the shelf at your auto parts store, about $2 a can. Thats what I used. There are also more expensive "stick" or "rouge" abrasives that rub onto the polishing wheel then apply the wheel to the surface. Its cleaner, but more expensive.

To use regular paste auto compound and polish, use a damp 1-2" paint brush and brush the paste onto the surface, then run the polisher over it. You can use your bare fingers, but a brush is so much easier. Be prepared for polish to get flung around a bit.

Let the polisher do the work. In a few minutes you will see shine. after doing all the boat, go back and do it again with polish. Then apply wax. I used Turtle wax.

Lots of folks have used this method and got good results. The results depend on how bad your gel coat is. Other people will tell you to just use a polisher and use the Rouge sticks.

I would not use Vaseline, Transmission oil, motor oil or any other oil because you don't know how they will react with the old gel coat. You might end up with a gooey slimey surface as the gel coat disolves.

In the links in my signature, you will find the polishing writeup in Shareaprojec.com.

Good luck. And don't forget to post some pictures of your work!


thanks for the reply. I've got to replace my lower shift cable first, then I'm going to continue with the gel coat ! Hopefully I'll have everything done in a couple weeks.
 

Mark42

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
9,334
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

Yesterday I launched my boat at the local ramp. I ended up with a crowd of people looking at this litte 14 foot boat being launched in a bay of more expensive boats.

Most questions were from people who could afford the best of stuff asking where I had this boat custom built.....


I get a big kick out of telling them it is a cheap-o rest-o job on a 1965 boat that was a common family runabout...

Who can afford the gas now?

Me or them....
 

MercedesC320

Recruit
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
3
Re: Heavy Fiberglass Oxidation

I looked under my jetski and found more then oxidation I think. It has like a dull white chalky look to it and chips of what looked like the gel coat. I think maybe someone tried to paint it with something white. I guess I will take it to the folks who know how to address this issue and not try to do this on my own after reading all this:p
 
Top