35 Years Old and Showing It... BAD...

[NORTH81]

I'm not talking about my mistress, well I guess maybe one of them in a sense... She is a 1979 Champion Tri-hull with a 1982 Johnson 140 and not looking too hot these days. I got the boat through a "hell-of-a-deal" (at least she's paid for with a clean title).

The story goes I spent the past year figuring out all the problems with the engine caused by a direct lightning strike to the tree next to the lean-to she's stored in (two fried coils, fried timer base, cooked stator, etc, etc.). BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT GAVE ME ADVICE LAST YEAR ON THE MOTOR! At least as a newer boat owner, I got a thorough understanding of what's going on under the cover. I got very intimate with the engine last year... Now that these problems have been remedied with plenty of frustration and money spent, it's time to focus on her looks.

I have been a lurker on this forum for some time and read plenty of stories of what others have accomplished. Though I have not found anyone with a finish in quite as much distress as my boat has. So I figure I will post my latest endeavor in the hopes that it may benefit someone else in some way. I am not looking to completely re-coat the boat, just make her a little shinier and able to bead water on the surface (yeah it's that bad...).

The attached picture is the finish i started with. It's to the point that the metal flake is completely exposed topside, and the gelcoat on the hull is super chalky. The metal flake topside felt like sandpaper. Here's the pic.

Basically i started with a red boat that is pink from years uncovered in the sun (especially the hull). I tested my process on a portion of the stern topside and to my surprise, it will actually reflect light and bead water... That's a win for in my book!

So looking at the second picture you can clearly see the difference in the finish from my test area up to where i stopped near the cleat. What i did was start with 320 grit wet sandpaper (again, yeah it's that bad). I wet sanded 320, 400, 600 & 1200. That is the finish you see in the second pic. I plan on following the same process on everything topside and then going over everything with 2000 grit, compound, polish then wax. Good lord this is an enormous amount of work! Any advise will be much appreciated and I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[MikDee]

Vaseline! No muss, no fuss, no work! Wipe on, Wipe off, like the karate kid,,, by the way, it cleans too!

 

[MikDee]

BeforeAfter

 

[NORTH81]

Thanks for the reply Mik. The pic didn't come through. However, prior to starting the sanding process i did try that on a section. It made a difference even on the pre-sanded surface. So i guess after sanding would be even better, No? I figure she's old, but she's mine and i want to make it a bit more appealing to the eye. So would you suggest applying only Vaseline? I feel like i should compound and shine it at least and then apply the Vaseline. Any advise on the application?

 

[MikDee]

Thanks for the reply Mik. The pic didn't come through. However, prior to starting the sanding process i did try that on a section. It made a difference even on the pre-sanded surface. So i guess after sanding would be even better, No? I figure she's old, but she's mine and i want to make it a bit more appealing to the eye. So would you suggest applying only Vaseline? I feel like i should compound and shine it at least and then apply the Vaseline. Any advise on the application?

Just wash the boat to get the heavy dirt off the boat, if there is any? Apply it with your bare hand, and you will get a feel for how much to apply. Let it sit in the sun preferably, and the silicons will dissolve into the boat surface, make sure to let it Dry! Then just wipe off with paper towels, rags whatever, as it cleans, and restores the color, & shine. You may hafta apply a few coats, but you'll be amazed at the cleaning, & restoration it does! It will also hold up throughout the season, and into the next. If you want, when completely dry, and clean, you can put a wax, or polish right over it for even better results!

 

[jbcurt00]

I kinda figure you should probably add the caveat that once slathered w Vaseline, you play hell getting polyester resin, gelcoat or paint to adhere to the surface ever again. Even w heavy sanding & prep. I think Mike's a Big, Big fan of it, and very happy w his results. Which is great, for him & his boat. Not sure its THE solution every time, esp on heavily damaged metalic flake gelcoat that's rough to the touch.

 

[NORTH81]

Thanks jbcurt. I am at the point now that i have completed wet sanding up to 1200 grit on the metallic flake. The surface is nice and smooth and ready for the next step. Do you have any opinions regarding what that next step would be? I have heard a lot of back and forth regarding the Vaseline trick. And it does seem to work for some with good result. I'm already 12-15 hours on the sanding and have equally as much if not more to go on the hull. As i said before, now that I've sanded i plan to compound, then polish and wax. Do you think this is a better option? I have already dedicated a lot of time to trying to do this as "right" as i possibly can with what i have. I think at this point it's kind of like putting lipstick on a pig. But it's my pig and i want to get the best results possible without having to do a complete re-finish. Aside from re-shooting the boat, any suggestions?

 

[Woodonglass]

Metallic Flake is a Different animal when it come to trying to restore it once it's gone bad. There are numerous threads on the forum discussing this topic and I don't remember one successful attempt. All of them had to do a re-Shoot to get "Factory Like" results. The Vaseline will most definetly NOT work on metallic Flake, and as JBC stated it will do permanent harm to any gelcoat finish and make it almost impossible to try and re-gelcoat or paint the surface in the future. Since you come this far with the sanding, I'd highly recommend you look into shooting a few coats of automotive clear or Clear Gelcoat if you want a long lasting finish. Like a said in the beginning, Metal Flake is a Different Animal.

 

[NORTH81]

Woodonglass, thank you for your reply. I have read mixed reviews on automotive clear coat holding up over time. What's your experience with it? Any tales of successful applications? I thought about gel coating but i think it may be beyond my level of experience and price range. I am more of a mechanical DIYer maybe lacking the finesse it takes to shoot a new coat on her. I've never used a spray gun in my life other than the old Wagner Power Painters... I will do some looking to see what i can find on here. I am quite sure there is a day's worth of reading on re-gelling a boat.

 

[jigngrub]

Have you given any thought to the structural components of your boat?... stringers, transom, and decking?

All the boats we see that come through here with the age and type of weathering you describe on your boat, all have structural issues below deck.

Trying to make your boat look pretty before investigating the structural aspects of your boat is putting the cart before the horse, or like washing you truck just before you change the oil and grease it. A lot of that "pretty" work will get messed up while doing a resto.

 

[NORTH81]

jigngrub, Thank you for your response. Yes i have given much thought to tearing up the floor and getting a look underneath. And i know you are right about the necessity of completing a structural resto. I am quite sure that is a can of worms that will take me off the water for most of the summer. I have a young family and lots of time consuming things that go along with it so any time i have to work on the boat is basically borrowed time... Considering i was off the water all last summer with engine repairs, i think i will be saving the deck/stringer repair until this fall/winter. As with most projects i have seen on boats the age of mine, the scope of work continues to grow by the minute. Just wish i would have had the forethought last fall to replace the deck and check the stringers. I do have one pretty soft spot right around the floor drain, so i have know this was a project on the horizon.

 

[MikDee]

I was browsing over at "The Hull Truth" forum, and I found a thread where everyone was only using spray "pledge" on their boat, swearing it was the best thing since sliced bread! I don't know about this, I never tried it? But, I know Vaseline would last longer then: transmission fluid, motor oil, or pledge?

 

[Woodonglass]

Woodonglass, thank you for your reply. I have read mixed reviews on automotive clear coat holding up over time. What's your experience with it? Any tales of successful applications? I thought about gel coating but i think it may be beyond my level of experience and price range. I am more of a mechanical DIYer maybe lacking the finesse it takes to shoot a new coat on her. I've never used a spray gun in my life other than the old Wagner Power Painters... I will do some looking to see what i can find on here. I am quite sure there is a day's worth of reading on re-gelling a boat.

Any kind of Clear IS NOT easy to shoot. Not gunna try and say it is. But depending on the product and the guy behind the gun you can get all kinds of different results. Again with Metal Flake you're kinda STUCK with putting some kind of sealer on it. It's totally up to you to make the decision. OR you could grind it all off and Paint the boat. Some members have opted for that.

 

[jigngrub]

I have a young family

This is the best reason for a structural resto now.

Old rotten boats aren't safe, they like to tear up and come apart while you're on the water:

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...-repair/640081-16-fiberglass-tri-hull-rebuild






Can you imagine your young family in this boat?:

 

[NORTH81]

Damn Jig, you really know how to punch to the gut huh?!? Message received crystal clear...

W.O.G., After doing some reading and from your opinion it seems that about the only way to make this thing look really nice again is to grind and paint. I know there are a lot of great resources on here for the completion of that job.

Mikdee, I still am unable to see the pictures of your boat you posted on here.

 

[NORTH81]

What's going on with this forum?!? I am getting all sorts of errors...

 

[Woodonglass]

Patience IS a Virtue!!! They attempted an Upgrade to the software for Security Reasons and the Vendor didn't quite have all the "Bugs" worked out. We are ALL experiencing the same issues. Hang in there!!! They are working on it as we speak and will have it back to normal ASAP!!!!

Think of it this way...

 

[NORTH81]

WOG, That's hilarious! I like your outlook on things. Thanks!

 

[jbcurt00]

RE: the Error msgs when posting, ignore them.

Type a reply or post and hit Post Reply..... When the forum server gives you an error message, just click OK, and usually, your post HAS been made, although all signs indicate that it hasn't been posted. Hit the reload button at the end of your browser address line, or you can right click on the screen somewhere other then in your post window and choose Reload (in FireFox) or Refresh (In IE). Your post is most likely now at the bottom of the page, where it should be.

 

[MikDee]

Damn Jig, you really know how to punch to the gut huh?!? Message received crystal clear...

W.O.G., After doing some reading and from your opinion it seems that about the only way to make this thing look really nice again is to grind and paint. I know there are a lot of great resources on here for the completion of that job.

Mikdee, I still am unable to see the pictures of your boat you posted on here.

What? You can't see my Pix??? I Can! Can anyone else on this thread see my Pix?