ScrewPull
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2012
- Messages
- 17
Hey, y'all! Been a long time since I've visited this forum and have some questions. This is likely to be a rather lengthy post, so I do apologize. I just like to be as detailed as I can and give y'all as much background as I can.
I belong to another boating forum and have used it, primarily, as most of my questions have been related to brand specific, relatively insignificant issues. While it's a great forum, I have found it difficult to get answers to more in-depth issues related to my boat, so I've been searching high and low for a more comprehensive resource. I came across iBoats (remembered the site from long ago) and, after reading through many a thread, decided I needed to join. Ironically, however, I quickly realized that I was already a member! LOL! Anyway, I'm glad I am back here and plan on making this my home for any boating needs. I'm truly impressed with the amount of knowledge so many of you have and I also appreciate that this forum is NOT a brand-specific enthusiast club.
At any rate, I have a beautiful '79 MC Stars and Stripes. In 2002, she was completely redone inside and out and the engine was refurbished as well. I am pretty sure that the exterior of the boat was polished, not recoated. The original owner did a stellar restoration job - even the owner of a local Austin Marina gave her several compliments, which makes a know-nothing boat guy like myself feel good.
So I've had the boat for going on four years now and, while she still runs like a "top," she is in need of some cosmetic attention. My questions are basically related to gelcoat, fiberglass and paint (especially gelcoat)...
First of all, the boat is white with a Navy Blue sparkle stripe around the middle of the hull and down the middle of the top (see photos below). The top of the boat has a wrinkle-texture in its surfacing. Most of the white surfacing throughout the boat looks good, although there are a couple of hairline cracks and some crazing here and there on the top, but nothing that looks too threatening at the moment (also see photos).
So, my goal is to remove all graphics - the logo, pin-striping and stars are all decals - and refresh the blue stripe. The problem, however, is that the metal flake in the blue has begun to protrude from the gelcoat (?), so performing the multi-step process of polishing, etc, will yield basically zilch. Also, there is some color discrepancy where the blue appears darker in some areas, and lighter in others, so simply clear-coating over the stripe will not help, either.
When I feel the surface at the borders where the blue meets the white, there is no discernible discrepancy in the level of the surface, which would indicate to me (with my very, very limited understanding of gelcoat) that the blue stripe is actually gelcoat (like the white that surrounds it) like the white that surrounds it.
So the issue is this: how do I go about fully restoring the finish? I am primarily concerned about the stripes, first. I would really like to know the components of the blue stripe. Is it actually a blue gelcoat with metal flake suspended in it, or is it paint with a clear coat of gelcoat (with flake in it) over that? Whatever it is, how do I remove it and reapply it?
Then, there is the texture in the top of the boat. I know I'll need to sand the cracks and crazing down, but I'm guessing I'll need to "Hand-Tool" the texture back into the surface. I'm wondering if there's a template-type material to lay over it to "stamp" the texture into the new surface (where I repair the cracking).
I appreciate any and all comments and again, I apologize for the lengthy read. When addressing any of the above, please do so as if you're speaking to your 10 year old son (or daughter). I'm not a complete idiot, but just know very, very little about how the surface of a boat works, for the most part.
Will post photos in next post. Thanks so much!
I belong to another boating forum and have used it, primarily, as most of my questions have been related to brand specific, relatively insignificant issues. While it's a great forum, I have found it difficult to get answers to more in-depth issues related to my boat, so I've been searching high and low for a more comprehensive resource. I came across iBoats (remembered the site from long ago) and, after reading through many a thread, decided I needed to join. Ironically, however, I quickly realized that I was already a member! LOL! Anyway, I'm glad I am back here and plan on making this my home for any boating needs. I'm truly impressed with the amount of knowledge so many of you have and I also appreciate that this forum is NOT a brand-specific enthusiast club.
At any rate, I have a beautiful '79 MC Stars and Stripes. In 2002, she was completely redone inside and out and the engine was refurbished as well. I am pretty sure that the exterior of the boat was polished, not recoated. The original owner did a stellar restoration job - even the owner of a local Austin Marina gave her several compliments, which makes a know-nothing boat guy like myself feel good.
So I've had the boat for going on four years now and, while she still runs like a "top," she is in need of some cosmetic attention. My questions are basically related to gelcoat, fiberglass and paint (especially gelcoat)...
First of all, the boat is white with a Navy Blue sparkle stripe around the middle of the hull and down the middle of the top (see photos below). The top of the boat has a wrinkle-texture in its surfacing. Most of the white surfacing throughout the boat looks good, although there are a couple of hairline cracks and some crazing here and there on the top, but nothing that looks too threatening at the moment (also see photos).
So, my goal is to remove all graphics - the logo, pin-striping and stars are all decals - and refresh the blue stripe. The problem, however, is that the metal flake in the blue has begun to protrude from the gelcoat (?), so performing the multi-step process of polishing, etc, will yield basically zilch. Also, there is some color discrepancy where the blue appears darker in some areas, and lighter in others, so simply clear-coating over the stripe will not help, either.
When I feel the surface at the borders where the blue meets the white, there is no discernible discrepancy in the level of the surface, which would indicate to me (with my very, very limited understanding of gelcoat) that the blue stripe is actually gelcoat (like the white that surrounds it) like the white that surrounds it.
So the issue is this: how do I go about fully restoring the finish? I am primarily concerned about the stripes, first. I would really like to know the components of the blue stripe. Is it actually a blue gelcoat with metal flake suspended in it, or is it paint with a clear coat of gelcoat (with flake in it) over that? Whatever it is, how do I remove it and reapply it?
Then, there is the texture in the top of the boat. I know I'll need to sand the cracks and crazing down, but I'm guessing I'll need to "Hand-Tool" the texture back into the surface. I'm wondering if there's a template-type material to lay over it to "stamp" the texture into the new surface (where I repair the cracking).
I appreciate any and all comments and again, I apologize for the lengthy read. When addressing any of the above, please do so as if you're speaking to your 10 year old son (or daughter). I'm not a complete idiot, but just know very, very little about how the surface of a boat works, for the most part.
Will post photos in next post. Thanks so much!
