Update 01-22-2011
Update 01-22-2011
Well started into the project last night around 8pm again and finished up cleaning the garage around 2am. But the buffing and waxing is done for the whole boat finally!
Learnt a couple of things along the way as well. Here we go step by step.
Started off with washing the Parting Film off with water and a rag. It came off very nicely. After washing it off I noticed a bit more smaller pin size pits around where the large ones where. Deffinately need a bucket of watrer around when washing this stuff off. It comes off like runny snot and really makes the rag slimmy. Need to ring out the rag a couple of times while doing it.
Lesson one learnt: Make sure you have it all off or the sand paper really gums up quickly!
Next I took a black permanent Sharpie marker and wrote all over the patch area. Not too much but enought that when you wipe the area with a acetone damp rag it smears everything. Here is a pic of what it looked like after smearing it.
Next I started off with 220 grit sand paper and a block to knock down the orange peel. It was pretty deep. Once I had sanded all the "black" off I switch to progressively finer grits. Each time taking the marker and acetone rag to mark off the area. The black shows the scratches from the previous grit sand paper. You know visually if you sanded the area enough by weather there is any "black left" Its a great system. You go up to 1000-1200 grit sand paper, steping from the following. 220-320-400-600-800-1000-1200. The finer you go with the sand paper the less the buffing stage needs to work to take out the final scratches. Here is a pic after fully sanding the area.
Lesson two learnt: Make sure you do not dome the area out too much before spraying the gel. Also need to mke sure that the area is perfectly flat as well before applying the gel. If not you will sand through your gel. I did on the one side. This is where you see the darker gel showing thru.
Lesson three learnt last night: When spraying gel into a tight area where you can not hold the Pervail vertically, (like my vertical wall you see here), you get the Pervail to discharge co2 along with the gel. This will cause the pit and bubble holes in your gel. You need to empty half the co2 out of the pervail before spraying. You will notice all the pits around the other end.
I was deffinatelly going to respray last night and sand it again tonight until I looked and I do not have enough gel to do it again. So I am just going to cover it with a transom saver bar along that vertical edge. The fiberglass is sealed with the new gel like I wanted and the area is flat like I wanted. So it stays as is. Sorry YD, not to your standards.:facepalm:
I next started buffing the splash well. I used the little 3" kit from Harbour Freight in a electric right angle drill. I work pretty good. Better in my opinion that my 8" buffer and sponges. I tried them first and I was having trouble getting the unit in there. I also buffed the whole area using the wool bonnett that came with the kit. I also used the Meguires Heavy buffing compound. No 3M finness It compound. I think the wool is the way to go. It took half the time it would have if I tried to use the sponge. Just make sure you keep the pad moving. But you do not need to go too fast with it. Here is how it came out.
I forgot before that I wiped the area around the freshly sprayed gel with a acetone rag to remove all the over spray. This was to clean up the over spray so I did not need to sand the area. I would recommend this to be done before the PVA is appied. Acetone and PVA do not mix well.
After I was all done last night I cleaned up and put all my buffing and waxing stuff away. Also cleaned up the garage. I can actually see my work bench now. Haven't seen that for a month or two.
Tonight it goes on to assembly. Need to finish the following.
1) Mount all the fittings and connectors I took off in the splash well.
2) Run the steering cable, control cables from the front.
3) Mount and finish running the trim tab pump and lines.
4) Install the other battery and finally hook up all the elctrical.
5) Remove the old antenna and install the new one.
6) Get some Starboard and fill hole from old fishing tackle box location.
7) Wash and wax the deck hatches. (I thought I was done, guess not. DAMN!!!
)
8) Wipe off all accumilated dust.
9) Reload all boating equipment into boat (Anchor, safety equipment, etc)
Then done the hull! Still need to rebuild the windsheild. But the hull is going outside for that. Thanks for all your help again YD. Could not have done the gel without you. I still have a couple of areas that need attention, but that will be after the motor is rebuilt and running. Likely late spring.
