Epoxy instead of gelcoat?

[dabrackmaster]

Hey guys,

Here's what I got going on in my head, I need some suggestions and advice.

I have a bass boat that has the traditional glitter/ flake. The luster is LONG gone. Wax worked but I wasn't impressed.

I work with several different 2 part epoxy/resins at my job and have said chemicals readily available for free.

Now I'm wondering can I bring back that glassy shine of a fresh sparkly bass boat by cleaning it first, sanding her down good, and coating the entire top half of the boat with said epoxy/resin.

No gelcoat, no clearcoat, no paint whatsoever....

The epoxy/resins we use at work cure great, after 24hrs it's hard enough you need a hammer and chisel to remove it. Cures crystal clear.

Pros? Cons? What y'all think?

 

[zool]

Most epoxy resins have no UV protection, so it will yellow quite fast, and break down after a while..

 

[dabrackmaster]

I've got to figure something out. This boat is awesome in every way and deserves her old glory back. But being a boater on a budget it's hard to justify an expensive gelcoat.

 

[dabrackmaster]

I do know that one of them is Araldite, and the other is Huntsman but not sure. I may check the MSDS sheets and check for UV resistance

 

[zool]

If u dont care about the flake look, then prime and paint it, if u do, there is a marine clear coat that will gain you a few years at least...Awlgrip makes it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Clear gel and paint has very little UV stabilization, so it breaks down

Epoxy has no UV stabilization

Wetsand and Clear coat it if you want to save the disco-esque metal flake

 

[dabrackmaster]

Update....took some sandpaper and a spray bottle to a small section. Started with 180, then 400, then 1000....all I had handy. Smoothed right out, oxidation gone, rough feeling gone. Tried a little turtle wax just to see, it's better now but still not quite there.

Where you think I should go next?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Remove the wax, spray some clear

 

[boedekerj]

IMO; buy some turtle wax rubbing compound and apply with a 7” polisher with a foam pad. See what happens. It may shine up like a new penny.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the problem is the glitter finish was cleared over that is what gave it the shine. however over the years, the clear fails from uv breakdown.

without the clear, it will never shine

 

[AlabamaNewbie]

I was doing this same thing to my boat last night, which has the glitter flake. My suggestion - don't stop at 1000 grit. Go and and do 2000 and then 3000. You can see the difference in mine in just 5 minutes of work, and it is horribly oxidized. I first thought "what is 2000 and/or 3000 going to do that 1000 didn't?" But the difference was actually pretty huge.

It even got better when I hit it with a little Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze on an orbital buffer, but I didn't get a pic of that yet.

 

[dabrackmaster]

Gonna make a trip to the local parts house for supplies. About to be a loooooong hot sunday......

I'll post updates with before and after pics when finished. Thanks guys!

 

[dabrackmaster]

Few pics of my progress. Not making headway at breaking speeds but it seems to be getting somewhere

 

[MTJames]

Looking good. I've the same issue with my classic, but will have to repaint it and clear it completely to get it to it original shape. All I did for now was spend, literally hours with Meguire's cutting/shine (medium and fine), polish, and carnuba wax with a 10" orbital. It went from a "Hulk" looking nasty oxidized green to a solid 4" depth emerald green. Personally, I'd stay away from Turtle anything. Mother's or Meguire's are the best, IMO. Yeah it'll cost a little more, but it'll last longer and get better results from the other two.

 

[dabrackmaster]

Most definitely Meguires! But before buying all 4 stages of the "good stuff", I figured I'd keep my wallet happy until the test phase proved positive results.

I started with sandpaper I got free from work haha.
I went from 80-180-400-600-1000. All sanded wet by hand. Then I used the burgundy scotch brute, then grey. Then I started the buffing.

As a rookie I ain't sure if I was buffing well enough.
Anyways I went from rubbing compound. To polishing compound, to cleaner wax and then paste wax. Carnuba wax tomorrow. Updates after dark!

 

[MTJames]

Nice. You'll see dramatic results just by doing that. Yes the 2000/3000 will make a difference, but can always save that for the winter break (unless you live in the south, LOL)

 

[MTJames]

One thing I did notice was that before hitting it with the wax, get a spray bottle with water only and do a once over with a clean pad, and a mist of water. For some reason the shine came out even better doing that. I did that by accident when I spilled some water on the top part of the boat, wiped it and it left some marks. Still had a touch of water and I tried hitting it with the orbital, low and behold the shine came out even more. Who've thought that (water mist) would help the shine. But as with anything try a small spot first and see how it works for you.

 

[dabrackmaster]

I live in SC. A.K.A. The only place where it snows one winter and the next it's still shorts and flops.

I misted while sanding and then misted while cleaning up and then misted the pad before each buffing session. It's slow going but I can see it coming