Fiberglass Hull Restoration

[Sandy-man]

I have a 1988 Bayliner Capri with a 18' fiberglass hull. It's a beautiful boat but the gelcote has a fair amount of oxidation, or at least I think that's what it is. When I wash it, while it is still wet the colors are deep and vibrant, but as it starts to dry the colors turn chalky, like a white hazing. I've tried waxing and buffing but nothing I've tried so far works. See attached picture

Any suggestions, please? Thank you!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Wet sand, then buff, then buff, then wax

 

[Sandy-man]

Wet sand, then buff, then buff, then wax

Is there a particular grit sandpaper that is best for this?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Start with 320, go up to 400, then 600. Then start with Aquabuff 1000, then go to Aquabuff 2000, then follow up with Finesse IT

 

[redneck joe]

hope you will have a buffer, not doing by hand.

I've used soft scrub before.

 

[Sandy-man]

Start with 320, go up to 400, then 600. Then start with Aquabuff 1000, then go to Aquabuff 2000, then follow up with Finesse IT

Thank you, Scott. I will give this a try on a small spot and if the results are good I will work up a bunch of elbow grease to do the rest of the boat.

 

[Sandy-man]

hope you will have a buffer, not doing by hand.

I've used soft scrub before.

Yes, I have a handheld buffer, it's a bit old and might not be as good as modern buffers though. I should probably buy a new one as the one I have was fairly old when I bought it at a garage sale many moons ago.

 

[Sandy-man]

Thank you, Scott. I will give this a try on a small spot and if the results are good I will work up a bunch of elbow grease to do the rest of the boat.

Do you recommend a palm vibe sander, or by hand?

 

[flashback]

you probably want to wet sand.

 

[Sandy-man]

you probably want to wet sand.

That was one of my many DUH moments. Yes, wet sand, so no to palm vibe sander. Or is there an electric vibe sander out there that works well for wet applications?

 

[flashback]

That was one of my many DUH moments. Yes, wet sand, so no to palm vibe sander. Or is there an electric vibe sander out there that works well for wet applications?

Don't know. But there are compressed air sanders.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Wet sand by hand unless,you have lots of body work experience

There is only 0.020-0.030 worth of gel, you want to be easy on sanding. You only need to remove the layer that of oxidation

Get a harbor freight variable speed buffer/polisher

 

[Drivewayboater2]

Agree with Scott…wet sand for sure.

got my buffer from Harbor freight. I did ( and recommend this to anyone who buys one) repack the gears with “good quality“ grease. The cheap o grease that’s in there doesn’t do well.

good luck

 

[Davetowz]

Yep, wetsand, by hand. The Harbor freight buffers are pretty good these days. They have a good assortment of pads and actually sell good compounds. You tube has some good wetsand vids and buffing stuff.

 

[Sandy-man]

Alrighty then, I guess I'm sanding by hand as I have zero body work experience. I will check out the Harbor Freight buffer too. Thank you all. I appreciate your input.

 

[Drivewayboater2]

Watch vids…. There’s a ton out there. I only used 800 grit wet sand paper and got rid of the oxidation. Then buffed and then did a coat of wax. Good luck

 

[Sandy-man]

Watch vids…. There’s a ton out there. I only used 800 grit wet sand paper and got rid of the oxidation. Then buffed and then did a coat of wax. Good luck

Thanks, Driveway, I will be working on this during the upcoming week after I'm completely done with fine tuning my recent motor rebuild and reinstall. I appreciate your input.