I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

[butchmotors]

I have a 96 208 baja islander. The gelcoat on the lower sides is fading.I plan to wet sand and clearcoat the sides in an atempt to get rid of the fading.I hear imron it the way to go after a scuff with 400 grit sandpaper . Im not sure what grit paper i should be using. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[oops!]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

is the gellcoat oxidizing?

and why the clear coat?

you an get a really deep shine out of gellcoat and it will not stop the color fade

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

The gelcoat is fading. I did a color restore with not the best results.I figure if I scuff it to revive the color then clearcoat it to prevent more oxidization. I dont really know the road to take on this one. thanx

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

If you buff Gelcoat with buffing compound and follow up with polish you can, as OOPS says, get a long lasting high lustre. Check out 3M's Marine buffing compounds and polishes. You do not Clear Coat gelcoat.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

The results of using a clear can be disappointing and may lead to more problems in the future. It’s easier and better to try and restore the original finish before using more extreme methods.

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

So I basically need to use a rougher compound? I tried the mcguires three step deal to no avail. I take it that stuff is not that course?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

Did you use a variable speed power buffer? If so then you may need to try wet sanding starting @ 800 grit and going up to 1500 and then do the power buffing. Harbor Freight has their 7" VS Polisher/Sander on sale right now for $34.99

 

[calvinator]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

A lot of products out there..... I used Aqua-buff with great results. It is a gelcoat compound and polish, used with a 2500 RPM buffer. Wool pad for the compound and sponge pad for polish. Inexpensive to buy and all the instructions on their website. I really liked that this product is water based for hose cleanup (compounding is messy!).

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

Yes I do have a nice variable speed buffer wich I used. Ive buffed fading on gelcoat a bunch times with great results. The red is just getting so bad . I was thinking about wet sanding to buff so I am definetly willing to try that .what compounds should I use after the 1500 grit paper?

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

Did you use a variable speed power buffer? If so then you may need to try wet sanding starting @ 800 grit and going up to 1500 and then do the power buffing. Harbor Freight has their 7" VS Polisher/Sander on sale right now for $34.99

Is 600 grit to abrasive to start?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

You want to start with as fine of grit as you can, 600 may be correct, or it could be 1000, you won't know until you try it.

Test a small area and see what works best before doing more work and then finding you needed to do something different.

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

You want to start with as fine of grit as you can, 600 may be correct, or it could be 1000, you won't know until you try it.

Test a small area and see what works best before doing more work and then finding you needed to do something different.

I grabbed a bunch of different grits... I started with one side of the boat. The 1000 wouldnt do anything so I started with the 600, with a little elbow grease the haze did come out . After that i went to 1000 then 1500 tomarow I will hit ot with some 2000 and then a buff. I appreciate all the help. The red was turning pink and even tho not shiny yet it looks great to see red again. what should I start to buff with after the 2000 grit?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

Skip the 2000 all together.

Jumping from 600 to 1000 might be too much, but each boat will be different. I'd try buffing after 600 first, then try a finer grit and buff again, repeat this until you get the results you want.

Try everything, but start with the finest grit and easiest method, only go coarser and include more steps if needed.

 

[oops!]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

to do an oxidization removal....

i start at 600 and go up from there......the color of the sand paper tells the story.

ill do 6 then 8 then test a spot with a compound then polish it out and look.

most of the time i go dry up to 1500 then a polish.......

but depends on the depth of the oxidisation where i start.

 

[butchmotors]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

to do an oxidization removal....

i start at 600 and go up from there......the color of the sand paper tells the story.

ill do 6 then 8 then test a spot with a compound then polish it out and look.

most of the time i go dry up to 1500 then a polish.......

but depends on the depth of the oxidisation where i start.

Thanx again man for the advice. I have to buff and polish the side I sanded and one side down. The other side I started on earlier and realize thers a spot about three foot long and two feet tall that it looks lile someone painted and cleared over .Im guessing that was to hide the faded gelcoat. now I see why so many people suggested against it. It wont sand off easy . Is ther any kind of paint or clearcoat remover I can apply that wont tear up the gelcoat?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

CitriStrip in the Orange Can, Paint it on, watch for it to start to Krinkle, then use a plastic putty knife to scrape it off. Final wash down with Acetone. Should take about 30 mins to an hour for it to do it's work. Depends on the type of paint and how thick. Keep an eye on it. Might take a couple of applications. Gelcoat is pretty resistant so as long as you don't leave it for a LOOOOOONG time you'll be fine.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: I plan to wet sand and clearcoat my fiberglass boat and need some advice

Thanx again man for the advice. I have to buff and polish the side I sanded and one side down. The other side I started on earlier and realize thers a spot about three foot long and two feet tall that it looks lile someone painted and cleared over .Im guessing that was to hide the faded gelcoat. now I see why so many people suggested against it. It wont sand off easy . Is ther any kind of paint or clearcoat remover I can apply that wont tear up the gelcoat?

Be very carefull about applying any kind of Removers when you think you might have Paint on there.

If someone did a Paint over Gel patch..you might be removing something you should not be. Dont assume that It was done to hide Faded Gel..could have been a repair.

There is a boat build called Sunseeker that has Unbelievable Fade in there blue gel..you can sand and buff it every year and it will fade badly every year.. We end up having to Paint with Awlgrip or Imron and blend clearing it into the gel.. thats the Only fix..

But..you may just have some kinda Magic cure-all crap on there that keeps fading out.

You might just have to get to bare gel and buff it out.

As already suggested sanding with 600 then 1200 then buffing might do you well..

Be aware that you may or may not have repairs that have been Painted..pay attention when sanding.

BTW .. I use 3m Imperial compound. .. no two or three step stuff..just Imperial.. Just me though ..

Good luck and happy boating .

YD.