I recently restored my 1995 Cobalt 200 gelcoat and interior. I bought the boat from a family who kept it on a lift, uncovered, and mostly unused. It was severely neglected for years, and had an immense amount of oxidation outside, and goose crap and other critters inside. I have mostly restored the upholstery to its original color, although a couple of areas (mainly the backseat/sundeck) need to be completely re-upholstered. I had to use some pretty harsh cleaning agents to get the mildew/black dirt and grime off of the seats, so I am concerned any finish or protectant that was on the seats may have been removed along with the nastiness. Any suggestions for conditioning or protecting the seats would be greatly appreciated.
I also restored the hull. It is now the original hunter green (I think Cobalt calls it Polo green) but when I started it looked more like a cross between a light blue and a chalkboard. I tried just using a rubbing compound, Maguires oxidation remover, and then a couple rounds of cleaner wax by both maguires and 3M. That didn't even come close to doing the job, so I started over this year with two rounds of wet sanding (1500 then 3000), then the rubbing compound and cleaner wax. It looks like a completely different boat now. But I am curious if there is a way to get just a little more "pop" out of it, a polish like you would use on a clearcoat that is made for gelcoats. I can live with the way it looks now, but it looks so much better, I thought it was worth asking around if it could look even that much better.
I also had to replace the engine, the old block was cracked, so I got a remanufactured block and new performance heads. I got the boat for a steal, and with all I have had to put into it, I still have about $3000 less than what I see this same model in good condition listed on this site, and others like it. I don't plan to sell it any time soon, just bragging I guess. I have had the boat for 3 years, and finally have it in shape so I think a little bragging is in order.
Thanks for any suggestions in advance! I will post the pictures when I get them loaded onto my computer.
I also restored the hull. It is now the original hunter green (I think Cobalt calls it Polo green) but when I started it looked more like a cross between a light blue and a chalkboard. I tried just using a rubbing compound, Maguires oxidation remover, and then a couple rounds of cleaner wax by both maguires and 3M. That didn't even come close to doing the job, so I started over this year with two rounds of wet sanding (1500 then 3000), then the rubbing compound and cleaner wax. It looks like a completely different boat now. But I am curious if there is a way to get just a little more "pop" out of it, a polish like you would use on a clearcoat that is made for gelcoats. I can live with the way it looks now, but it looks so much better, I thought it was worth asking around if it could look even that much better.
I also had to replace the engine, the old block was cracked, so I got a remanufactured block and new performance heads. I got the boat for a steal, and with all I have had to put into it, I still have about $3000 less than what I see this same model in good condition listed on this site, and others like it. I don't plan to sell it any time soon, just bragging I guess. I have had the boat for 3 years, and finally have it in shape so I think a little bragging is in order.
Thanks for any suggestions in advance! I will post the pictures when I get them loaded onto my computer.