Wet sanding boat

[ofo]

Hello all ,

I have a 22.5ft 4winns cuddy marroon color . Theres about a 2-3 ft strip all the way around the boat I need to make shine , its in pretty ruff/dull/chauly state now . I have read alot on the net and came up with this procedure:

Wetsand 400grit
600 grit
800 grit
1000 grit

Buff with 3m Imperial compound
Buff with 3m finesse it II , finishing compound
Collinite wax

I have never wet sanded before so I played around with a 2'x2' area today with the 400 grit with soapy water . Maroon colored water was coming off , and after rinsing and letting dry I notice a differance , but I'm not sure what kind of differance Im looking for? How much time do I spend in one spot?What should it look like? Any advise would be great!

 

[emoney]

Re: Wet sanding boat

Basically, think of it as "knocking down" a layer when you're wetsanding. What I mean is, when you start with the 400, you just want to make sure you've applied sandpaper to gelcoat evenly across the whole area you're out to refinish. You should end up with that "area" looking kinda grayish and scratchy, then move on to 600, etc. It won't be until you get to the highest grit "1000" in this caSe, that you'll start to see a real change, but each level of sandpaper is designed to remove the scratches from the previous level. I would use a little lighter grit, up to probably 2000, but everybody does things a little differently.

Make sure to get your paper "wet", not just damp. I take a bowl full of water and add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid and then soak the paper in the bowl before I start. Always go back and "re-wet" as you're sanding when doing larger areas. Take that 2' section you just practiced on and finish it all the way out to make sure you get a feel for what you're getting in to. As far as what it should look like: it should pretty much look "new" when you're finished with your final compound/wax. Good luck.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Wet sanding boat

400 is a bit too coarse to start with, try 800 first and then buff and see if it yields the results you desire, if not try different methods.

If the color looks good but you can still see scratches then go to 1000 or finer to remove them and buff again.

If the color is still poor go with a coarser grit and work your way back with finer grits until when buffed there are no sand paper scratches.

Every gel coat will respond differently to sanding and buffing, so in an attempt to keep the work needed to a minimum, try a few methods on a small area and see what works before doing the whole thing.

 

[captainzac]

Re: Wet sanding boat

IMO I would try Heavy Compound first
Just try none spot
you can always go back and wet sand

 

[dellsboater]

Re: Wet sanding boat

I tried compound first, and it took forever, switched to sanding. I used a DA, sanded dry, I know what others will say, wore a respirator. Trick is keep moving, avoid to much sanding at the edges, and curves. Take it slow and use a spay bottle to see what it will look like. You will love the 3m compounds, I tried them all, and imperial is the way to go. I started with 500, then 800, then 1000. Looks like new. Did burn through one small area as I was to aggressive, but the decal hides it nicely!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Wet sanding boat

I normally use a DA too, I hate hand sanding, you just need to be a little more careful. A DA will also leave shallower scratches than wet hand sanding, so you can use a coarser grit.

 

[BWT]

Re: Wet sanding boat

spot on, 400 with a DA is comparable to almost 800 by hand.. If you're working by hand, I would start with 800; with a DA (make sure it's pneumatic and NOT electric if you're going to be using water) either 400 or 600 (if you've never done this before, 600 will be less likely to burn through)... Good luck!~

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Wet sanding boat

IMO I would try Heavy Compound first
Just try none spot
you can always go back and wet sand

I agree .. not many boats Need a sand out.

I tried compound first, and it took forever.

Every boat is different . Its always advisable to try a "3 step" rub/polish/glaze first before sanding.

YD.

 

[ofo]

Re: Wet sanding boat

Ok guys , I strted with a small 2'x2' area with my previous plan . Turned out real shiny . So I did 1 side of the boat with all the sand paper and am now buffing with the first compound . I can still see scratches in areas as I'm going along , like I dint use enough sandpaper to take the previous papers scratches off . I may have to go back over with sandpaper in some areas .

My question is where can I get sand paper cheap?? Seems after a 2'x2' area my paper is toast and I'm ready for a new sheet . I tried to make it strech wich is why I think I'm in this situation . Between the 4 different grits I spent $40 . If I pay these prices I'm thinking its going to be like $300 on paper alone?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Wet sanding boat

If your starting with 400g .. skip the 600 and go to 800 ..then buff.

You can get 800 out with 3m Imperial . That should save you some $ .

YD.