will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

[hank55]

I know , another clear coat question, but at times the more I read the more doubt I have.I own a 82 skeeter that has a smooth white finish , and a blue metal flake finish. I had wet sanded and buffed this boat about one year ago, and the finish is trashed again, the white is chalky and the blue is rough and dull.

I just wet sanded with 320 then 600 and have buffed it to a fairly shiny finish again.

My plan was to spray rustoleum enamel clear coat ( rattle can) over the blue, and possible the white .I have a auto wax remover to wipe down the boat be for spraying but should I wet sand with 600 to give it a bonding surface, or is all of this just a bad idea.

 

[hank55]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

heres some photos taken in a dark garage

 

[ezmobee]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

I used Rusto clear on the top sides of my last boat and it didn't hold up to well. I had some mysterious super dull spots than my have been exposed to sun tan lotion or something and some flaking areas. It just wasn't very durable.

 

[zopperman]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Didn't work well for me either, Flaked pretty easily...

 

[hank55]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Do you have any suggestions on what I should do next then , and did either of you use a Auto surface prep/cleaner, be for spraying.

And thanks for the replies

 

[zopperman]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Yes, I prepped the surface well.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Mine was top coating Rustoleum Metallics paint.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Clears work short term, but long term there can be issues, especially with one part cheap paints, high end products hold up better.

Most people don't use a heavy enough grit sand paper to prep the surface when using a clear so even the higher end products end up flaking off, but this isn't the only reason for them to flake.

220 grit would be much better, but even if it sticks well clears tend to yellow over time, you won't see it so much over a dark color or metal flake, but over a white it can sometimes be easily noticed.

 

[zopperman]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

http://www.iboats.com/Moeller-Clear-Coat-Marine-Lacquer/dm/view_id.391431

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

heres some photos taken in a dark garage

Are the Before and After Pics correct ? ..

Your first pic shows it kinda dull..your second pic after the clear looks more blueish ..the third pic ( with the Before and After tags ) looks inversed on what you were describing.

Are you sure you have the tags right on the third pic ? ..

YD.

PS. I would not rattle can clear for a finished product. You can Test it with rattle cans .. but not finish it IMHO ..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

As much as I love Rustoleum products, I would not recommend using their clear coat on a metal flake boat. Your boat was built from the inside out. The manufacturer sprayed clear gelcoat into the mold, followed by the metalflake/colored gelcoat and then laid up the various fiberglass layers to give the hull and deck its strength. The clear gelcoat allows the UV rays from the sun to penetrate down to the colored surface and the metallic particles reflect it back through the clear gelcoat, in effect burning it from both sides. This type of finish should be kept covered when not in use and only the best quality synthetic boat polish with good UV protection should be used. It's better to polish these finishes more often as the UV protection in all polishes will degrade over time. Water may continue to bead, but the sun is eating your boat.

IMHO You have three options:
1) Refinish with clear gelcoat. This is best done by a professional skilled in spraying gelcoats, especially clear. This is your best and most expensive option.
2) Refinish with automotive clearcoat. This will restore the finish but since these coatings are quite delicate, especially in marine environments, it will have to be redone every few years and can also be expensive.
3) Polish it with Aurora Kwik Shine. This is a spray and wipe cleaner polish and a very effective polish on metalflake. This is your least expensive option but will require more effort on your part. You will have to reapply every 3 to 4 weeks to keep it shiny and maintain the protection. The good news is that it's fast and easy. It has good UV protection and regular use will prevent fading.

If you decide to use it, you should scrub it first with a 1:4 solution of TSP to strip the old wax off, followed by a deoxidizer which will remove the chalk. Kwik Shine will remove light oxidation, but if your boat is heavily oxidized, the dead gelcoat will show through as streaks. Once you have the shine you want, maintaining it is quite easy.

I would start with option 3) If you were not satisfied, you can always go to a more permanent and expensive methodology.

You can also use it on the windscreen, instrument faces and engine cowl. You'll love the shine.

 

[proshadetree]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

I used PPG automotive clear sanded hull and cleaned with acetone. Added flex agent and sprayed with no tape lines. Lasted about a year and junk again. I just do not think clear holds well on top of anything but paint where it gets a chemical bond.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Lets address the first problem. You said you sanded with 320 and then 600.These are to aggressive. I would never touch any hull with 320 and vary rarely touch one with 600 on a painted surface. You should be wet sanding with 1000 grit and work your way up, 1200, 1500 etc. Keep the paper very wet while wet sanding. the second you feel the paper stick a little,add water. After you have wet sanded, a light restore compound and wax should do the trick.

 

[hank55]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Thanks to everyone, still gives me a bit to think about . This boat is going up for sale as soon as I get the finish cleaned up, I want it to look fairly good , but I dont want to screw the buyer either, in totol the boats worth about $1300 to $1600

Yacht Dr, yes the photo tags are correct , and nothing as been clear coated in those pictures, just sanded and buffed with heavy duty scratch remover.

Chriscraft254
The surface was extremely rough, maybe I should have been more gentle with the grits, but I think I would be sanding for a few hundred hours, my shoulders have been operated on to make it even more fun.

I used a jewelers loupe to look at the surface, it just down to the flake, some is through, there are tiny air bubbles in the "clear" so as the finish is removed it exposes those bubbles making tiny pits appear at the surface.To me I think I will always expose new pits as I hit new bubbles..

 

[ezmobee]

Re: will rts rustolium clear coat work on metal flake fiberglass

Maybe your boat will be like a car I once sold. After hours and hours of polishing, I was able to get it to look like "with a good polishing it might clean up real nice"