Page 14 of 15 FirstFirst ... 412131415 LastLast
Results 261 to 280 of 281
  1. Member FrankWhoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Southeast Louisiana
    Posts
    465
    #261
    NEW PROJECT~
    I started wet sanding with 1000 grit today on my top. I got one side done and part of the back bottom. Next I plan on using 2000 grit (or should I find some 1200 or 1500 first) then compound then what? Polish, seal, wax?

    What compound should I use after the 2000? I'll probably go with Pro Tect sealant/polish? Are those the same?

    I picked up a 7" variable from harbor freight today, a pack of 5 wool pads (7"), and a 6" orange, a blue, and a black pad (all 6").

    Should I order the 8" (#05723) pads in the beginning of this post with the 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound
    (PNs 05973 or 05974)? What is the black 3m pad for (#05735)?



    What do I use to remove the glue residue from the decals?

    Thanks

    Here are some befores. The 1000 made it smooth and dull but not faded and removed the spotty oxidation! I'm super exited.





    Last edited by FrankWhoa; 09-20-2013 at 12:20 AM.
    Frank

    Stock 2012 SHO 225 with 255 hours
    2000 ZX 202-C hull

  2. Member snowblind's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    mineral, Va.
    Posts
    3,391
    #262
    I just did this on my boat and used the 3M products describe in this post with great results. The foam pads will give you the heat required to properly let the rubbing compound do its job. White pads for compound and black for the polish. I wetsanded with 800,1000,1500 then compounded then polished and finished it off with Mothers Carnauba wax.. Acetone or Goof Off will remove the adhesive residue.

  3. Member Central-Florida George's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Keystone Heights FL
    Posts
    31
    #263

    my gel coat project

    20131007_120132.jpg20131007_120620.jpg20131007_120240.jpg20131007_120459.jpg20131007_120340.jpg
    My new to me boat, you can see my test spots from wet sanding and compounding to what it looked like when I got it. I have cracks Spidering out from the trolling motor front mount hole that you can see in the second pic, anyone know how to go about stopping this or fixing it. Also would you recommend taking the fuel spout off to sand around it.
    Last edited by Central-Florida George; 10-07-2013 at 11:31 AM. Reason: left info out

  4. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Bangor
    Posts
    45
    #264
    Started working on my 89 Gemini (a rare boat) but it's in overall good shape, just needs some updates. I have been worried that the flake was coming through just on the top area of the boat (see image). To my surprise it's just severely oxidized and I can wetsand it out.. this is just after I hit it with the 1000. Gonna be a solid weekend to get the whole boat done. I will follow up.

    gemini1.jpggemini 2.jpg

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Moultrie Ga
    Posts
    152
    #265
    This is my 97 180 that I am in process of restoring. I have wet sanded and buffed as said in this post. Just I use a wool pad for the compound and foam to polish and wax.
    I use 8in and 3in wool and foam pads. Picked up a PRO-TEC kit from BASSCAT but have only used it on cars so far and loved it!!!! Here is before and after pictures.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. Member
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Bloomington
    Posts
    1,229
    #266
    Had a few questions regarding doing the gelcoat restoration process.


    Any type of wet sandpaper OK? Any particular brand better?


    When applying the compound with recommended polisher/sander, how much pressure do you apply? Just the weight of the tool ok?


    After you go over with the compound, do you need to let it sit for awhile before you wash it off? Do you use soap and water just like a normal boat wash?


    Can you apply the glaze immediately after the compound and wash or do you need to let it set for a period of time?


    Thank you for the help!

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    2
    #267
    I have been studying this post and was wondering if there are any more efficient options for the wet sanding? Perhaps a drill attachment? Would like to speed it up without having to purchase any air tools. Has anyone tried dry sanding?

  8. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Prospect Heights, IL
    Posts
    45
    #268
    Quote Originally Posted by robertmee View Post
    Hat's off to you guys that have done this multiple times. It's hard freakin work. Either that or I'm doing it wrong. So a few questions:

    1) What speed on the Harbor Freight Polisher? I've tried slow and fast with mixed results. Fast seems to sling the compound/polisher EVERYWHERE. Everytime I do a small patch, I have sling marks on everything else. I'm finding that I'm spending most of my time going over the same areas, wiping up the sling. Slow, just doesn't seem to generate the heat necessity.

    2) You can't do this in the sun. Stuff just dries too fast. I've even tried misting with a water bottle as recommended by a google search. If the boat's not cool to the touch, forget it.

    3) The oxidation keeps coming back! Or at least cloudiness. I'll go over with the compound, wipe/wash down, polish and it looks good. 20 minutes later it's clouding again. What am I doing wrong?

    4) When I wet the boat it looks awesome. When it dries, it dulls again. (Haven't waxed yet). Should I be able to maintain that 'wet' look before waxing?

    5) The polisher is great for the top cap and the hull, but that's about it. Way too many nooks and crannies. My elbow is killing me from hand polishing all these areas.

    6) Did I mention sling? This stuff gets everywhere. All the carpets out so not a problem there, but it keeps getting on areas already done.

    7) Okay, I committed the cardinal sin and burned the gelcoat in one small area on the transom while polishing. It turned a kind of dull orangeish color. Anyway to repair short of re-gelling? It's not that noticeable but I know it is there


    What if anything can be done about the burnt gelcoat area described in line 7?? I had this same thing happen in a few spots and wondering what if anything could be done to fix.

    thanks!

  9. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Dixon, illinois
    Posts
    153
    #269
    Tagged

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Fort Collins Colorado
    Posts
    163
    #270
    Should you fill gouges in the gel coat first then wet sand? Or sand then fill.

  11. Member BASSCAT7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    2,994
    #271
    do an initial wet sand of the gouges first to remove any oxidation and contamination on/in the gelcoat, the do the gouge repairs. Make sure to let the repairs sit long enough to fully cure, then continue the wet sanding on the entire hull.

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    269
    #272
    Quote Originally Posted by ThrowbackRanger View Post
    Hey y'all. I have been following BC's steps for restoring the gel coat on my '98 Procraft 16'. I have this kind of cracking in the gel coat in various places on the boat. No cracking on the transom. This is almost all on the top rail. It was left uncovered to bake in the Texas sun by the previous owner. I'm pretty sure it's not stress cracking. The fiberglass in this boat is solid as a rock. Anyway when compounding the areas I have wet sanded, the compound fills the cracks and looks like the photo you see here. The other gel coat looks great and it's very smooth and shiny. I know I can't get rid of these cracks but what can I do to seal them so stuff doesn't get down in em? Should I power wash the boat real good after I compound it, then hit it with some kind of sealer?? Then wax? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

    Can you get rid of "sun cracks" like this. I have quite a few on the passenger side of my boat I feel like the previous owner had under a cover and with the las vegas heat and sun it baked and cracked the gel coat. would you be able to sand the boat and use some forum of body filler like bondo and paint over them?

  13. Member BASSCAT7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    2,994
    #273
    Quote Originally Posted by soloman View Post
    Can you get rid of "sun cracks" like this. I have quite a few on the passenger side of my boat I feel like the previous owner had under a cover and with the las vegas heat and sun it baked and cracked the gel coat. would you be able to sand the boat and use some forum of body filler like bondo and paint over them?
    That is crazing or sometimes called cross hatching.

    Gelcoat crazing usually happens on older , usually dark colored boats that were not maintained or left in the sun for long stretches of time. When it gets worse the pattern will look like a cross hatch or Alligator skin pattern. Notice that most of the cracks are perpendicular lines in a T pattern, this happens in crazing when the gel heats and cools on older dark boats.

    It's hard to tell on older boats why crazing of the gelcoat happens unless you know the history of the boat.
    If it happened when the boat was fairly new it could be from too much catalyst in the resin/gel, which makes the cure rate accelerate and cure too fast which would cause the resin/gel to shrink. When this happens the gel or underlying resin will get brittle from being pulled tight causing it to get those tiny cracks.

    Probably the most common cause is the gelcoat applied too thick. The thicker gel does not flex, and as the gel ages instead of flexing it starts to get hard and brittle.

    Darker colors especially Blues/ blacks are most susceptible to the crazing with thick gel because they absorb a lot more heat from the sun. Heating up and then cooling of the older brittle gel can cause these types of cracks when the gel expands and contracts as it gets older.

    Another possibility is too much flexing in the laminate ( glass/resin ) layer. This could be caused by not enough glass layers in the structural area where the crazing is, or a resin rich laminate, resin by itself is a very weak material and mostly only there to hold the fibers together.


    If they are only in isolated spots on the top rail, there is a good chance they are a combination of flexing in the top rail laminate caused by impacts with dock posts over the years.

    As far as trying to fix them. Crazing is probably the hardest to fix because you don't know the real cause. If from a weak laminate you would have to reinforce the area under the crazing
    You would then have to grind off the gel with all the cracks, and respray new gel, and hope you can match the existing faded gel. $$$$$

    Best bet is to lightly wet sand them down , compound and wax and live with them.

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    269
    #274
    what if you dont want to bring the gel coat back and want to paint the boat have tossed the idea around of sanding down the cracks using some forum of body filler to get everything even and level then spraying the boat. I have painted quite a few cars so the painting portion I am not worried about its the gel coat cracks just showing up through the new paint even after sand and fill.




    Quote Originally Posted by BASSCAT7 View Post
    That is crazing or sometimes called cross hatching.

    Gelcoat crazing usually happens on older , usually dark colored boats that were not maintained or left in the sun for long stretches of time. When it gets worse the pattern will look like a cross hatch or Alligator skin pattern. Notice that most of the cracks are perpendicular lines in a T pattern, this happens in crazing when the gel heats and cools on older dark boats.

    It's hard to tell on older boats why crazing of the gelcoat happens unless you know the history of the boat.
    If it happened when the boat was fairly new it could be from too much catalyst in the resin/gel, which makes the cure rate accelerate and cure too fast which would cause the resin/gel to shrink. When this happens the gel or underlying resin will get brittle from being pulled tight causing it to get those tiny cracks.

    Probably the most common cause is the gelcoat applied too thick. The thicker gel does not flex, and as the gel ages instead of flexing it starts to get hard and brittle.

    Darker colors especially Blues/ blacks are most susceptible to the crazing with thick gel because they absorb a lot more heat from the sun. Heating up and then cooling of the older brittle gel can cause these types of cracks when the gel expands and contracts as it gets older.

    Another possibility is too much flexing in the laminate ( glass/resin ) layer. This could be caused by not enough glass layers in the structural area where the crazing is, or a resin rich laminate, resin by itself is a very weak material and mostly only there to hold the fibers together.


    If they are only in isolated spots on the top rail, there is a good chance they are a combination of flexing in the top rail laminate caused by impacts with dock posts over the years.

    As far as trying to fix them. Crazing is probably the hardest to fix because you don't know the real cause. If from a weak laminate you would have to reinforce the area under the crazing
    You would then have to grind off the gel with all the cracks, and respray new gel, and hope you can match the existing faded gel. $$$$$

    Best bet is to lightly wet sand them down , compound and wax and live with them.

  15. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Calhoun, Georgia
    Posts
    17
    #275
    I removed the clearcoat someone sprayed on mine with a razor blade when i got done i started with 400 grit working my way up to 2500 and you wont beleive the shine i can see al ready just waiting on some time to be off work. I bought the boat and havent had less than 70 hours at work leaving no time to work on it but when i do get the time off i am going to use te protec products to make her shine even more.

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    VA
    Posts
    2
    #276
    I already have one of these Griots buffers that I use on cars.
    https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...dom+orbital.do
    Dual action variable speed with a max speed of 6,800. I'd prefer not to have to go buy another buffer. Will this one work fine for applying the compound? Its a 6" buffer so not sure the 8" pads would fit. I have the following pads. Micofiber fast cutting pads, orange foam correcting pads, black foam finishing pads and red foam wax pads.
    https://www.griotsgarage.com/categor...accessories.do
    I would think these would work fine but figured I would ask just to be safe.

  17. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Hopkinsville, Ky
    Posts
    635
    #277
    Watching!

  18. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Prairieville, LA
    Posts
    422
    #278
    getting ready to do this for the winter....so wet sand...compound....polish....sealer (Protec)...then wax? Or does sealer take the place of wax???

  19. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    330
    #279
    I have not done this in probably 7 years, but my boat was looking a little rough and showing some oxidation on the cap. It is a 1996 Gambler, so to be expected. I still had most of my stuff from doing it before. Ordered new foam compounding pad and I was in business. I did the compounding then went straight to the Pro-Tec mosterizer and sealant and WOW.......looks amazing. So glad this thread is still pinned. Super useful.

  20. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Pegram, Tennessee
    Posts
    13
    #280
    OK, I've saved all this information and much appreciate it. However, what about those areas where you can actually feel the metal flake. It's like the clear is totally gone. It's only in one particular area - the silver metal flake on my 201 Pro, which extends the length of the boat on boat sides, and is essentially a horizontal part of the top cap. What kind of "gel" or "clear coat" can be used to restore the glassy/glossy look to this ruff area?? Many thanks for any input.

Page 14 of 15 FirstFirst ... 412131415 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Fixing a scratch in white gelcoat- Opinions please?
    By walleyeguy9 in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 09-23-2011, 03:22 PM
  2. Basscat7
    By djarrett in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 03-01-2010, 03:50 PM
  3. Fixing a chip in tyhe clear gelcoat?
    By dmandave in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11-20-2009, 05:32 PM
  4. New Gelcoat or Refurbish Faded Gelcoat
    By Sportakus in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 11-04-2009, 03:38 PM
  5. My Gelcoat is gone. Can I use auto Clearcoat instead of gelcoat?
    By acleme1 in forum Bassboat Restoration
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 03-18-2008, 04:52 PM