STRATOS 268 Refurb

[trifish]

I just picked up a 1999 Stratos 268 for a pretty fair price and she needs a little love. Structurally really sound and the motor runs great but the top cap and carpet have seen some wear. I didn't take too many pictures of the before and I have one pass of 800 grit on it now to get that rough feeling out. There are still some cracks in the clear coat it looks like but I don't know how far to try to go to get them out or if I should just leave them. The finish seems very smooth now.

This is before:

The finish appears dull now but when wet is very shiny. I will be hitting it with the Protec Restoration Kit as soon as sanding is done. The rest of this project will take place entirely inside the garage. Any tips/pointers would be appreciated!

[90bumblebee]

Hello, welcome.

I suggest doing some extensive research on repairing cracks in gel coat, there seems to be a few different levels of strategy depending on how bad the cracks are. If they’re actually surface only then you should be ok repairing them yourself. If they persist beyond your wet sand/poly glow experiment then they will need to be professionally repaired. Remember, each time you wet sand you’re removing gel coat. Maybe research compounding/buffing methods if you’re more interested in the way professionals bring back gel coat.

Either way, neat rig! You’ll find loads of info on how to replace the carpet. I suggest you study the sticky’s provided by the forum, there loads of info already available.

[trifish]

Little update: After wet sanding and buffing, here's what I've got:

[crank68]

Looks good. It needs a little more refinement sanding then more buffing to get the shine there...