So how bad is it...

[AlabamaCatfishTrail]

My father handed my son and I the keys to the boat I grew up fishing in. It had been awhile since running her and it has sat outside under a tarp for a few years now. It is an 01' Procraft 185 Pro with a Mercury 150 XR6. Freshened up the engine, new batteries, cleaned up the wiring, new tires in the trailer, etc. Son(7) and I have been fishing out of it now twice a week for a month and we are pretty satisfied. Would like to redo the carpet and fix the gel coat over this summer, but this gel on the flake is rough! The white is not near as bad, but it's not glass smooth. Under the rubrail is good, just he top cap. Is this too far gone for the wet sand process?

[Rip Bass]

You can sand it and buff but it’s too far gone to look really good. Only good fixes is to re-gel or have it wrapped. Wrapping it will be much cheaper.

[Rip Bass]

Also,contact Crank68 on these boards,he is a resto expert. He will give you solid advice and you can trust what he says,good man.

[mxmike]

That doesn't look that bad. Oxidation will feel rough to the touch. Do a wet sand/buff test on a small spot and I'll bet you'll be surprised how it shines up. With a little elbow grease, I'm sure you can get it looking like new again.

[twitch]

try a spot and follow directions don't take the easy way out , start with 600 grit go to 800 and then 1000 then 1200 then 1500 and then 2000 after that wash good and buff with 3M perfect-it and then seal all that hard work with Pro-tec sealant and you should be satisfied rug will also make it look good too

[AlabamaCatfishTrail]

Thank y'all, we are going to at least give it a try.

[06 SB]

You need to change out the fuel lines and bulb NOW if they are original. Here is a thread you should read: http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=22490

[AlabamaCatfishTrail]

First thing I did was all new fuel lines and carb cleaning.

[Kzaker]

I’m looking at a wetsand on my boat: any idea how much of those sand papers one should buy for a job like this??

[OkieLure]

try a spot and follow directions don't take the easy way out , start with 600 grit go to 800 and then 1000 then 1200 then 1500 and then 2000 after that wash good and buff with 3M perfect-it and then seal all that hard work with Pro-tec sealant and you should be satisfied rug will also make it look good too

[crank68]

There’s only one pic that prolly won’t sand and buff....the first one with the cracking. It may look ok though. All the rest of the pics, you should be fine as stated. Just make sure your first stage of buffing is with a 3000 grit compound and a wool cutting pad. Easy on your machine speed until you get the feel for it.

[samiam12]

I have a question for the experts here my ranger is cracked and checked like the first pic. If you sand it will it to smooth it up will it change the color of the flake. I really want to get rid of the oxidation and at least make it shine as best it can. But I'm Larry of opening up the cracks and check marks

[Josh256v]

That'll come back just fine! My '88 was WAY worse than that! Do yourself a favor and get the pro-tec kit!

[bassinman215]

try a spot and follow directions don't take the easy way out , start with 600 grit go to 800 and then 1000 then 1200 then 1500 and then 2000 after that wash good and buff with 3M perfect-it and then seal all that hard work with Pro-tec sealant and you should be satisfied rug will also make it look good too

Try Al's procedure. His older Ranger looks better than my '09 Stratos.

[easdon]

i wet sanded my boat and used 1000 grit then 2000 grit, then wax it and done, you may have to keep waxing it for it to look good over the years but it will look great! good luck!

[wakepics]

I have a question for the experts here my ranger is cracked and checked like the first pic. If you sand it will it to smooth it up will it change the color of the flake. I really want to get rid of the oxidation and at least make it shine as best it can. But I'm Larry of opening up the cracks and check marks

Bringing this question back up. I had some similar cracking on my 92 Basscat. I spent a couple hours today wetsanding with 1500 then 2000, then buffed/polished and waxed. It looks good now - has great shine but the cracks are still visible. In a couple of areas that were really bad I can "feel" the metal flake. I don't think I made it right through the gel, but I'm wondering if I have anything to worry about it/do I need to seal it somehow?

Also, what is the best way to get rid of this type of gel cracking?

[bass806]

Just sand it like basscat7s sticky.......I think you will be surprised how nice it will look. You have nothing to lose.

[67TexasTBend]

Just sand it like basscat7s sticky.......I think you will be surprised how nice it will look. You have nothing to lose.

Yep, and post pics of your progress.