Happy New Year All!!!
How do you refinish/restore an oxidized top section of a bass boat. My boat does not have pits but it has lost its luster. The Top section is faded/oxidized, the mid to lower still shines like new. I am on a small budget but I want my boat to look as good as possible. Thank you all in advance for your help.
Hit it w/ alittle bit of 1500 sandpaper (wet sand) & then buff it w/ polishing compound. It will look like new.
X2 ... you just wont belive the results....
DeSean
I hope this is not considered a post jack as I have similar questions. I thought I had read somewhere on BBC that you start with 1000 grit, then move on up to 1200, 1600 and finally 2000 all wet sand. Did I read this properly?
With the wet sand, is that all by hand, or can you use sometype of power sander to do this? (palm sander or other).
Finaly - do you need to shoot a gel coat on this afterwards to seal in all of the hard work?
Steve
2006 Sylvan Expedition Sport
2006 Yamaha F150 TXR s/n 63P L 1041829
All by hand. You can work your way up as high as you want. I did mine at 1200, 1500, then buffed, polished, and waxed.
2008, 2009, 2011, & 2014 PBA Angler Of The Year
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fishmastermike1 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">All by hand. You can work your way up as high as you want. I did mine at 1200, 1500, then buffed, polished, and waxed.</TD></TR></TABLE>
My topcap wasn't all that bad but it was still too bad for buffing compound alone. I wet sanded by hand with 1500 and 2000 before hitting it with the buffer. Oh, and Meguiar's makes a kit specifically for fiberglass boat and RV applications that includes an oxidation remover, polish, and wax. It's really good stuff!
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sc419795 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I hope this is not considered a post jack as I have similar questions. I thought I had read somewhere on BBC that you start with 1000 grit, then move on up to 1200, 1600 and finally 2000 all wet sand. Did I read this properly?
With the wet sand, is that all by hand, or can you use sometype of power sander to do this? (palm sander or other).
Finaly - do you need to shoot a gel coat on this afterwards to seal in all of the hard work?
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Here are some instructions for wet sanding :
Most boats can be brought back to look new by doing the wetsanding/compounding/glazing/waxing at home for the costs of the products and a high speed sander/buffer if you do not own one...a lot of labor involved, but can save you big $$$$ over a re-clearcoat.
All the peripheral hardware should be removed from the boat, cleats, handrails, lights, windshields, decals, anything that can be unbolted from the top cap and consoles, etc will make the job easier....less obstructions when using the buffer.
You will need a high speed buffer, not an orbital buffer, the high speed produces the heat that makes the compound cut thru the faded clearcoat, you can use a cheap buffer, no need for an expensive model.
3M waffle polishing pads.....the white one for compounding/cutting and the black pad for glazing/polishing.
Wet Sandpaper in 1200/1500/and 2000 grit. The grit can be matched to the severity of the oxidation...if it is real bad you may have to start with 800 grit and work up to 1200 grit.
3M Perfect It Rubbing Compound # 05973
3M Final Glaze # 06066
Any hard Carnuba Marine Wax
1st step is to remove all the hardware you can.
Wash the boat, remove any tar, bugs , etc stuck on the glass.
2nd step is to wet sand by hand with plenty of water, put a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the sanding water to make the paper slide easier, dunk the paper often to clean the sanded material off the paper.
Start with the 1200 grit, sand the whole area to be redone, rinse off with the hose, repeat with the 1500 grit, and rinse, then again with the 2000 grit....this is very labor intensive , may take you a few days to get thru LOL..., don't sand too hard in one spot, keep feeling the sanded area, if you feel any of the metalflake ( rough , grainy ) stop sanding on that area or you will sand too deep and expose the flakes.
When the sanding is done , wash the boat again to get the glass clean of particles, it will look dull but not faded.
3rd step is using the high speed buffer with the white 3M pad and the rubbing compound, do small areas and move the buffer slowly, not keeping it in one spot or it might burn the gel.
When done compounding wash off the compound and dry the boat.
4th step is using the black 3M pad on the high speed buffer and the 3M final glaze to put on a high gloss glaze coat.
make sure you cover the carpeting in the boat with a tarp or plastic to keep all the used compounding material off the rugs.
By this time if their was not any actual gelcoat damage the clearcoat should look almost new again.
The final step is putting on a good coat of high carnuba paste wax....then keep the boat clean by wiping it down as soon as it comes out of the water with one of the spray wipes like Bass Boat Saver..
Basscat7
Do you need the same for a solid white top cap?
Where is the best place to find a high speed buffer and the 3m pads?
Thanks for the detailed instructions
Depending on how oxidized it is, you might try YachtBrite BuffMagic--- it's a non-abrasive chemical deoxidizer in a soft creme paste form, safe and made for this application. Buy it at BoatersWorld.com or some SeaRay marine dealers. Worked great for my blk/silver boat, no sanding, just elbow grease. Follow up with their polish and then BassBoatSaver for maintenance.
I'd wet sand, it's the only way to get the pits out as I tried a similar product and it looked good but the pits took away. I since wet sanded starting w/ 600, 800, 1500, 2000 and then followed up with the same stuff and it looks amazing.
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