redoing top cap

[ehill]

The top cap on my boat has a little oxidation forming. I can buff it good and polish it and it will look good for a week or so and then it starts coming back. It all feels smooth except for the pin where the is a lot of metal flake. can I get by with just wet sanding and polishing real good and waxing a few times or do i need to see about getting it re gelcoated? the rest of the boat is in good shape. I bought the boat used and it was not taken very good care of as far as kept covered or garaged and I am slowly restoring. Carpet is next but if it is in need of gel then i am going to get it done before put new carpet in.

[BASSCAT7]

A re gel is going to cost a few $$$ to have done right.

Sounds like you are just not getting all the oxidation off with the buffing. Try the wetsand/buffing to remove all the oxidation. If it is all not removed it will keep showing after your wax layer wears down.
When wetsanding use a bucket of water to keep the paper clean. You should see the water turning a milky color from the oxidation coming off the gel, sand until the water is fairly clear.
There are instructions pinned at the top of the page here.

[ehill]

I am scared that I am already close to the metal flake the pins have a heavy metal flake in them and they have a rough feel to the touch. should I worry about wet sanding?

[ehill]

Should I worry about wet sanding?

[Ranger 85]

Just my 2 cents but I was concerned about wet sanding my top cap and kept reading on this site how eveyone did it. Finally got up the courage to put the paper to my boat and WOW what a differance a day makes. My 350V is 24 years old and now it looks <U></U>almost new. If your concerned just try a small area and see how it comes out before hitting the whole thing I think you will really be surprised at how it comes out. The guys on this site really give some good advise most of the time and this is one of them. Good Luck

[ehill]

Thanks for the info Ranger 85

[DW Lee]

Hat what grit sand paper? Is it 2000?

[BASSCAT7]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DW Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hat what grit sand paper? Is it 2000?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Depends on how bad the oxidation is. Anywhere from 800 to 1600.

http://www.bbcboards.net/zerothread/311487

[t_nipper_74]

If your boat is rough to the touch the DO NOT touch it with sand paper... or a buffer for that matter. The gel coat is worn off and what you are feeling is the metal flake. If you sand or buff it the color will wear off the flake quickly and turn silver.

Your only option really is to have it re-gelcoated, or possibly have some automotive clear shot over the metal flake. I have never done this, but in principal the automotive clear is fine for the top cap on a boat and it will give you the wet looking shine you want.

[t_nipper_74]

Just saw where you said it all feels smooth to the touch except the pin???? What are you referring to as the pin?

[BASSCAT7]

Test sand a spot . A lot of times what you are feeling is the oxidation, not the actual flakes.
Shooting auto clear on top of gelcoat is only an option if you are going to do a lot of prep work to the gel to accept the auto clear.
Most auto clear will start to yellow and peel after a year or two in the sun when sprayed on top of gel that has not been thouroughly prepped for it.

[t_nipper_74]

Well what exactly do you have to do then to prep the gel coat for a coat of clear?

[ehill]

The silver pinstripe on my boat has alot of metalflake in it and it is rough but as I have inspected the boat more ther are spots that are just as rough. I think it is just the oxidation making it feel rough so I am gonna give the wet sanding a try on a small area of my boat.