Possible restore on a 96 201 Pro XL

[ChrisWelch]

Purchased this Stratos last year, gell coats dull on top cap and was considering changing the color of the whole boat instead of just having the cap redone any tips or estimates on what this would cost would be appreciated, also boats on a galvanized trailor doesn't look bad but was wondering about painting it or maybe adding stainless fenders just to make it look a little better. Any tips or suggestions will also be greatly appreciated, will try to post some pics later to let y'all see what were talking about.

[bassdad]

Unless the top cap is badly scratched/damaged, save yourself $$$ and re-finish it. There's plenty of info on how to do it - check Basscat7 and Totalbeverage for their posts. There's a good post at the top of this page. The only reason I painted mine was because of the hole in the side and the trashed console. I would have loved to have kept the gel coat....Estimate was $4-5K for the paint job alone.....Get yourself the right tools for the job, do some good arm strengthening exercises and go for it....you'll save thousands of dollars! For the trailer, if you paint it, you can use Rustoleum [comes in a variety of colors]. Be sure to use a galvanised paint primer! You probably don't need to take the boat off the trailer.....but it sure helps if you can. Here's a pic of my previously trashed, green Ranger / rusty trailer [yesterday - it's snowing today, so I can't finish the carpet]:

[ChrisWelch]

Thanks for the info I wouldn't mind doing the top myself but I don't have a shop big enough to do it I know a guy with a body shop who did his ranger and he said he would do it for 400 (just the top cap) does that sound reasonable?

[bassdad]

Chris: I'm not sure what you'll get for $400 - 1 gal paint + 1gal primer is $200......Most of what I did was outside when possible. If you go through the process of wet sand 1000grit up to 1500/2000 and then follow up with compound and polish, it will work well + if you're sanding/polishing, weather is no big deal. Got any pics of the Strat?

<u>Basscat7's technique:</u>

1. Is the clear on the boats with flake actualy Clear Jelcoat from factory??

If it is oxidized try wet sanding/buffing.....

Most boats can be brought back to look new by doing the wet sanding/compounding/glazing/waxing at home for the costs of the products and a high speed sander 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.


Harbor Freight has an inexpensive 3,000 rpm model.

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...etype=

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 Carnauba 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 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 carnauba 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..

Pro-Tec makes an excellent polymer sealer for the gelcoat, bonds to the glass and seals the pores to help prevent oxidation.

http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html

It seems like a lot of work, but in actual fact the cost saving is high. The only thing I would add is to first wash the boat as above then wipe the boat down using acetone in a spritz bottle - squirt and remove - use a clean cotton/linen cloth, turn after each wipe, and go in one direction. This will remove the wax coating left by the mold at the factory during production.

Is your guy at the body shop gonna shoot gel coat? Or is he gonna clear coat it? I'd be really wary of what is on offer. I was quoted $5500 for prep all the way to finish or $2000 if I did all the prep and the follow up compounding, polishing etc.
No way.....boat was $0 and trailer was $500 - not gonna spend that much

Dave

[ChrisWelch]

Thanks Dave you've been a big help, I'll try to get some pics up soon. Sounds like a winter time job between hunting trips, Don't wanna miss any fishing time lol. Also wondering if the sun will be a factor during this process?

[bassdad]

Chris: hot, direct sun can be a real pain - will dry compound, wax and paste. Best to do it on a cloudy day with temp 55 - 80ish and humidity &lt;80. We call that summer up here an' it don't last long lol. Depending on how dull the gel-coat is, could take a weekend - 5 days for the boat. Trailer prep and paint +/- a day. Dave

[ChrisWelch]

Probably wait until winter then they are for the most part mild,i can make a morning hunt then work on the boat after it warms a little maybe I can do it in a couple of weekends, summers here are 90 plus with high humidity its already been in the 80s the past few weeks. Thanks again for all the info.

[bassdad]

You're more than welcome. Post pics in the meantime, or maybe wait til you start the project. There are some real good folks on here who can help and encourage - but they feed on pics!!! Good luck and good hunting....