[OldMagicfloat]

Hey Mitcher,or any other forum member,got me a question.My boat being a 1990,is starting to chalk.Every year I buff it,comes out good,but does not even make it thru half the season before it starts showing up again.Mostly in the black on the sides and on the bow.

My question is would wet sanding it help,or is buffing it with compound the same?If I were to wetsand it,what grit should I use,and how should I seal it? Wax??
any info would be apreciated.

When I get my act together,I will certainly be looking into you painting it.But for now

 

[ducHunter]

I have the same thing with my boat, Black is sure a pain sometimes!

 

[obnoxus]

When I get my act together,

( I.E. ) When I get a job !!!

 

[Mitcher T]

OK..... The problem is the gelcoat is deteriorating and becoming porous. Gelcoat doesn't hardly have any UV protection in it, that's why most boats are done in white (which still fades to a stone white in approximately 2-3 years). The colors fade faster and worse as time goes on. There is no permanent solution, only temporary ones.

First buffing will bring some of the polish back, but as you have discovered, it is only temporary.

Waxing will help alot. The rule of thumb is...you get what you pay for. Buy a high quality wax. Spend upwards of $20 for a bottle, it's well worth the dollar. We really like RACE GLAZE Polish and MEGUIRES MEDALLION Polish.

There are some teflon and silicon type sealers that work well, but they make future painting extremely difficult.

I wish I could wave a wand and make your problem go away, but that's the biggest disadvantage to gelcoat color and gel designs.

Mitcher

 

[Mitcher T]

I should elaborate on your wetsanding question, also.

Gelcoat is very difficult to polish back after wetsanding, so be cautious! I wouldn't use anything less than 2000 grit wet paper, 2500 would be preferred. If you have a waterbug type sander it will help you considerably, usually only pros have them, but if you have a friend that has a bodyshop, he MIGHT let you borrow his for a weekend. You also need a good polisher, one with a reostat or adjustable speed control. Try not to use a K-Mart special, you'll regret it.

We only use foam buffing pads, no wool.

Talk to a reputable auto body supply house about that. They should be able to help you with product.

Good luck, Mitcher

 

[OldMagicfloat]

Thanks Mitcher. I know there is no magic wand,but I want to kep my stuff in the best shape possible.Thanks for the advice.

 

[obnoxus]

Thats not what I wanted to hear !!!

 

[OldMagicfloat]

Well I didn't want to hear my job status .....again

Well folks,I can only ask so much

Sorry Mitcher,I really did want this to be about the question at hand

 

[cuda]

I have an 81 Formula with brown sides. They are very faded. I tried waxing, wetsanding, and everything else. I couldn't get it to look good. One day I was sealing the teak, and I got a little on the sides. When I wiped it off, it left a nice dark shiny surface. So I figured, what the hell, I did all the brown with the teak sealer. It looked 200% better. The sealer I used was in the boat when I bought it, so I didn't know where to buy more. I thought to myself it smells like Thompson Water Seal. So I bought a gallon and did the dark blue on another boat of mine. It looked great. The only thing is it is kind of soft, so when you get against a dock rubrail or something, it will leave a mark. It lasts about a month here in the Florida sun and heat. It takes about ten minutes to do a 20 ft hull, and uses about 8 ounces. I'll just keep doing it until I decide to paint or sell.

 

[Stuchamp]

Cuda, thanks for the suggestion !
I've got an old Checkmate that is badly faded and have tried just about everything on it.
I'll give your idea a try as soon as I'm up and around again. It's stored inside, so maybe the treatment will last longer. I'll let you know how it comes out.

 

[Mitcher T]

I haven't heard that one before, either. The sealer might act like furniture polish. I know that that is an old trick with car dealers and motorcycle guys. Fast, easy, cheap, and readily available in the house.

But again, only a temporary fix, sorry

 

[cuda]

I was talking to another guy that owns an older black Formula at the parts place a while back. I asked him how he was doing keeping it looking good. He said he takes a big jar of vaseline, sits it in the sun, then wipes it on the hull. He said it will last about a month. Haven't tried that yet.

 

[Mitcher T]

vaseline fix

yeah, but don't walk on it. Here's your sign!!!!!!:lick:

 

[Speedwake]

hey guys, the other thing you might want to consider using is Vertglas. I used it on the 222 Stinger last year after wetsanding with 2500 grit last year and it turned out great.

- jeff