How can I save the original finish

[sinker6]

Hi all
I am starting a restoration of a starcraft American 160
The boat is red on the lower half, black at the mid section and white above and on the deck.
It is all faded and the deck has hair line cracks from a hit of some sort, probably from some one jumping on the boat from a dock, the lower hull has a few deep scratches from ramping the boat onto the trailer, and a couple of bullet holes that happened while it was in storage, thankfully above the waterline. At least they missed the windshield.
Would all three colors be gel coat, or are some parts painted? I don't want to start sanding and ruining it all.
It also has the original Starcraft American logo with a red, white and blue stripe.
I want to maintain the original colors and emblems and bring them back to their original luster.
Any thoughts or recommendations would help.
John

 

[mthieme]

Re: How can I save the original finish

Welcome aboard.
The fading can easily be cured with wet sanding using 320 and a clear coat.
Wet the boat and that's what the finished product will look like.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: How can I save the original finish

Hi John,
Both of mine are two-tone gelcoat hulls with a black vinyl applied between the colors to give a third color.
Mine were pretty faded when I got them. I spent a long weekend with 320 grit wet sanding the sides, followed by rubbing compound, followed by wax. The gelcoat is relatively thin, so you don't want to sand it too much. Just enough to get the color to pop. I filled a few small holes in my deck with white Marine Tex. I also filled in some of the black areas on my big side decal with black paint. It easily passes the 6-ft. test. I did this on both of mine and I think they look pretty good. They're not show boats and they spend about 7 months of the year in the water.
If I were making them "perfect" i'd sand a bit more agressively, fill all the nicks and dings and take the boat to a body shop to have them shoot it with a 2-part epoxy paint. All depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it...

- Scott