I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

[weider1717]

Ok guys, the boat is a 1984. has always been garaged and has low hours so what little fading has been done while it's been in use.

Before someone says: compound it, wet sand it, comet it etc...

Ok only the top side is faded and it's minor...it's the white part of the boat it has faded to a slighty off white color like pearl...

I tried a 1 foot or so area with 600 grit wet sand paper then 1000 then 2000 then compound and polish then wax and that area looks great but I DON'T want to sand on the boat really....I'd rather find a harher cutting compound and compound the boat out to get near the same results.

**when I tried it with just compound this is what happened**
I have took my porter cable 7424 orbital buffer I use on my cars and bought some meguaires compound # 49 and tried it and it isn't enough cut.

So my question what compound will work? I've heard of "BUFF MAGIC" "3M SUPER DUTY COMPOUND" etc....and maybe those would cut that slight layer off to reveal the bright geal coat.

I also realize I'm using a orbital buffer but this portal cable is a pretty heavy duty buffer it's about $150 for a new one and spins up on setting 5 and 6 real fast not sure of the exact rpms....but I don't use 6 on my cars paint!

**I just thought a compound is a better deal instead of wet sanded if I can find one that will cut the same as using wet sand 1500-2000 grit** which will yield the same results and slighty less harsh...??

any advice is much appreciated!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

You're on the right track. There is a little difference between gel coat and paint and one being the grit of paper used to sand it, gel coat normally doesn't see any increase in gloss after 1200 and many times no increase after 800 or 1000, so going finer than 1200 rarely helps. This depends on the brand, type and how well it was applied when new.

Compounds for gel coat are different also, the grit tends to be a little harder so it will cut better. The problem is what's availible retail can be limited, or different than what's used commercially and many places don't carry the whole product line offered by a brand, so you don't get the three or four grits of compound the company sells. As you know these compounds should be used together and in order of grit to get the best results, but if only one or two of the grits are stocked then you can't get the best results.

You need to start with the coarsest grit you can find if you don't want to sand it and even then you may need to sand it in a few areas to get past the discolored layer. Gel coat tends to yellow more the thicker it was applied and also on any radius, this is because the radius is normally thicker, plus they stick out and are in direct sunlight for longer periods of time.

 

[salty87]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

it can be hit or miss with compound, some seem to work better on different boats than others. 3m has worked great with mine. i bought a jug of this rubbing compound from here...

http://www.iboats.com/3m_Marine_Sup...19968551--**********.056326582--view_id.39222

get rid of the random orbital. you also need good quality velcro-backed bonnets, not the little tie-on ones with the randoms. harbor freight has a reasonably priced buffer, sounds like you're not doing the whole boat. topsides are the hardest though.

last, are you sure pearl white isn't close to original? not an uncommon boat color.

 

[weider1717]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

Ok I may just give the 3m super duty compound a try, is that bottle above the marine grade of it? as in safe for my boat?

so that stuff is pretty corse? anyone knwo the grit number?

on the link you supplied if has a supty duty reg and a marine version it seems the reg non marine version sounds like it is more corse right? or are they both the same?

you asked about the original color. I dunno man it's hard to think back to 84 but here is a video link I made a couple week ago... you can see what color it is..it is kinda a off white but up close and i mean close you can see slight fading thats why to me it's not worth sanding on my baby I just wanna bring it back without thinning it too bad. But the meguairs #49 compound wasn't enough... * here is the link http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b347/weider1717/?action=view&current=MOV00511.flv

oh and my porter cable 7424 orbital buffer does have a nice velcro backing pad. But if it will help to have a rotary buffer instead I may buy one and try it.

thanks guys I appreciate it!

 

[salty87]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

the topsides are the hardest. either machine is going to have trouble reaching areas, especially with rails up front. nice video btw, sounded sweet and looks great.

that leaves alot of elbow grease. i try to hit areas 2-3 times with the buffer when compounding, more like 5-6 by hand...and that comes with the realization that it won't look great next year without more care. just keep rubbing as long as you're getting crap off.

that 3m bottle doesn't say anything about marine. i've used marine versions before that also worked. i haven't tried other brands since 3m works on my hull.

compound will make the white area more consistent, remove blotches and deepen the color.

this is what i'm working on:

during...i'm also going to use a polish in some areas and wax it

change your pads out often or de-bur, need something clean to wipe the junk off

oh yeah, i don't have pics but i also did my stainless rails. cleaned em up real good. made a mess of my rags.

 

[weider1717]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

the topsides are the hardest. either machine is going to have trouble reaching areas, especially with rails up front. nice video btw, sounded sweet and looks great.

that leaves alot of elbow grease. i try to hit areas 2-3 times with the buffer when compounding, more like 5-6 by hand...and that comes with the realization that it won't look great next year without more care. just keep rubbing as long as you're getting crap off.

that 3m bottle doesn't say anything about marine. i've used marine versions before that also worked. i haven't tried other brands since 3m works on my hull.

compound will make the white area more consistent, remove blotches and deepen the color.

this is what i'm working on:

during...i'm also going to use a polish in some areas and wax it

change your pads out often or de-bur, need something clean to wipe the junk off

oh yeah, i don't have pics but i also did my stainless rails. cleaned em up real good. made a mess of my rags.

All great tips thanks, and your project looks great! nice shine.

as far as that link you pasted..click on it and scoll down you'll see the marine version it has on that link that I mentioned..

which did u use?

 

[wca_tim]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

I like aquabuff 2000 the best because all the binders in it are watrer soluble so after you're done everything washes off well with soap and water. (200 for 2000 grit...) I also have good luck with the 3m superduty rubbing compound above and don't get nearly as good of a result with the 3m marine comounds. Only wetsand if you have too much oxidation to cut with a buffing wheel...

In either case, follow up with machine glaze or best is 3m marine "Finess-it II glaze". Finesse-it ll is expensive(!), but the shine you can get is absolutely outstanding. I use it at 2000 - 2500 rpm per directions with a cheap ca. $40 harbor freight buffer. This is the step that took my current 20 year old, looked like it was covered in light gray chalk, can't see any metalflake at all boat (after wetsanding and compounding) turn from dull to deep clear gelcoat with silver metalflake on black... it literally glistens in the sun from a long way off now when it's cleaned up.

Follow with and keep it up with your favorite wax. I'll leave that "debate" alone, but my current favorite is the new version of 3m's marine wax with teflon.

 

[godspede619]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

Well its about 630 pm here in san diego. Suns goin down and its the best time to wax. Im wrking on my 1987 trophy wth heavy oxidation. Ive had the best luck with 3m fiber glss restore and wax. works great. all by hand.lol.

 

[weider1717]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

thakns guys...ok I'm ready to order my products....now as far as compounds talking about 3m..

go to this link http://www.iboats.com/3m_Marine_Supe...-view_id.39222

both the brown bottle reg super duty and also if you scroll down is also 3m marine suer duty "agressive" compound is on there.

which are all you guys talking about it seems some use one and some the other and maybe it doesn't matter but has anyone used both?

need to know to buy the agressive reg super duty or the marine super duty/restorer which also says it is agressive.

i am also going to buy a rotary buffer to go along with my ncie orbital one.

any more tips??



**I found some old comet and I tried a spot on a wet rag...rubbed it in like compound but it did NOT help the yellowing at all...I'll add a scotch brite pad to it tomorrow when I buy some. *Would comet and a scotch brite pad be considered more or less harsh than say 1000 grit wet sand paper?? I'll go with whichever is least harsh.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

scotchbright, comet not less harsh, make some scratches deeper. if you want to really cut, do a search and order some aquabuff 1000. it contains 1000 grit abrasive. At 3000 rpms with a wool pad it'll cut through a lot. I though it was too agressive and would prefer to sand with a da or even hand sand with 320 or so once it is at that point, either are more controllable in my hands....

imho, don't use the restorer products, they have waxes and oils in them to fill the pores in the oxidized surface gelcoat and basically temporarily hide the srfuace imperfections. If there's enough gelcoat left, I would prefer to use something without waxes so you know when the oxidation is all gone. Then keep a coat of wax on it to reduce further damage from sun and so forth...

 

[weider1717]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

ok so what is more agressive the 1000 grit aqua buff compound or 1000 grit wet sand paper? or are they the same i guess they are?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

What you're dealing with is yellowed gel coat, not oxidation, yellowed gel coat can be rock hard and glossy, so it can be much more difficult to remove. Sanding may be needed to remove it, but try all the compounds you can find first. The one step (one grit) types can work to make a surface look much better, but are a compromise, they need to be course enough to cut, but fine enough to get a fairly good gloss, so they're not great at both. The improvement over an oxidized finish can be dramatic with most of the compounds, even one step products, so most people are very happy with the results and they should be, but if you use the complete system the results will be much better. True coarse compound won't leave a great shine, so I don't think you'll get the results you desire if you want to do a very good job like when you're detailing a car. Go to a local supply house and see what line of products they carry for gel coat, they should have a three or four step system.

 

[salty87]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

if you go 3m, i wouldn't worry about the marine designation. i'm sure someone somewhere knows what the difference is but my somewhat informed guess is that if one works the other would work too. i've used them both with success, i think i bought the non-marine bottle this time because it was bigger...can't recall.

 

[weider1717]

Re: I'm experienced with detailing but need advice with restoring my gel coat to new.

yes, in short yellowing is what i'd call it..i'd agree with that