Uneven gelcoat surface...

[chrisf695]

So... I though I would remove one of my decals that was not one of the original decals and replace it with AN actual stock decal when the boat was new. After removing it I thought that compounding the surface would even it out... it didnt. It does shine great and the color matching/fade is perfect, but the surface as you can see in the picture is very uneven. You guys have any suggestions on how to go about this?

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

short of sanding it down, I am not sure there is anything else to do.

Maybe someone with more gelcoat experience will have a idea.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

I was kinda thinking wet sanding... but where do you start? 600 or 800? Do you do circular motor or side to side??

 

[lkbum]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

Is the area where the decal was higher or lower than the surrounding material. I would think it would be best to "level" the area first with some type of filler, feathering the material to a good ways from the uneven spot and then sanding so you don't end up with a shallow valley post sanding. You would sand away all the filler. This would allow a tapered transition.

 

[Wind dog]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

Don't look at it that close?

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

you need to sand it down, do not use a mechanical sander though as it will likely take more then you want, if you look up Frisco Boater on youtube he has a video specifically on repairing gelcoat scratches, I know thats not what you have but you will see very clearly the sanding process.

never mind I got the video for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw299grztPo

 

[dlngr]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

Looks like an idiot sanding! Use 1500 wet or dry,on a SANDING BLOCK to solve the problem of the uneven clear coat. Hand sanding like on the video will just screw things up. If you don't use a sanding block,leave it alone!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

well done dingr, class act.


Sometimes its better to just keep your mouth shut

 

[sktn77a]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

Use 1500 wet or dry,on a SANDING BLOCK to solve the problem of the uneven clear coat. Hand sanding like on the video will just screw things up. If you don't use a sanding block,leave it alone!

I agree with using a sanding block vs bare sandpaper and your fingers. Aside from that, the guy's job didn't look bad at all.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Uneven gelcoat surface...

Well just got finished tonight with the wet sanding and I think it came out great. The sanding block was a must in this project and to be honest it came out so good im going to wet sand some other areas where the hard to reach areas are for the buffer/compound could not get to. It was a kinda a trial and error and it took a total of 6-7 hours but was well worth it. Thanks for all the suggestions and pointers on this. Love learning new things like this and will now perfect the rest of my boat.