Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

[Captquin]

Hey guys, I'm doing a light restore on an '85 Ranger bass boat. I've read that the color can be brought back to life by wet sanding the gelcoat then compounding, polishing, and waxing. I started on it today and I'm a little disappointed. The surface is smoother, but there's not really any more color than before. I want to make sure I'm doing it right. Here's what I've done thus far:

1. Washed the boat
2. Wet sanded a small area with an "extra fine" sponge-type sanding pad
3. Wet sanded same area with 1000 grit sandpaper
4. Applied Meguiars Ultimate Compound with an orbital buffer (foam) - wiped clean by hand
5. Applied Meguiars Ultimate Polish with orbital buffer (wool) - wiped clean by hand
6. Applied 100% carnuba wax by hand - removed with orbital buffer (terry)

So after all that the area is smoother, but that's about it. When I wet sanded I saw grayish stuff coming off that I assume is the gelcoat. Do I need to go more coarse, or is the sandpaper just to knock down the heavy stuff? I read more and realized that most people say to use a rotary buffer. I'll get one of these tomorrow. Can I expect better results? Do I need to do anything else different?

The boat is red with a silver flake. The initial sanding looked like it was just going to highlight the flake. I want to get back to the original deep red. Tied to upload a photo, but cant. Check the link below.

Ranger Gelcoat

Thanks!!!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Red can fade to the point of no return, so there's no guaranty it will look good again.

A better buffer will make the job much easier, but if the red is dead, it won’t help.

Try doing a small area and remove more of the faded red gel coat, don’t do much on the clear covering the metal flake though, if you sand into the flake layer it can start looking weird.

 

[Captquin]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Thanks. I saw in another post where I should be getting color on the sandpaper. That isn't happening. I have a 5" random orbital sander. I don't recall seeing anything finer than 220 for it, but if I can find 400 or so, should I give that a whirl or stick with hand sanding? Should I forget more sanding and just get the rotary buffer and go over the spot I've sanded and see what it does first?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

I hate to say it but I doubt this is gonna work out for ya.... I think the metal flake is in a layer of clear and the faded red is below it......

Try aggressively sanding (dry 150 grit) in a non faded area that will be covered like where you removed the vent in the pic.... keep at it till you get red dust.... my bet is that the flake will be gone by then.

 

[oops!]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

2 words......

paint it.

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Captquin...

I went through this last year..I too have an older red boat with metal flake, while mines not as faded, there is some slight differences between what's been in the sun and what's hidden. I don't have any great photos, the few pointers I noted were to 1) keep the buffer moving otherwise the gel will gum up 2)If you hit the metal flake you're done as you have little pieces of it "poking" thru the surface. I have one area on starboard deck above the transom that the flake could be felt, I stopped wet sanding/buffing and just threw some wax on and called it good. I polished the whole deck and sides, I used 600, 1000, 1500 by hand with a block, then used 3M rubbing compound, I used a Maguires wax...I did notice that after a few weekends of use there were water stains appearing along the waterline where it sits in the water...I'm going to try a better marine wax this year after using the aqua-buff product.

Others have tried a product called aqua-buff, which I've read works very well at helping bring the shine/color back...I guess the trick is to keep a mister (old windex bottle and pump type) and keep it wet while using the buffer. I have not tried it yet....but soon.

HERE'S WHAT AQUA-BUFF RECOMMENDS FOR THEIR PRODUCT

Machine Buffing Tips for using Aqua-Buff compound polishes

Buffing your boat is usually considered a job most people dislike. However, it can be fun and rewarding when you know that you can restore a showroom shine to your boat. Please follow all the steps listed below since it will make it easier and your reward will be a beautiful boat with a showroom shine. Have fun and enjoy your boat.

1. The first thing to find out is if you need to polish the boat or if the hull only needs to be waxed. The easiest way to do this is to take a wet sponge and wipe the hull and see if there is a white residue on the sponge. If the hull is a color and no residue appears on the sponge, the gel coat is faded and a color restorer will be needed. If you have severe oxidation (lots of residue) you should use Aqua-Buff 1000W, a fast cutting compound or if only a slight residue you can use Aqua-Buff 2000 a polishing compound. www.aquabuff.com

2. Wash the area to be buffed thoroughly. To remove black marks, waterline stains, rust and any other marks, usually something stronger than a buffing paste should be used. It is important to remove these stains at this time because any stain or dirt will be buffed into the gel coat. Any boat soap can be used as long as it is non-streaking and leaves no residue after cleaning. Dishwashing soap is excellent and is also economical.

3. Our compounds can be applied with an application pad, brush or cloth. The pad should be damp so that the compound can be spread evenly on the area to be buffed. Do not over apply. Apply to only several square feet at one time.

4. Mist area lightly with water.

5. Immediately buff the area with a clean buffing pad on a rotary buffing machine with at least 2500 rpm. Unfortunately an orbital polisher will not give the best results. The compounds should be buffed when moist. If the compound has dried, it should be misted with water and then buffed with a damp buffing pad. If your not sure if the compound is damp enough, it is best to mist more than to buff the compound dry. When using the buffer, tilt the buffer slightly, while moving the buffer in a circular pattern and applying moderate pressure on the surface.

6. We recommend that a 100% wool pad be used with the Aqua-Buff 1000W. When using Aqua-Buff 2000 a 100% lamb‚s wool pad or a combination of lambs wool and synthetic fiber should be used. Wipe down the area that has been buffed with a soft cloth to remove any remaining compound. The area is now ready to be waxed for added protection.

7. You can now begin waxing to protect that showroom shine you have been able to achieve with our compounds. We recommend a good 100% carnauba wax or a wax that contains no additional cleaners. The carnauba wax will give a long lasting shine to protect against acid rain, sun, salt spray and other environmental acids.

8. It‚s now time to step back, see the fruits of your labor, and be proud of your boat with that new showroom shine finish. Congratulations on a job well done!

HERE'S A PIC OF THE GUNWALE

AND BOW DECK AREA

 

[Bondo]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

2 words......

paint it.

Ayuh,... No doubt, Quicker, 'n Easier.....

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

The link to the photo didn't show up on my phone.

There is nothing you can do to save that, it looks as though the flake had been red and has now been bleached out by the sun, the same can happen to gel coat.

Sanding more on it will only make it look worse.

 

[Captquin]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Well that's pretty discouraging, but I'm certainly glad I asked. I'm near Harbor Freight so I'll pick up a rotary since I already have the compound and try a spot on the trailer or something. Painting isnt a good option for me. I bought the boat to sell and was hoping to do this with blood and sweat. Restoring the color was just going to add value and be a learning experience. Don't think I'd get my money out of having it painted. Thankfully I bought it cheap.

Thanks again guys.

 

[oops!]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Red can fade to the point of no return, so there's no guaranty it will look good again.

A better buffer will make the job much easier, but if the red is dead, it won’t help.

Try doing a small area and remove more of the faded red gel coat, don’t do much on the clear covering the metal flake though, if you sand into the flake layer it can start looking weird.

its not the clear that is oxidized, its the red that has totally faded.....it has almost gone white.

 

[oops!]

Re: Wet Sanding Gelcoat - Making sure I'm doing it right

Red can fade to the point of no return, so there's no guaranty it will look good again.

A better buffer will make the job much easier, but if the red is dead, it won?t help.

Try doing a small area and remove more of the faded red gel coat, don?t do much on the clear covering the metal flake though, if you sand into the flake layer it can start looking weird.

its not the clear that is oxidized, its the red that has totally faded.....it has almost gone white.