what should i do?

[cbishop1782]

hello! i just washed my new to me 1970-71 starcraft and she doesnt look that great heh... i thought it was just the dirt but ofcourse with an old boat she has faded quite a bit so now the question. how much do you guys think it would cost to get my 14 foot fiberglass boat to be painted? i know it may be easier and cheaper to paint her myself but i dont think it would turn out very well...

thanks in advance!

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: what should i do?

Post some pics of what you've got.... You might be VERY impressed with what wet sanding and polishing can do for faded gelcoat. And your arms will get a great workout!

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

there we go! she doesnt look bad just a little faded... not bad for 450 dollars tho she runs and floats

 

[sutor623]

Re: what should i do?

Sweet little boat. And remember with something like this, think function not fashion!

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: what should i do?

I'd try either wetsanding/polishing or compounding/polishing before you go to the expense of painting her. Gelcoat is applied fairly thick and once you remove the "outer layer" of oxidation and crap the finish can be great! Trust me, it's a lot of work but doesn't cost too much if you do it by hand. They are a bit pricey, BUT a good polisher will make the job MUCH easier on the arms!
The pics are a bit blurry but the finish really doesn't look all that bad. You could just try a small section and see if you are happy with the results.
Nice looking boat btw! You will surely have to do something about that corner damage.
Also, are those holes all the way across in front of the windshield?

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

thanks! i will be sure to remember that but im not talking now im talking next year tax return time but yeah she will be buzzing around the lake as soon as the water gets warmer and i can afford to get it registered lol

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

yes the holes are all the way across must be from the windshield there are 5 skrews holding the windshield in so im going to have to fix that there are so many drill holes ive put some epoxy putty in most of them... as for the damage on the corner i have no idea what to do about that there are so many huge holes from the many times its been drilled into...

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: what should i do?

Maybe get some close up shots of the damaged corner.
Depending on how bad the damage is will determine your repair method. Holes in your boat are NEVER a good thing!

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

its not really going to make the boat sink haha its just because they tried to get the trim to stick in there and just drilled too many holes it looks worse than it really is i need to find something to fill the holes and to get the trim to stay in place i dont know what to fill it with tho...also what grit sandpaper should i use for wetsanding?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: what should i do?

You can fill the holes with Gelcoat paste and you can fix the damage corner with Poly resin thickened with Cabosil and shredded pieces of chopped strand mat. Build it up then sand to shape. When done you can use the gelcoat to blend it back in to where it will be barely noticeable. You can buy and electric polisher for less than $50 bucks @ Harbor Freight and the polish compound for less than $20 bucks. 4 hours of work with the polisher and she'll shine like a new penney.

 

[sutor623]

Re: what should i do?

there are 5 skrews

Hahahaha!!

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

OK i polished her up with my cousins polisher she is shining pretty good! after that we started up the 70 hp mercury!and let her run for a little while... runs like a champ! im getting very excited for this summer! only sad part is i dont have enough money to register this boat and insure it (not sure if i have to anyway)

 

[rickryder]

Re: what should i do?

Hope you had it in a water barrel or on muffs when you ran it...

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

well yeah i had muffs on it lol motors are damned expensive and i take allll precautions to make sure i dont harm the motor in any way

 

[oops!]

Re: what should i do?

i agree with all the above...

the only reason on paint a gellcoated boat is because you dont like the color.

the gellcoat can be re surfaced and polished.

the water mark stains on the back of the boat can be further washed off with toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?

all the water stains are gone and shes shining pretty now we figured out a name before it was named big bird but me and my cousin decided to make it Mellow Yellow

 

[cbishop1782]

Re: what should i do?






shes ready for summer!

 

[sutor623]

Re: what should i do?

Man, you didn't waste no time at all did ya?

 

[rickryder]

Re: what should i do?

WOW thats the fastest resto I've seen yet Looks good!

 

[sutor623]

Re: what should i do?

WOW thats the fastest resto I've seen yet Looks good!

I know right! Dude won't playin was he?