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Started By
Message
restoring old fiberglass boat
Posted on 6/30/14 at 9:12 pm
Posted on 6/30/14 at 9:12 pm
so my neighbor gave me an old boat a couple of years ago and I spent a little bit of time getting it running and fixing the many things that you would imagine would be wrong with a boat that was parked for 15 years. The good news is after spending very little I have it running very very good. Now I want to make it look a little better.
The fiberglass on the sides is no longer shiny. Is there anything I can do to bring the shine back? I have a dual action polisher and know how to use it, but am not sure if its possible to bring back the shine on an old boat like this one.
Also, the finish on the inside of the boat is sun bleached and stained from sitting up. Ive thought about perhaps spraying truck bed liner on the inside. would that be better than painting? I gues the only downside would be the added weight.
Its a pretty similar model to this one. Supposed to be a good hull, and the 115 evinrude runs damn good.
The fiberglass on the sides is no longer shiny. Is there anything I can do to bring the shine back? I have a dual action polisher and know how to use it, but am not sure if its possible to bring back the shine on an old boat like this one.
Also, the finish on the inside of the boat is sun bleached and stained from sitting up. Ive thought about perhaps spraying truck bed liner on the inside. would that be better than painting? I gues the only downside would be the added weight.
Its a pretty similar model to this one. Supposed to be a good hull, and the 115 evinrude runs damn good.
7
Posted on 6/30/14 at 9:17 pm to diat150
Wet sand.
The fiberglass is oxidized, you need to remove the oxidization layer and it will look brand new. It is very labor intensive and time consuming. Exactly how bad is determined by the level of oxidization.
id start with 800 grit and see if that did the trick, if not step up to 600. Then work your way back down to at least 1000, more if you realy want it shiny. Then rubbing compound, polish and wax.
The fiberglass is oxidized, you need to remove the oxidization layer and it will look brand new. It is very labor intensive and time consuming. Exactly how bad is determined by the level of oxidization.
id start with 800 grit and see if that did the trick, if not step up to 600. Then work your way back down to at least 1000, more if you realy want it shiny. Then rubbing compound, polish and wax.
Posted on 6/30/14 at 10:17 pm to diat150
^^^ what he said, plus Advil for them shoulders. 
seriously I wet sanded a 23' bay boat and it wasn't too bad, looked great afterwards.
seriously I wet sanded a 23' bay boat and it wasn't too bad, looked great afterwards. Posted on 6/30/14 at 10:20 pm to LSUEnvy
Rub some baby oil on it. The shine will last about 1 trip.
Posted on 6/30/14 at 10:28 pm to diat150
Go to west marine and buy this. Apply with an automotive buffer. This stuff works wonders. It will eat any oxidation and bring back the shine
Posted on 7/1/14 at 7:57 am to diat150
Do not sand. That's just removing what gel coat you have left and that's the shiny part.
Zep Wet Look floor finish from Home Depot. Strip the wax. Clean it up with a little alcohol on a rag. Wipe this stuff on. Never have to wax it again. Been doing this for a long time with our old sailboats and it's amazingly durable and looks great. And once it finally wears off, you just wash it and wipe some more on it. No buffing.
LINK
Costs $25 for what is essentially a lifetime supply. It's sold to RV and Boat restoring doit yourselfers as Poli Glow. There's videos about it.
Zep Wet Look floor finish from Home Depot. Strip the wax. Clean it up with a little alcohol on a rag. Wipe this stuff on. Never have to wax it again. Been doing this for a long time with our old sailboats and it's amazingly durable and looks great. And once it finally wears off, you just wash it and wipe some more on it. No buffing.
LINK
Costs $25 for what is essentially a lifetime supply. It's sold to RV and Boat restoring doit yourselfers as Poli Glow. There's videos about it.
Posted on 7/1/14 at 8:14 am to HeadBusta4LSU
quote:
Go to west marine and buy this. Apply with an automotive buffer.
This would be my suggestion...and the Tylenol, cause yeah, those shoulders are going to be worn out.
Posted on 7/1/14 at 8:16 am to diat150
Posted on 7/1/14 at 8:28 am to Captain Rumbeard
quote:
Do not sand. That's just removing what gel coat you have left and that's the shiny part.
Not true. the top layer of oxidized gel is not shiny. Gel is not thin like paint, you have plenty of room to sand to get down to the "good" gel.
Posted on 7/1/14 at 8:33 am to diat150
Here is what most boat detail shops around Baton Rouge use:
Get a high speed buffer, not a dual action. Dual action doesn't have enough speed and torque.
1.5" thick wool pad + heavy rubbing compound, and you should get a decent shine.
Most boat detailers swear by 3M Super Duty Compound.
Gelcoat is a harder surface than automotive paints, so it is difficult to damage with a buffer.
Wet sanding by hand is a lot of work. If the finish is that oxidized, you might need it. Do not sand with anything rougher than 800 grit.
I always do my wet sanding with a DA sander and 1200 grit or finer. 800 grit on a DA is too aggressive. Sanding time is easily cut in half.
Get a high speed buffer, not a dual action. Dual action doesn't have enough speed and torque.
1.5" thick wool pad + heavy rubbing compound, and you should get a decent shine.
Most boat detailers swear by 3M Super Duty Compound.
Gelcoat is a harder surface than automotive paints, so it is difficult to damage with a buffer.
Wet sanding by hand is a lot of work. If the finish is that oxidized, you might need it. Do not sand with anything rougher than 800 grit.
I always do my wet sanding with a DA sander and 1200 grit or finer. 800 grit on a DA is too aggressive. Sanding time is easily cut in half.
This post was edited on 7/1/14 at 8:38 am
Posted on 7/1/14 at 8:41 am to Shexter
what about restoring an old boat that has spider cracks in the fiber glass?
Posted on 7/1/14 at 9:33 am to mack the knife
quote:
what about restoring an old boat that has spider cracks in the fiber glass?
Treat it just like a paint job on a car.
Sand with 180 grit, skim coat any rough spots with spot putty, prime with a filler primer, and topcoat with a single-stage urethane automotive paint. It will hold up great.
If the cracks are really bad, use a fiberglass body filler:
Posted on 7/1/14 at 9:44 am to diat150
A few years ago we used a product called New Glass 2 on a bay boat that spent the majority of it's life outside. It's a multi-step process that involved a chemical stripper then hand applying several coats of some other chemical. Once done the boat shined better than it did with any previous wax job we had done. It's a bit labor intensive but I recommend it. Looked great once done.
LINK
LINK
Posted on 7/1/14 at 9:51 am to Shexter
Do what shexter said. That 3m stuff is the shite
Posted on 7/1/14 at 10:26 am to HeadBusta4LSU
quote:
Do not sand. That's just removing what gel coat you have left and that's the shiny part.
I disagree. Gel coat has many layers and can be worked a lot better than car paint. I recently bought a used skeeter that was so oxidized it was pink in some areas. I wet sanded with 2000 grit(my first time ever wet sanding) and then buffed with the 3m restore and wax. Now looks brand new
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