Low down on fiber glass??

B

BlueLibby04

New member
Going to try and do a little work on some fiber glass on part of our boat. The fiber glass is oxidized pretty bad so idk just what to expect. Only thing I have thus far is a rotary. I didnt go all out since Im new to fiber glass and Ill probably end up dropping it in the lake, so I got Harbor Freight rotary.



Big question is, what do I need to get this done? Ill be going to the boat tomorrow so Ill get some better pics but Im sure its fairly dirty being the middle of winter and all, so it will look worse than it really is. Should I get wool pads? Foam cutting pads/polishing pads to finish? What products do I need? Will Meguiars #67 be enough? When the fiber glass is clean and I rub my hand over it, my hand is white. Not sure if that means its bad enough to wet sand first or what. I would say that it would fill a pad up fairly quick.



I would like to stay with Meguiars since I already know all of their products and numbers. Some people hop in here and say I need this and that but Ive never heard of it and have no idea where to get it or how much it costs. Kinda on a limited budget, didnt look at spending much over $75 on pads and products.



I also posted this on MOL but Im looking for more info on products and pads.



Thanks for any help! Give me all you have! If you recommend another brand of product let me know what it can do, where to get it, and how much $$. :2thumbs:



Im not really worried with screwing this up, its can only look better. :)



Its all the fiber glass around the seats, helm, pretty much the entire fly bridge.



DSCF1798.jpg
 
I've only done one boat. It was a 21' ski boat about 25 years old. Heavily oxidized.



I started with Meguiars Medium Cut and a yellow cutting pad.



Then Meg's Machine Glaze with orange pad...



Finished with Zaino AIO with red finishing pad...



The results were not spectacular. I believe Gelcoat is a different animal than the base-clear that I've been accustomed to.



Plus there was so much sun and water damage, it really needed to be stripped and repainted.



For what I had to start with, I turned out pretty well.



I was a little afraid to get too aggressive for fear of going through the Gelcoat to the fiberglas.



From 20' away, it looked fantastic. (sorry no pics)...:grinno:
 
IME you will need to wet sand all the old "chalky" off, this is faster than trying to use a heavy compound. I would do a 1500, 2000 cut. You can then follow it with Megs 105 and it will be pretty good for white. If it was a color I would follow it with a polish. You have a ton of work ahead of you, so plan accordingly. If you don't want to sand you can try 3M heavy cut. I have never found Megs Marine stuff to do good job on a heavy oxidation job, its good for a quick mid season spruce up. Yes you will need to use wool for the compounding.



If the deck is non slip you need a different approach so it will stay non slip.



Cheers,

GREG
 
Megs makes MARINE specific Compounds Polishes and waxes.....PLEASE buy some and use them....auto compounds are not designed for gelcoats that are faded...once the shine is back you could give them a try but they rarely do a good job....Marine specific compounds and polishes contain Oils that feed the Gelcoat as they cut and allow ample working time on gel...



what you need i will list below.....



Megs marine #49 compound-this will cut through most oxidation on a white boat and if there is wetsanding needed it will cut through 1500 nicely...

polish the boat with the #49 using plenty of compound in a small area at a time...work it wet with a wool pad ( i like 3M Sperbuff pads with dual sides) for a while then as it drys polish it clean.....#49 is a diminishing abrasive so it needs to be worked properly....this compound likes to be spread at about 1500 then bumped up to 22-2300 if you and your polisher can handle it...



after all is done with the #49 if you need or desire you can step down to #44 which is similar to #49 but Much less abrasive....again work wet in a small area with a 3M wool Polish pad (Yellow) at the same RPM....



next you can go with Megs #45 Polish....this can be applied by Macine with a 3M Yellow wool polish pad or by hand....i like to run this by machine at about 11-1500 RPM keeping the polisher as flat as possible.....



from there Meg #50 Cleaner wax....i like 2 coats applied by hand and allowed to fully cure...if its doesnt fully cure it works like crap....from there you need to keep after it on a regular basis to keep it shining.....



dont worry about burning through the Gelcoat on a boat...most boats have gelcoat thats anywhere from 1/16th the 1/8th of an inch thick and gelcoat is a hell of alot more durable than clearcoat....



Foam pads are a no no when compounding gel as they simply do not have enough cut and build up heat waay too fast on gel...you can however polish or apply wax with foam if you like...all personal preference...



any questions feel free to PM me....



here is some of my work.....



21 superboat BEFORE....

DSC_0008.jpg




AFTER

DSC_0040-1.jpg




DSC_0030-3.jpg




22 progression After

DSC_0259.jpg




DSC_0256.jpg
 
Thanks for the info!



Thanks for clearing all that up ghost28. Ive been reading that compounding polishes for regular CC will work on gel coat so I wasnt sure what to get. Guess Ill be experimenting with wet sanding since its so bad. Ive got plenty of places that I can practice on without being to conspicuous. :xyxthumbs



Ill still grab some pics tomorrow.. :)
 
If you are on a tight buget, get some wet dry sand paper maybee 800 through 2000 and some Meguires #49 oxidation remover (as allready stated) you will be amazed how good it will look. Ofcourse it can be better with more polishing work but it can look very good with just those two steps.
 
Thanks yachtfisher, that will be the plan then. :)



Here are the pics I got from today. Keep in mind its not been cleaned since summer. You can see where I wiped one section off with a towel.



Pics are kinda big so you can see everything.



DSCF2256.jpg




DSCF2257.jpg




DSCF2258.jpg




DSCF2260.jpg




DSCF2261.jpg




DSCF2263.jpg




DSCF2264.jpg




DSCF2265.jpg




DSCF2266.jpg




DSCF2268.jpg




The stripes are just vinyl so I will not be working on those. Most I would do is use a cleaner wax on them with the PC.



DSCF2270.jpg
 
two things.....one the gel looks very Porous...what year is the boat? given the porosity dont expect perfection unless you plan on sanding past it which is very difficult and should be done with care....



the areas that are not flat (non skid, ripply looking)...dont wetsand there...you will not get good results given al the nooks and crannys...just a good wet shot with 49 and then a second shot not as wet and it should come up good....remember unlike paint with gelcoat RPM is your friend and dont be afraid to lay into it a bit....



i agree with fisher that you can get great results with #49 alone just make sure afterwards you put wax on it...as i mentioned the Megs #50 is a great cleaner wax that is easy on and off and very forgiving....try the #50 on those sripes at low speed with a wool polish pad and you will be suprised....



work slow and small areas at a time...keep us up to date with pics of the progress...
 
Ill try my best to keep up-to-date on the pics. Im really planning ahead here so it will probably be spring before I get back out there and really get into it. Trying to keep my mind busy through the winter so I dont go crazy. :soscared:



I had thought about that on the parts that are ripply. Most of it is flat so Ill be able to wet sand the majority of it.



Not looking for perfection, just want to make it look 'better.' Thats the only part of the boat that doesnt look 'good.' I plan on taking all of the plastic shield off so I can wet sand and polish it all. Ill probably go over it with plastx just to see if it will do anything to it.



Its a 1990 Stardust.
 
Hi Libby



There are a million different products out there, but the #49 will take out your sanding scratches, just make sure to rinse well as you go higher in sandpaper grit.

But Like I said if you want perfection it is a 4 or 5 step process, with lots of polishing



The 800 paper will level off the surface and remove some bumps and pits, I would recommend to use a semi rigid EVA Foam sanding block, be carefull on all of the radiused corners not to burn through. Gelcoat will become translucent with a dark shadow under thin spots if you see this DON'T SAND just move on. When you get to the 1500 and 2000 stage fold a 1/2 sheet of paper into 3rd's and have at it by hand.



Any non skid or molded surface just spay damp with a hose then take Soft Scrub With Bleach and scrub the hell out of it with a stiff short bristled deck brush.



By the looks of it I would wash the whole boat with an APC cleaner or just take a couple scoops of Tide washing powder in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water, then rinse down very well and start your work. You probably only need to wet sand the horizontal surfaces and the verticles may just buff up to a high gloss shine



Mark
 
Alright, heres my little list of stuff.



#49-$11(may get two bottles)

Backing plate(8in)-$17.99

2 8" wool pads-$10.95 a piece-$22

Cleaning spur-$6.99



Flexible Sanding Backing Pad-$3

1000 Grit (10 sheets)-$10

1500 Grit (10 sheets)-$10



All of that is megs from ADS..



For the wet sanding, do you all use the normal amount of soap in the water? 1oz per gallon?
 
Libby you can use a little soap if you want



I like a spray bottle to mist the surface while working, then take a garden hose and flush the area clean.



Experiement and don't be too afraid of the wet sanding. gelcoat often times is 30mils thick which is 30 times more than the clear coat on your car. If you don't like the results or think it is too slow you still may want a little more agressive grit of paper.



Go for it and post us some pictures as you go !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top