Premium Detailed 1996 Cobalt 22ft boat!

Garry Dean

Garry Dean Quality!
Some of you may remember this boat from the meet I hosted at my shop a few weeks ago. I got started on this boat and then it started raining cats and dogs for several days so I got behind. I had this boat for 10 days. Over the 10 days I put 20 hours into this detail. This was the worst boat I have done in a while.



I received a call from a gentleman from Jacksonville, FL (3 hours north of me) who saw some of my work and posts on Autopia.org. He told me that he was impressed by my work. He also said that for the life of him he couldn’t find a detailer on my level in his area (what an ego stroke, lol). He told me that the boat was bought new by his brother in 1996 who then moved to Georgia and let it sit. He recently purchased the boat from his brother and decided to restore it. In the month before driving the boat down to my shop to drop it off he had the 7.4L big block 454 rebuilt and all new interior installed. As you will see in the pictures this boat was severely oxidized. The boat was actually red, white gel coat over a red gel coat base coat. This detail was supposed to only take 3 days, but it turned into 10 because of the rain.



The process:



* Washed boat with Dawn.

* Clay bar with Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay.

* Wet sanded entire boat with Meguiars 1000, 2000, and 3000 Unigrit sand paper.

* All compounding was done with Makita 9227C rotary and LC backing plates.

* Compounded all red gel coat with Four Star Medium Cut Compound (OEM Line) and Four Star 7.5” Aggressor and Avenger wool pads.

* Meguiars M105 and 4” LC Purple Foamed Wool on all white gel coat areas.

* Meguiars Last Touch detail spray was used to help remove the polish residue.



NOTE: I tried about 5 different polishes to do the finishing work, but I settled on Meguiars Ultimate Compound, believe it or not, because it finished the best while giving a little more much needed cut.



* Finish polishing was done with a Meguiars G110 and 4” and 5.5” LC Orange CCS pads.

* The gel coat was sealed with the first coat of Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection.

* The boat was left for 24 hours so that the FS UPP could cure properly before a second coat.

* Final wash was done with Optimum Car Wash soap (this stuff smells amazing and works very well).

* Dried with The Absorber.

* Second coat of FS UPP.

* Finished with Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax.



Now for some pictures! Here are the befores!



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You can see my test/teaser spot I did when the owner dropped it off.



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I didn’t do much to the interior as it was brand new, but here is a pic from the bow.



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So now the fun begins!



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Taped up for a 50/50



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Compound applied



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After compounding



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Some during shots



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50/50 shots!



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Super thick and gross as the rain drops begin to fall.



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Removal of steps



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It took 3 compounding trys to get the transom back to clarity



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RAIN!!!!



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After some pouring rain!



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Can you see a difference yet?



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Another 50/50



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More progress



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Yup, more rain, lol



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I finish polished with Meguiars Ultimate Compound and orange LC CCS pads



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Trying to get some work done between the rain



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Finially, some clarity!
 
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This out drive area was extremely tough area to make look like this



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Final wash before the client showed up.



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Are you ready for some afters?



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Interior all cleaned up



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A shot of the interior from the stern



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This got polished too



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And a happy client picking the boat up for the 3 hour drive back to Jacksonville



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Thanks for looking!!
 
WOW! You did a great job turning that oxidation around. Did you wet sand by hand or do you use an air tool? How much did you charge for something like this if you don't mind me asking? I see so many faded boats up here with the great lakes, but never had the balls to wet sand an entire boat and rub it out again...too much work! It looks awesome though, hope the customer was happy.
 
Great job Garry! Amazing turnaround. Nice to see the after pics, since it was in 'before' shape the last time I saw it.
 
Krees D Qban said:
Wow great job! Did you follow the ultimate compound up with any other less aggressive polish?



No I did not follow it with anything else. I tried several different less aggressive polishes and I could not tell any difference in clarity. This is usually the case with gel coat.







Thanks for the compliments!
 
WOW thats a HHUUUUGGGGEEEE turn around. Color and clarity really came back nicely and i hope the owner was excited to see the turn-around!
 
Premium said:
No I did not follow it with anything else. I tried several different less aggressive polishes and I could not tell any difference in clarity. This is usually the case with gel coat.







Thanks for the compliments!





Sounds good considering Ultimate Compound isnt too expensive. Im gunna have to try it on my boat soon...
 
Krees D Qban said:
Sounds good considering Ultimate Compound isnt too expensive. Im gunna have to try it on my boat soon...



I really like UC for light to medium oxidation on gel coat. It really works well and finishes nicely. I just finished another boat I will be posting a write up about soon and UC is all I used.
 
I wanted to take a minute and compliment Garry on this restoration. I’m the boat owner. I can’t tell you how many of my fellow boat owners thought I was completely nuts for driving across the state to get this done. Everyone told me this couldn’t come back. Everyone I talked to thought the oxidation was too bad and the boat would need to be repainted.



They all under estimated Garry’s ability and determination. He really took this as a personal challenge – the man is an absolute genius. He lives for this stuff and his passion shows. The “before” pictures don’t really demonstrate how bad this boat was. The top red stripe was almost completely gone.



It’s been about a month and honestly the boat looks like the day I picked it up from Garry. I have this instant smile every time I look at it. :grinno: Even the hard core skeptics that thought I was nuts are asking me for Garry’s number after seeing the boat. In a world where anybody can pick up a rotary and claim they are a detailer, it’s impressive to find a guy like Garry that is an absolute pro. He was completely honest and helpful from the beginning. He answered all of my questions and spent all the time necessary to make me feel comfortable with the process.



Restoring this boat has been very expensive. The money spent with Garry was the best investment I made. If anybody needs this type of work done – trust me – don’t waste time paying amateurs and getting poor results. Get the best and have Garry take care of it.



Garry – Thanks again. I will be happily driving across the state the next time I need any of my cars or boats done.



:thx
 
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