Bassboat Rejuvination

[corkvet]

Had my first Bassboat returned from a family member I gave it to 4 years ago. Its a 89 Baylner Fish&Ski. 17.5 ft long, with a Working Minkota and a 85 HP Force on the back. Need to rework the Gel Coat. Any Ideas on what the procedure is to bring back the finish?
Don't really know where to start. Will most likely sell to just get rid of it. Curently have Champion.

[mark poulson]

If you're in SoCal call Donnie Peterson at Anglers Marine Anaheim.

[DanIsaac]

go to www .bassboatcentral.com they have a great boat restoration forum.

Dan

[midnightbite]

Hey Corkvet ... I spent all of last summer restoring a 1991 Astro that I purchased which had been left in the sun for about 3 or 4 years straight and was pretty much bleached white. At the time, I got a lot of advise from message boards and so had returned the favor with the post below which I wrote last year on a different forum.

Apologies for the long windedness ... I went into detail:

Here's what I did (that actually worked for me) from start to finish:

1. Wet Sanding with 1500 grit paper: I used a sanding block that seemed like it was el cheapo b/c it's the one that is a hollow plastic box that separates into two pieces. I would recommend this one for use vs the heavy (expensive) rubber sanding blocks b/c it's light weight and the hollow box will fill up with water while you work to help keep plenty of water on the surface. To me, this was just like washing the boat ... filled a bucket up with soapy water, dipped the sanding block in constantly and worked it over the surface. This was actually the coolest part to me b/c you can see and feel the oxidation melting away. It will start to milk up and then the block will begin to slide smoothly over the surface. That's when you know you're good to go.

2. Wet Sanding with 2000 grit paper: Same process as above. This leaves you with much finer scratches in the gel coat when you're done.

3. Buffing with 3M Rubbing Compound (liquid form): If you are like me and have no experience buffing, I would recommend spending the money on the "Mothers Power Ball." It seems expensive, but it's machine washable/re-usable and you almost can't screw up with it. Hook it to a power drill and go to work. The 3M compound will begin to dry as you work it in and then will start to come off ... I was taking it all the way off with the power ball. Wipe off the excess with a micro fiber towel (btw: go to Costco and buy the big bag of Micro fiber towels, you will need them ALL). After this step, you'll have a clean, nice looking surface again, and you can probably skip down to step 5.

4. If you want to get crazy, go get a finer grain scratch removal product. I used Meguiars "Scratch X" for this step. Wash your power ball and/or get a clean buffing pad and work this stuff on and off much like the rubbing compound. I actually ended up applying most of this stuff by hand b/c I only used it on the black paint since the fine scratches really show up on the black.

5. Clay bar: I clay bar'd the whole thing at this point. Some of the pros who have commented above can probably give you real guidance on clay baring ... I sort of didn't know what I was doing but I think what I did worked out. I treated the process almost like wet sanding only with a little less water. To me, the effective result of that step was to clean off all the residue from all the rubbing compound. Left the paint surface squeaky clean.

6. Wax on/Wax off. I used the 3M marine paste wax. Might not ever use paste wax again b/c my god it was hard work. I think I actually injured my wrist doing this step and it was by far the hardest individual process. Took me hours and hours. But as mentioned above in this thread, it will be extra important to keep the surface heavily waxed all the time now b/c you will have reduced the thickness of the gel coat when this is over.

I would also recommend working at night. Go get a good LED headlamp and that's all the light you will need. That LED light will show you every single scratch and blurry spot in the paint. It will make you crazy to see all the flaws as you work, but when you see the result in normal daylight, it looks perfect. I'm told that florescent lighting gives the same effect.

Another product that truly amazed me was Mothers "Back to Black." This stuff is like magic on all of the vinyl or plastic trim pieces. It knocks the oxidation/sun damage right out of plastic and vinyl. What this stuff did to the console of my boat was just unbelievable to me.

Feel free to hit me up with any specific questions. I learned a lot during the process through trial and error that would have saved me a lot of time, so if I can save you guys some time and effort on your projects, I'm happy to. Thanks guys!

-Dax

[corkvet]

Hey guys, thanks for all the information; this is going to be a project. Most likely will do it for the satisfaction. Appreciate all the fine advice.

Corky

[Leon Pugh]

No wonder it took you all summer I do admire your perseverance. Next time start of with block sanding with 800, do not use this on corners and crowns and then 1200, 1500 final 2500. Get a variable speed buffer and white foam pads for roughing compounds and black foam pads for the finish buffing. 3M perfect-it II 05973 for compounding and Meguires #2 fine cut cleaner or 3M Finness-it for polishing the finish. For The final step use 3M perfect-it Foam Polishing Pad Glaze ( there are 2 of them available, one for light colors and one for dark colors. Next seal the finish with 303 Aerospace Protectent , this is the ultimate for UV Protection. You can then wax if you wish. I do not wax, it wears off to fast. I use Bobs Boat wipe for wipe downs and 303 when I have more time. Do all buffing and sealing in the shade. You should be able to do all of this in about 16 hours of actual work time. When compounding keep the wheel speed down to about 600 RPM and increase the RPM as the the excess is thrown off. 2000 RPM max. Stay off the corners and make sure the wheel is allways cutting off the edges, never into them.

Feel free to call me if you need more details. 916 333 4105

[midnightbite]

Leon ... to be fair, the carpet and the engine work took the most time by far, but the paint was a grind for sure ... golden advise and I sure as hell wish I had gotten it from you before I started on mine last year ... I pretty much stumbled my way through it. Thanks for the 411 on this stuff: 303 Aerospace Protectent. Sounds like the solution I need. I'm sick of the constant waxing. Good luck corkvet ... do what Leon just suggested. Thanks Leon!