Clear finish on fibreglass!

[Scratchie]

Gday raiders, 

Hoping you smart people can help me out. With a few ISO projects under my belt and the Mrs happy with my efforts, it’s time to turn my attention to the big girl (boat). 
 

Firstly, I have no idea where to start to attempt putting a new clear gloss on the boat which raises a couple of questions for me. 
Secondly, I’m a working class man with a large family so unfortunately there is a budget. 
So my questions are...........

A. Is it worth attempting myself or pay someone to do it? 
B. Where do I start? 
C. How much roughly will it cost? 
D. Has anyone done this themselves and what were the hurdles? (and results) 
 

Obviously time is not an issue! 🤣
Thanks in advance for any replies.

cheers scratchie!!! 
 

[kingfishbig]

It shouldn't be hard to do yourself. You will need an electric buffer though. There are various waxes, polishes and rubbing compounds available. It depends on the condition of the boat as to what you use. There is a good guide here:

https://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/restore-shine-to-fiberglass.asp

 

[Smobaby]

Depends on how much elbow grease your willing to use. If it’s not too oxidised just wash and cut back with an electric buff using a foam buffing pad with compound to suit the required finish then wax. Took me three days to do my boat but was very oxidised being a coloured hull. Got it wrapped now only the white on top now requires work. It’s a %%%%% of a job.  But the result is worthwhile.

[Berleyguts]

@Scratchie You can borrow my big polisher if you want, Jeff. Cheers.

[jeffb5.8]

Did you want to polish the boat or respray a clear coat to get more gloss?

[noelm]

Yeah, I am not too clear on exactly what you want to do either.

[zmk1962]

22 hours ago, Scratchie said:

where to start to attempt putting a new clear gloss on the boat

Hey Scratchie .... I assume you are just trying to restore that new showroom fibreglass look. Owning a 28yr old FG hull here's what I considered and what I do to keep BARRYCUDA looking like this:

 

1. Respray with two pac marine paint :  my friend has a 40ft yacht  - moored - he has it resprayed about every 6yrs to keep that new look. Being on a mooring he is somewhat restricted in waxing / buffing etc.  The painting process is essentially the same as respraying a car - cutting back and stripping all oils to ensure you get good adhesion. You have the option of spraying with a clear coat or adding colour.  Ongoing maintenance is the same as looking after your car paint job.  Can you do it as a handyman, probably - but without a spray booth it will be like you respraying your car in the open. Also, you'd need to shift the hull (rollers etc).  I chose not to do this. 

2. Vinyl Wrap : I have no experience with this - durability - ongoing maintenance etc. DIY ??? It just seemed to me, if I did this I'd always freak if I bumped up against the wharf?  What happens with scratches? Does it start to peel ? Maybe others can give more advice here - but I chose not to do this.

3. Cut/Wax/Buff:  Yes the elbow grease approach. Initially I was quite disappointed with this - I used to cut back with a cutting compound (looked great) then just whacked on any car polish and buffed - looked even BETTER ... but this lasted about 2-3 weeks then it faded and was chalky again and I was pi$$@#off and depressed wondering why I bothered.

Happy to say that I've changed how and what I do and now I am getting much better results that last for 2-3months (even longer over winter out of the harsh summer sun).

But first its helpful to understand what's actually gone on at the fibreglass surface. The first layer of glass that you see is the gelcoat - gelcoat is different to the glass thats underneath. Gelcoat is permeated with waxes and oils that give it that smooth finish and water proof property. Once these oils have evaporated and the waxes have dried out, the resin structure of the gelcoat is exposed and oxidises (chalks). So in addition to cutting back the oxidation, the restoration process has to some how replenish some of those lost oils /waxes and seal them in.  I found that just cutting back and using car wax products didn't cut it - cutting back exposed a new layer of colour, but the car wax only provided a surface wax (designed to keep car paint protected) but didn't penetrate into the gelcoat. So pretty soon after application, it dried off , exposed the gelcoat and you were back to where you started.

Long story short, the best products I have found to maintain the gelcoat in a marine environment are the following products most are from Meguires.

Heavy cutting - badly oxidised - use a product such as the Septone below (or even an automotive brand like Kitten). You only have to use this the first time to cut back years worth of oxidation - these products have NO waxes/oils.

Lighter cutting - touch up cutting  Meg44....

Once you have cut back, Meg45  this is the stuff that actually penetrates waxes/oils into the gelcoat - I absolutely recommend the Meguires stuff.

Then you need to seal it in - so final coat of wax -

The above Meg50 Wax has provided longest protection to seal in the oils, but the Nulon below has delivered good results (at 1/2 the cost) as a fall back ---

 

The process:  wash boat with a car detergent and let it dry.

1. Cut back with a cutting compound - if this is the first time you are doing this - you have years of oxidation so use the Septone/Kitten for a deep cut - then the Meg44 to polish the gelcoat. Otherwise just use the Meg44.

2. Wipe over with a clean microfibre cloth.

3. Apply Meg45 High Gloss Polish - buff after

4. Apply Meg50 Cleaner Wax - buff after. Repeat every 2-3months as required with Meg50 or the Nulon stuff .

Rarely do you need to go back to Meg45 - I have one side of the boat that cops all the sun - and I may have to hit that side with Meg45 once a year.

Application/Buffing. I use pieces of old towels to apply the compounds and microfibre cloths for hand buffing around railings, bollards and fiddly areas.  I have tried using a 9in 240V shop buffer but just found it way too heavy and bulky and the cord was a pain always catching when I least wanted it to.  

So I recommend you get yourself one of these - 

 

I can swing this around with one hand, climb all over the boat and one 5Ah battery will last longer than it takes me to do the whole boat. I use it for cutting and buffing. Buy replacement cutting/buffing pads on eBay (way cheaper). Once used, chuck them in the wash let dry and re-use - I still have my original set 4years into this. You can also use the buffer on the cars AND on the stainless steel fridge and other household appliances - you wife will love you.

Anyway, thats how I do it.  It's a bit of an investment to buy the marine products (about $30 for each of the Meguires, $18 for Nulon) and the buffer, but it's definitely a DIY type job. The initial cleanup cutting, wax and final wax will take you a good half day or more. But once done, the upkeep wax and buff is easy.  I can wax and rebuff now in about 1-1.5hrs - depending on how many beer breaks I have. So it's not that much of a chore.

Hope this is what you were after. 

Cheers Zoran

PS - I have no relationship or financial interest with bunnings, ryobi or meguires products ... 🤪

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by zmk1962

[Berleyguts]

Zoran’s recommendations are sound to me. My son swears by Meguiar’s products. He is absolutely anal about his Nissan Silvia... spends hours on it and keeps it in pristine condition with Meguiar’s. My 9 inch grinder/sander/polisher is what I was recommended when I did a spray painting workshop. It’s 240v and I suppose the cord could get in the way. I never found it a problem when I used it on my old Kombi. I also have a corded polisher/buffer about the same size as the cordless Ryobi one which Zoran recommends. Both are yours to borrow if you want, @Scratchie . I’m a big fan of the Ryobi cordless products though. You know where I work and that product is very popular. I may just add one to my tool kit!

[Scratchie]

4 hours ago, jeffb5.8 said:

Did you want to polish the boat or respray a clear coat to get more gloss?

I was looking at both options. 

[Scratchie]

@zmk1962

Mate that is truly a comprehensive breakdown on what to do. I truly thank you for the time it took you to write that and your advice offered. 
The underside of the boat is still in excellent condition. It is more so the top that is exposed to the sun. 
I will definitely be giving this a go as a first option! Thank you again so much! 
 

@Berleyguts

Mate, I’ll be hitting you up for a lend of that buffer some time soon and thanks a heap for your offer. That just made the whole project a lot cheaper! Legend! 
 

To all the other raiders that took the time to offer advice, your all champions! 

cheers scratchie!!! 

[zmk1962]

Yup same with mine its the topside that gets burned. The sides on mine not so much. The underside good as.

Your welcome. Least I can do to repay for all those snapper hints and tips. 

BTW, if you wait a bit, I sense Baz will be in possession of one of those Ryobi cordless buffers - it's will make your job that much easier again !  

Cheers Z

[Berleyguts]

15 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

Yup same with mine its the topside that gets burned. The sides on mine not so much. The underside good as.

Your welcome. Least I can do to repay for all those snapper hints and tips. 

BTW, if you wait a bit, I sense Baz will be in possession of one of those Ryobi cordless buffers - it's will make your job that much easier again !  

Cheers Z

Fishing gear and guitar stuff first, Zoran! 😂 I just bought a Ryobi 36v hedge trimmer and chainsaw! 😉

Edited April 29, 2020 by Berleyguts

[zmk1962]

1 hour ago, Berleyguts said:

Fishing gear and guitar stuff first, Zoran! 😂 I just bought a Ryobi 36v hedge trimmer and chainsaw! 😉

Hmmm ... that just tells me you're missing some in the collection !

Cheers Z

[wrxhoon1]

I think Zoran covered it nice.

I will ad my 2 cents ;

If the boat is oxidised very bad but the gelcoat is all there and in good nick other than very dull you don't need to re-paint it . Gelcoat is very thick , about 10 times thicker than your cars paint. It is much softer than any car paint so very easy tho cut back. 

If you have colour ( not white) especially on the top of the boat it's best to cut back with 1200 grit first to make it easier to buff , don't worry you will not take it all off as long as you don't cut on edges ( easy to cut on any edge without even trying), besides you don't need to take off much with the sandpaper just enough to take the top off.

Next you need a buffer,7"is best   variable speed, you need slow speed to work  the compound then a little faster to buff it off. I like 3 M products but the septone gelcoat compound is fine . Squeeze some compound on the lamswool pad ( not a lot, very small amount ), don't bother with sponge pads at this stage they don't cut enough. Work the compound on a small area at a time, slow speed and keep moving the buffer so it doesn't get too hot, apply little pressure only , let the machine do the work, speed it it up a bit to buff off the compound without any pressure now.

You probably will have to go over it a couple times , the second time you may want to use a finer compound and or sponge pad, if you use sponge this time make sure sure you use the most aggressive sponge you can get.

Even the first buff you will see it come up very shiny and you will think it's ok to stop there, don't because the gelcoat is very porous and the compound fills up and it won't last shiny for long.

Once you finish it all then time for a wax, you need a good marine paste wax , car stuff just doesn't cut it on boats.

Make sure you don't let the pads get clogged up, the best way to clean them is buff a clean piece of timber at faster speed and should fly off it works well on wool pads , sponge you have to wash them because you may rip them up using this method.

I use this product from USA but i think you can buy it here . Collinite 885 Heavy Duty Paste Fleetwax, 12 oz.

Apply the wax with a sponge or cloth by hand, small section at a time and buff off with a polishing cloth, soft towel,microfibre  etc...

Depending on the size of your boat, how bad it is and how keen you are allow one to two days .

The easiest way to keep the boat in good nick is a cheap cover from E-Bay.

I wash mine when I get home at night and cover it the next day, stays like new for years.

 

[Fishop]

If you want cheap buy the 3m light/medium/heavy perfect-it cutting compound and wax ($30 or so) and a cheap buffing kit ($50) which attaches to a cordless drill.   You cut it on to remove oxidation and then you buff it off to bring out the shine.  You would be surprised how well my 30 year old carribean came up with just one go over.

I also invested in a full cover for my boat.  I got a cheapy off an online store for about 130 bucks.  It covers the whole boat (full length north queensland style canopy and all).  Its ocean south so its not top of the line stuff, but so far so good its been on 6 months and it keeps all the water, dust, leaves and most importantly sun off the boat.