Buff out gelcoat?

[Chode2235]

Was thinking about buffing out my boat this spring as part of the annual "get it ready"

Those of you with fiberglass boats, is it worth the effort?

I have a few small scratches and other things that I want to buff out, as well as get a nice finish on it.

I was thinking of borrowing a buddies buffer, and then using some 3M Finesse It II and going over it. Am I on the right track, and do I do the entire thing, or just the parts that are above the waterline?

[boatfixer]

It all depends on how deep the scratches are. Im thinking right that since you said "scratches", Finesse isnt going to cut it. Its usually one of the last steps after some buffing has been done. Depending on the material the buff pad is made out of, you may have to go to something more aggresive. Without seeing and feeling the scratches, its hard to say how aggresive u need to go. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep the pad moving. Gelcoat can burn if you let the pad spin in one place. If you have a scratch deep enough that compounds wont fix it, you may need to wet sand the area and feather in the edges, then bring it back out with compounds.

[leech~~]

What boatfixer said. Also don't forget to throw a coat of wax on after the buffout. What color is the boat? Dark color shows more scratches and may need more work to hide them. I would go to an Auto body supply store and get some good buffing compound and not just use the cr@p from Fleet Farm or Wal-mart! I worked in Fiberglass for over 22 years and buffed out my share of glass items. When you buff try and use the light reflection so you can watch how the buffer is working and that you are taking out the scratches. If some are really deep you may need to do some "wet" sanding with 600-800-1500 grit wet sanding paper first! Good luck!

[Chode2235]

Good info, thanks.

The boat is white, with blue/gold flake accents.

The biggest scratches are on the gunnels, and aren't too deep, but there are a number of other scratches and swirls that I was thinking I would like to spend some time restoring the fiberglass rather than just waxing over it. Get it looking as sharp as I can.

So, I was thinking about finding something a little more aggressive than wax, and something with a bit more energy than my arm.

I have done a bit of fiberglass patching before, by filling old screw holes for the trolling motor with some epoxy and gel coating the top, and also fixing a bigger rock chip in the gelcoat. The fun of wet sanding... The deeper scratches should be able to be wet sanded out, as they are pretty minor (they're from my sandy anchor rope dragging over the gunnel). Worst cast is I could just touch it up with the gelcoat and wet sand it down.

Am I on the right path?

[leech~~]

Just take it easy when sanding metal flake gelcoat. It has a clear coat over it and If you go to deep on it you will end up with a silver ring in that area.

[Chode2235]

Just take it easy when sanding metal flake gelcoat. It has a clear coat over it and If you go to deep on it you will end up with a silver ring in that area.

Completely agree and understand. Good thing it is just the white that needs sanding or gel coating.

[CASTnBLAST]

If you are going to wet sand I would recommend using masking tape around the areas where it's hard or impossible to reach with the buffer to bring back the shine. Sharp edges are another area to mask and avoid burning through if you don't have a whole lot of time behind a buffer.

[gregg52]

a little bit off the subject

but I had my boat detail here Brainer last fall

and it looks like new inside and out

for 100$ I will be doing that every fall

my boat is white si it yellows prettty good

but you would bnever know it

i'm vey impressed for 100$

[Chode2235]

a little bit off the subject

but I had my boat detail here Brainer last fall

and it looks like new inside and out

for 100$ I will be doing that every fall

my boat is white si it yellows prettty good

but you would bnever know it

i'm vey impressed for 100$

huh?

[gregg52]

huh....he11

pay attention told you it was alittle off the subject

[leech~~]

Doesn't sound to bad gregg, do they clean the hull and motor up as well? That's around what it would cost to detail a car.

[gregg52]

They do leech

inside and out i have fiberglass floor and i wash it down every 4-5 weeks depending on use but they really shined it up the hull to took all the yellow off cleaned the trailer up i have chrome wheels shined those up put tire shine on I'm telling you for 100$ I was very impressed

real nice guy to work with he parrked the boat inside in another bay til i got there to pick it up like i said i'll be there every fall for sure

you drive right by it going to edward its right in town on co rd 3

just north of 210 bout 2 blocks across from the old chppers bar

[leech~~]

Is it right on the corner across from the bar and the meat market? May have to give them a try as the boat could you a go going over. I clean up the motor and hull and vac it out every spring but it maybe time to have someone give it a good going over! Thanks for the info.

[gregg52]

yup yup that where they are

they charge by the hr

45 i think

i just told them to keep it at 100 bucks

dunno how long it took them but it looks nice