Thread: oxidation

As many of you know, my boat turned 25 yrs old this year! I got if from a guy that left it outside all the time. my problem is what to do about the oxidation on the top coat any ideas





these are the best pics i could find

Thanks in advance

Just keep that beautiful little girl with ya each time you go and no one will notice any oxidation on your boat.

I have a 92 Stratos that had a whole lot more oxidation on it than your boat. I researched and researched how to fix it. I found there is only one way to fix it and boy does it fix it! The answer is wetsanding. I swear your boat will look like it just rolled out the factory...no kidding.

I read about wetsanding extensively on the forums over at bassboatcentral.com. They have a forum there on bass boat restoration. Anyway, here is how you do it in a nutshell:

1. Start out with a fairly rough grit sandpaper. Keep your sandpaper wet at all times. They make specialized automotice sandpaper that fits the bill perfectly. Don't hold me to this, but I think I started with somewhere around 100 grit. Just go to the forums I told you about and they can tell you exactly what to start with.

2. Sand everywhere you want to. Keep the paper wet and really get down on it.

3. You need a buffer. Not one of those 20 dollar Wal-Mart wax your car jobs. I bought a Dewalt sander/buffer and that is what most reccomend. You need the kind of buffer that bodyshops and professional car detailers use.

4. After sanding with the 100 grit?, you go back and use the buffer to smoothe it out. Once you finish, start again sanding but use a lighter grit sandpaper, like 125 or 150. After sanding, then buff again. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times until you are sanding with ultra-fine sandpaper. On the final buff you will absolutely be amazed.

You'll swear you've ruined your boat after you sand that first coat. But don't be afraid of doing this. I had never sanded or buffed in my life when I tried this last year. I just read and read and read on those forums and then just tried it. My boat looks brand new now and I get compliments on it all the time.

Whatever you do, do not pay to have an automotive "clear coat" put on. It will look good for about a year and then it will start to flake and bubble and your boat will look like a piece of crap. Then you have to go through hell getting that stuff off. I didn't do the clear coat but I talked to several people who have and believe me, you don't want to do that. The only other alternative to wetsanding is to pay someone about 2 or 3 thousand bucks to put a new gelcoat on your boat. I decided that $200 and about 20-30 hours of labor sounded better. Good luck!

I would start with 320 then go to 600 then use 1000 but trollling is right it will work good you will be amazed.To bad you have to have a lot of elbow grease that is the part that sucks.

I am a bodyman ( or at least was for 20yrs) If you try the 600 first and it works well you can skip the 320 and save alot of work. Use a god hi speed buffer and 3m makes the best compounds for the $$. By the liquid from an Auto paint supply not the paste from Walmart etc. Start with an aggressive compound and follow with a "polising" compound all my machine. Then use a high quality wax for fiberglass. Re-wax once a season and your good to go!
Wax underneath whether you compund it or not and boat will plane out and run faster easier!

I have used this product. It works and it's easy. Made my boat look like showroom new. -- http://www.poliglow-int.com/

Now that you guys started putting numbers out there, I do believe I remember ending up with like 1500 grit or something on my finishing coat. Maybe it was 750 or 500 that I started with.

I started out conservative by using a lighter grit sandpaper on my first coat but I wasn't getting the results I wanted. The shine wasn't deep enough. I went down on the grit SLOWLY as to make sure I wasn't taking too much of the gel coat off. Good grief it worked like a charm though.

I just keep a good wax on it now and she still looks awesome. Oh, and don't worry about burning a gel coat with that buffer. It's pretty much next to impossible to burn up a gel coat unless you are really trying to do it. You can burn the clear coat off a car EASILY but a gel coat on a boat is a heck of alot thicker than the clear coat on a car. This project seems complicated but it really isn't. Hey, if I can do it, any hack out there can do it!

Armor All will work wonders! Cheap and no elbow grease. You just have to wipe it down ever so often. Made my old bass boat look like new.

Originally Posted by gooch

Just keep that beautiful little girl with ya each time you go and no one will notice any oxidation on your boat.

Thanks, but i have to admit its hard some times on the old mans pride to be showed up by a 5 yr old

yeah, she caught it

Yeah, she may have caught it and I bet all of Washington co heard her when she was playin the fish. I know my 8 year old raises an octive or two when he gets a good one on.