Boat finish - Oxidization

[solasylum]

My 1987 Thompson fiberglass boat is in need of some help!! Does anyone have experience with removing oxidization from the paint? I believe it is oxizidation. What products or steps should I take to get the exterior looking better? Is there some type of chemical compound that will remove the fading? I have seen products at West Marine but was unsure of their effectiveness. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Help anyone?

Scott

[Downrod]

I've seen nothing that works better than 3M rubbing compound.
Stay away from the one step type combination compounds. They are really intended for a boat that has MINIMAL OR NO OXIDATION

For best results apply the compound by hand using a sponge. This takes quite a bit of elbow grease ( you can use a polishing wheel if you prefer,) you have to continue rubbing until the compound disappears and the surface feels slick
I've seen some really badly oxidized boats be brought back to a bright finish. Follow with a color restorer than a coat or two of good quality wax. You'll be amazed.

[solasylum]

Thanks Downrod. I saw some of the 3M compound and that was what I was thinking of purchasing. Where would I pickup the color restorer? I will check with West Marine.

Any suggestions for a good wax?

Thanks again!! Getting the boat ready for storage and want to put her away ready for next year!!

Scott

[kingfishcam]

Walmart has pretty good prices on the 3m products. They are in the boating section.

[Downrod]

West marine will have the color restorer. Actually all it is is a finer compound that also has some oils in it. Kind of like sanding with 80 grit than following with 120 grit.
I've used Maguars wax with good results ( blue bottle) but any quality marine wax will do the job.


The 3M compound that I'm talking about comes in a 1 gallon jug and is a thick brown liquid. Its not a paste in a can.
I don't know how big your boat is but I think I used the entire gallon on my 25 footer

[solasylum]

OK guys...thanks for the replies!! I will check with WalMart and see if they have the 3M product that I need. I would dare bet they are a little cheaper than West Marine.

Do you think this is something I should tackle now or should I wait until spring? I don't want to do this elbow-power task if the results will be washed away by spring!! What do you think? If nothing else I'll just give her a coat of wax for the winter and save the 3M stuff for the spring.

Opinions?

[Downrod]

Where do you keep the boat? If it is stored inside or well covered you will not lose anything. Sunlight is the key.
I would probably wait for spring anyway, kind of depressing to get a boat all shined up than cover it up for the winter:(

Good luck

Oh by the way, definitely don't wax over the oxidation.
Thats just one more layer that you will have to rub off in the spring. Just let it go until you are ready to rub it out

[Rupestris]

solasylum,
I used to detail cars and boats years ago. There are a few things that I've found that work well on fiberglass. The absolute best is to wetsand and rub. I don't suggest wetsanding with the off the shelf wetsand paper sold at auto parts stores. They are way too coarse. If you can, get in touch with Saginaw Supply (in Saginaw)and get some Micro-Mesh in 3200 or 3600 grit. It's an abrasive cloth. Wetsand all effected areas with it. You won't have to wory about taking too much gel-coat off, it's not that abrasive. After you've done this polish the gel-coat with a Meguires number 1 or number 2. Afterwards re-polish with Meguires numbr 7. No. 7 has a high oil content. After that, a good coat of hand applied paste wax. Going this route will cost you a whole day and a fair amount of cash on 4 products and possibly a polisher/sander.

If you want a quick, inexpensive fix and you are willing to keep up with it, My suggestion is, First, scrub the gel-coat with a "Soft-Scrub" cleaner and a sponge, and rinse thoroughly. Get one with bleach. After it's clean, skip to the Meguires number 7 and hand rub. Because of the oils in it, it will bring up a shine quicker than you'd believe. After that, wax.

The problem with going with the #7 and wax only is that #7 dosen't last long. If you want to get a full season out of your boat and have it look good, be prepared to re-wax (and possibly re-polish) every 3-4 months.

If you have a car or boat you want to sell and the color is faded or oxidized, polish it with #7 and don't sell it to a relative. :p
I polished a friends car with it because she wanted trade it in. It was so dull and faded that it looked pink. Afterwards she said it looked so good she might not want to get rid of it. Luckily she did, otherwise she'd have been PO'd when it faded again after a few months.

The Meguires products can be picked up at Pep Boys or Auto Zone

Rupe

[kingfishcam]

The first thing I did with my boat was went over the entire thing with soft scrub. This removed all of the heavy oxidation. I used the McGuires kit for the rub compound, color restore, then the wax. The next step is a spray bottle of some teflon with a clean rag. The more elbow grease you do this fall is less work you will need to do in the spring. Better get the guys that love to go fishing over to help, one on the port, one on the staboard, and one doing the top. I will still take at least a whole weekend.

[solasylum]

Thanks again for your help!! At this point I believe I am going to print this thread and wait to take on this task next spring. I'll probably just give her a wash and call it good for the year!

Happy hunting and fishing to all!

Scott