correcting the finish on my baot

hydro556 · 08-03-07, 09:55

I have an older glastron with an overall great finish. the problem is on the front of the boat. The portion of the bow that faces upward is totally flat, dull and kind of chalky looking. Appears to be moderate/severe oxidation. This will be my first time with the buffer. I have a Makita 6040. It does rotary or random orbital. I have the Meguiars boat restoration kit from AG. It consists of 3 products and I forget the numbers. There is an oxidation remover, another polishing compound and a liquid carnuba wax. I have an LC wool pad, orange pad, black pad and white pad. I would like to hear advice from those experienced with gelcoat/fiberglass. I want to know what to expect with each step so I know if Im doing it right or not. If I understand correctly the process should go like this:

1- use the wool pad with the oxidation remover. What will the gelcoat look like when it is time to move on to the next step? Should I use the rotary mode or RO on the Makita? What speed? I will leave it here for now, and see what advice I get and go from there. Long I know, but thanks.

Jakerooni · 08-03-07, 09:04

The gelcoat will make HUGE improvements once you hit it with a wool pad and Meg Oxidaztion remover. Don't even worry about the foam pads until you get the oxidaztion off. (I personally wouldn't use the foam pads at all but I tend to be a bit old school about things) Gel coat is a super tough finish so lotttts of elbow grease and high speeds. IF it's as bad as you say it is be prepared for a very good workout. It's gonna beat you up a bit but don't fret. The shine will be tremendous with just the oxy remover. But then follow that with the polish and wax combo to seal it back up and make a lasting shine. I would only use the Rotary option for gelcaots. RO's really aren't going to help much with such a tough job. You can try it and see if it helps.

hydro556 · 08-04-07, 12:11

thanks, will do.

hydro556 · 08-06-07, 02:09

How important is it to use the Megs oxi remover out of the sun? I cant get the bow of my boat into my garage and into the shade. Should I wait for an overcast day or can i just cool the surface with water?

Jakerooni · 08-06-07, 03:43

Well fiberglass usually doesn't get near as hot as metal so you should be ok. But for the safe bet either toss a pop up canopy over it or wait for overcast. If you just work the oky cleaner a little at a time your not going to have any issues. It's when you coat the entire hull in one step and let it set that you tend to get bake in issues.

hydro556 · 08-06-07, 03:56

Sounds good. I am going to give it a shot tomorrow. Hopefully I can make the bow paint look as good as the rest of the boat, and then give the whole boat an awesome shine, as I hope to have it on Ebay next weekend. Thanks for the help Jake.

Jakerooni · 08-07-07, 06:23

Don't forget to post up pics of the progess. I'd love to see some before and afters.