clear coat or not?

[roll tide]

My boat looks like someone has buffed off the clear coat, except for in one area. That area has the new shiny look and want the rest of the boat to have that look as well. I have waxed and waxed, and it will last only a short time, but will go back to looking dull. Will a good clear coat make it shine like it does when it is wet. If so, what am I looking at? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Treed1]

I have a 1988 Astroglass that I refinished. First strip the boat,. wet sand with 800 grit sand paper. I sprayed mine with a automotive clear coat with a flex additive. You can only spray the top & inside of the boat the auto clear coat will not hold up on the bottom it must be gel coat.Everyone that has seen my boat says it looks great! Hope this will help. Total coast for all supplys was around $200 I sprayed it myself.

 

[boataddict]

more often than not -the boat will need only wet . start with 800 then go lighter and lighter. the clear coats usually peel off after time. do a small spot and see if it works.

 

[NRG]

Even the best clear coat job is good for 5-7 years then it will have to be redone, but even if you wet sand it and buff it , you will have to seal it with wax or polymer sealer, gel coat has to be waxed every year and polished to maintain the new look, gel coat is porous and over time it gets dirt etc in it, wax or other sealers keep out the dirt and keep looking new .. keeping it cover and out of the sun when not in use helps too.

If you do clear coat it .. wash the boat very good , let it dry, then wipe the whole top down with wax and grease remover, then sand , then again with the wax and grease remover, then wipe down with lacquer thinner or acetone, then you can spray it.

 

[roll tide]

can anyone point me in the right direction to have this done at a reasonable price?

 

[xrfoxracer]

NRG big fish just opend up a boat repair business... give him a shout

 

[roll tide]

Thanks for the help I will.

 

[pawpaw0909]

this how i fixed mine. wash it real good and let dry. wiped it down with lacquer thinner. then i wet sanded it with 400 grit paper. not too hard, lightly. sand it very good. then dried it and went over it with laquer thinner again. next i wet sanded it with 800 grit paper. once again sand it throughly. wash it once again and dry it off. then i wet sanded it again using 1500 grit paper. this time i took my time lightly sanding it for about 3 hours. making sure i didnt miss no spots. then wash it again real good and dry it once more. then wiped it down with lacquer thinner once more and let it dry. i then polished it with meguires polish high gloss #45. you rub it in but dont let it dry then wipe it off. keep a good dry cloth the whole time your wiping it off. WOW! you will be suprised! but your not done yet. next you need to wax it with meguires pure wax #56. wipe it on and let it haze up before you wipe it off. you will be totally amazed how awesome it looks! i was. but if you want to keep it looking like that, you need to keep it waxed! 3 or 4 times a year at least! this will keep that shine for several years! trust me ive seen what the meguires polish and wax will do! if you dont believe me and want a second opinion, contact poboy. he has kept his boat waxed with meguires polish and wax and it looks showroom condition! he is the one that taught me about meguires. i think his boat is a 95 model, but you wouldnt believe it if you seen it. total costs of mine was about $50. mine is a 15 footer.i done it myself. total time was about 7 hours. shoot come check mine out. you will be amazed. if you have any questions about it pm me.

 

[NRG]

YEa give me a shout 423-580-9277 8011 Hixson Pike .. 1.3 miles north of Chester Frost, 1st plaza past entrance to Middle Valley recreation and Harvey's Plumbing, Look for Inked For Life Tattoo Im in the back behind the tattoo shop.

I will need to see the boat to give you a price there is quite a few variables that come into play on a clear coat spray job, Im striping a boat this week that had clear coat sprayed on it 5yrs ago, to re spray it with clear coat. As long as you understand it will need re done every 5 -7 years its a good alternative to wet sanding the entire boat .. wet sanding old gel coat back to looking new is a very long process and builds big muscles lol , I recently did a 23 ft chaparral , I spent 30 hrs wet sanding the sides of that boat.. whew