1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

[boaterdude83]

I have a 1984 Wellcraft Scarab. I'll attach a picture, but I have a few scratches in it, and I would like to bring out the shine in it. Also the front black strip, and the black above the grey around the boat are sun bleached. Some waxes worked, but only for a little while. Is there a way I can perhaps wet sand it, buff it, and clear coat it or somthing? Whats the best way to bring this boat to looking great again? I was also thinking about possibly painting the side of it, and re-pinstriping it. I paint cars, but don't know if this would be much different. I would probably leave it the same colors. Perhaps a different pinstripe. Thanks everyone

 

[marine4003]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Nice boat..I have a 32' w/twin 525's LOVE THAT BOAT!!
Ok,heres what you do....
automotive paint supply:
3M -Foam polishing pads w/Velcro backing + mounting pad
3M Super Duty rubbing compound 1 Qt.
3M Finesse It Polishing compound 1 Qt.
order online Collinite Marine wax (ebay)
1 - variable speed grinder/polisher - Heavy Duty
Wash boat real good using a solution of simply green + dish soap..rinse well...dry.
In a shady area apply compound to a 4x4 area with buffer..not too much pressure,let the machine do the work..slow speed. work around boat till all hull & topside are done.
Switch pads or thoroughly clean existing,buff off all compound,again, let the machine do the work,work left to right up & down until you archive a good shine...black is a bit#h so stay off it until everything else is done....Ok so now its shiny and covered with compound dust..wash boat again, Repeat above steps with the Finesse It.....wash again....run a clean rag over entire boat making sure ALL compound & polish has been removed...If so then wax with 2 coats of Collinite...and i promise it will look brand new. You will hear alot about these Modern Marvels and Magic elixirs...NOT WORTH IT. The only way to achieve a deep..lasting shine is the above method, ALOT of work ,but worth it.post some after pics.

 

[arks]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

FWIW, I used the same products and steps described by marine4003 when restoring my '85 Wellcraft 23 Nova XL a few years ago. I used the 3M finishing wax instead of Collinite. I was shown how to do it by my neighbor (who runs a body shop). It was a lot of work (3 entire weekends) but definitely worth the effort. 3M products are expensive but IMO are the best products available. I found the best buffer to be a variable speed model set on LOW (i used an old 7" Black and Decker "Buffmaster"). One additional benefit to a thorough buff and wax- once I got the shine back, it was a WHOLE LOT easier to keep it clean- no more black streaks!
Good luck. Now get to work!

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well i'm glad I posted. I have a hd buffer from work that we use on the cars after we paint them, and I already have some of the 3m products. Just have to pick up some finesse and the wax. Hopefully I'll get to it in the next few weeks. There are 2 scratches in the boat though (the smaller ones i think will buff out) that I wanna fix. One in the gray about 2 feet long, and one in the black about the same length. The one in the black is just below the rubber bumper. Is there any way I can fix these to make them look atleast less noticable? Especially the one in the gray since is in the side of the boat. Thanks for your help guys. The boats an expensive hobby that takes alot of time, but IMO its the best hobby in life!

 

[GatorMike]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Just curious, if you are going to put that kind of time into it why not wet sand the the faded gelcoat out before all the buffing. I am certainly no expert but have done a couple of boats this way and had excelent luck. As a matter of fact that is why I am checking these threads I am getting ready to do my boat. It is just my opinion but if you don't get the dead gelcoat your job won't last long and wet sanding is the quickest way to get rid of that layer of dead gelcoat. Buffing may give you a temporary fix but if you want it to last 2 or 3 years wet sand first.

 

[captain klemm]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

I have an 88 Maxum that had severe fading in the gelcoat. I used the product call Vertglas that is a multistep process that I had outstanding results with.

My boat is 19 feet and I did the entire boat in a day and a half and it looked like a new boat

Here is a link to the companie's web site

http://www.vertglas.com/index.html

I now use this process about every 2 years I apply the Vertglas remover and
reapply 7 to 8 coats of the finish every 2nd year The boat turned out so good that my neighbor thought it was a brand new boat.

Cost wise it runs about $100.00 to do a 19 foot boat plus a day of enjoyment working on your boat

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well I'm new to refinishing boats like this, but wouldnt the first buffing with the rough compound really be taking off the faded gel coat, and the second finishing compound buff it, while the wax is shining it up and protecting it? I also know a guy who wet sanded his boat, and buffed it and it looks good. It was a newer boat though, so I wasnt sure if I wanted to start wet sanding my boat down. Also it didnt seem to do so much on the white and grey surfaces. Only seemed to help on the black.

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well I'm new to refinishing boats like this, but wouldnt the first buffing with the rough compound really be taking off the faded gel coat, and the second finishing compound buff it, while the wax is shining it up and protecting it?

It depends how oxidized it is.
Rough compound may not remove all the oxidation, just polish the top of it.

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

I have 3m's rubbing compound as well as a finishing product that we usually use on the cars. Would I be able to use this as well instead of the finesse it and than wax after or are the products mentioned above made for this process with fiberglass?

 

[marine4003]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Cadet,
On a 24 year old boat,its more than likley the gelcoat has thinned some...alot. So thats why i recommend the 3M compound as opposed to wet sanding,once you rub off the color..there's no recourse, but to re-coat..$$$$$,
There is a difference between marine and automotive wax's,But i don't think there's any between the two in so far as compound's & polish, considering you know how to handle a buffer,use the Superduty...then your polish,wax a small area and see the results under a florescent ( handheld shop light works) it will really bring out all the surface detail,from there you can judge if you need to make another pass with the SD.

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well i took the buffer and the compunds to a small section of the boat. It cleaned up very nicely. I'm waiting for the wax to come in this week, and hoepfully later in the week ill have some time to get to work on the boat. Any tricks on removing the pinstriping with the glue? I'll have it restriped after i get it cleaned up. Thanks guys!

 

[arks]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Any tricks on removing the pinstriping with the glue? I'll have it restriped after i get it cleaned up. Thanks guys!

If the stripes are tape, a single edge razor blade carefully pulled underneath should get it off. If it's stubborn, apply heat to the tape as you pull. Any glue residue can be removed with a little lacquer thinner on a rag.

 

[marine4003]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Boaterdude.
To remove pinstripe i use a heat gun and a bondo spreader,to remove left over adhesive..GoofOff, works every time...MAKE SURE you remove all glue BEFORE you compound...if not, it will result in a mess

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well I started and buffed out and waxed a small section to see what it'll look like. I"ll see it in the sun in the morning, but so far, I love the way it looks. I just have to figure out what to do with the decals, and hopefully will be done by next weekend. Maybe done buffing by this weekend. I'll put up a pic of how its coming. The grey on the side is being a bit tough. Its not smoothing out like the black is. Any ideas?

 

[boaterdude83]

Re: 1984 Wellcraft refinishing?

Well the top half is done and looking good. I'll probably do the bottom half next week. Any ideas on where to order pinstriping? I can probably stripe it myself, but dont' know if there are any places that maybe better to get it from. Thanks for your help guys!