Re: 1986 Sea Ray Seville Restoration
While I was waiting for some PL to dry, I decided to try something I have been reading about on many different threads.
I have been trying to decide what to do with the exterior paint when I am done with the interior work I have been doing. Most, if not all, of the paint above the water line used to be red. It is now a very dull and chalky pink. I have tried lots waxes and less expensive restore gels/liquids and have not found anything that would bring back even a resemblance of the old red color.
I realize that the best (and most permanent) way to bring back the old color and shine would be to either repaint or sand, cut, buff, and polish (I might have that a little off, but I am sure you get what I am talking about).
I don't have a lot of time or money right now, so I decided to go with something a little less permanent than other fixes. Although it sounded a little weird, I tried using Vaseline on it and I am very pleased with the results.
The Vaseline brought back a real nice red that appears to match the original color pretty well. It shines pretty nice and actually has a reflection now. I know it is not permanent, but even if I have to reapply every couple of months, that is OK with me.
It is quite obvious which side is which here.
I wiped the Vaseline on in about a minute. I let it sit in the sun for about 5 hours (I have read that it works even better if left on overnight or even for several days) and then wiped it off and buffed a little with a towel (another 2 minutes).
I will certainly be doing this to the entire boat now. Per the other threads, I will leave it on for a couple of days before removing it and then put a coat of wax on to seal it in.
The funny part was when I saw a friend of mine in the store while I was buying the Vaseline. He looked in my cart and saw that I had a case of beer and a big tub of Vaseline. He didn't ask any questions, but gave me a pretty weird look. As I got in my truck, I died laughing thinking about what he must have thought I had planned.
To all of you Vaseline haters -- I do realize that this is not the best or "correct" way to restore a finish. Please keep in mind that I paid $1,200 for this boat and it is what it is. What little time and money I have is being put into the structure and engine. If I can get rid of the embarrassing pink, chalky color for an hour of work and less than $10, well it was a no-brainer to me. My teenagers will appreciate it too. They don't know the inns and outs of paint restoring, but will certainly no longer be embarrassed of their pink boat.
