35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

[Boorune]

Hi, I have a lovely old Ramsay ski boat that is in great shape but is starting to look a little faded. It is dark blue in colour and I was wondering what was involved in restoring it's finish. I'm not really looking to do the work myself but I would like to get a heads up on where to start and who might be a good person to perform the work in victoria australia.

Also how much would it cost to have the seats recovered in leather?

Thanks

 

[oops!]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

to take the oxidation off the gellcoat the boat will need a light sanding....then wax...then re-buff.....each time around the boat is approx 2-4 hrs with proper tools.

so thats 6-12 hrs labor.

multiply that with current shop rates in your area....uasually 75 an hour in canada.


as far as leather.....it weill cost you big bucks....and unless its constantly covered.....it will detoriorate fast

cheers
oops

 

[oops!]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

and btw......welcome to i boats. !

we have a few members from your area....kiwi phil and achris.....they might know of a few boat detailing/polishing shops in victoria

cheers
oops

 

[NoKlu]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

Welcome to iboats Boorune. To get the human time from oops! time estimates you have to multiply by 7. Or was it 8? LOL. The only way to get an accurate estimate of the work is to have someone look at the boat and give you a price. If you posted some pics it might help get a better idea of how bad it is and how intricate of a job it will be.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

I would buy a buffer and do it myself. Older fiberglass gelcoats get all hazy and 'oxidized', but with rubbing compound, you can get a good gloss and really nice color. However, once a gelcoat gets older, you will probably have to do the "color restorer" and buff treatment annually to keep it looking good.

My 1970 MFG Niagara gets really dull and looks powdery-blue by the end of the summer, but every spring I use fiberglass color restorer and buff it back to its original rich robins-egg-blue, then wax it. It looks good for most of the season, but even though I keep it covered 100% of the time it inevitably starts looking tired by fall.

My 2c

Mark

 

[Boorune]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

I'll see what I can do about getting some photos taken of it a put it on here for you to see. The hull has a few scrathches and the colour has gone very powdery and inconsistent. The boat itself has is never going to be the flashest or fastest thing on the water but it has a bit of sentimental value and I'm willing to spend the money to bring it back to it's best.
Is gel coating the only way to bring it back or are there spray paints that will do the same job.

Do new ski boats have leather seats or are they a type of vinyl.

 

[mthieme]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

Use 325 - 350 grit, wet sand...you could clear coat before waxing as an option.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: 35 year old Fiberglass ski boat

you can get marine vinyl that looks like leather