89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

[chriscraft254]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

wet sanding,, gosh i dont wana go all inn on this one.
seriously i do need a little more grit to get down to best, but i wana get her wet,,, can i,, huh,, can i?
yep it's still bothering me that i didn't go deep enough:facepalm:, i am hopeing for a suprise tomorrow so i can break out the deck cleaner followed by the woodys spray. i hope the weather holds out,,, glad to hear you pushed it south,,,thanx.

as far as the hair drier goes,,, there had to be like 5 million lil pices of that junk on there, i woulda liked to break out the torch.:facepalm:.
only thing i had going for me there was the restorer got under the edges, thank gosh, that helped a bunch. i didn't think of adding heat.

funny, i had great plans of tonites todo list and the "protective coating" wasn't on it, and i spent most of my evening dealing with it. cant wait to attack the non skid now,,, i have some renewed energy.

i am saving the stern for last, just so i can keep reminding myself just where i was before starting the "easy" project,,lol

I would get everything cleaned up before you do the non skid. Do it last. Since you don't know how to read directions, maybe you can read this forum.

Woody wax for non skid. Start with (clean wet decks)
Spray three to four trigger pulls of woodys wax on to a soft deck brushand spread over deck area.
Use woody wax sparingly and allow water on decks to evaporate.
THOUROUGHLY rinse dried decks with heavy spray to remove excess wax. dry decks with cotton towels.


I do it twice back to back at the beginning of the season, then once every couple months. Good luck.

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

thanx, i didn't get that far yet,,lol.
i will take your advice once again and save it till after the stern and interior is waxed and ready,,, as i see it 1 evenings work ahead, that of course is if the red stripe makes me feel worthy of moving on,,,lol
wish me some luck

 

[BSnB]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

If you haven't tried a wool bonnet on your buffer yet, you might think about that to buff out the oxidation on the red stripe. My other boat has a red stripe too and red oxidizes faster than any other color. Using that wool bonnet, even with a cleaner wax like 3M, should speed things along. Just spin a screw driver through the wool once in a while to keep it fluffed up and clean.

I too hate cleaning the non-skid. I've tried all kinds of things. One guy told me that the best for him was dawn dish soap. Takes the wax residue right off, he said. I haven't tried it yet. I do use a spray polish, like CC said. Once the non-skid is clean, that spray keeps the dirt from sticking again.

Get it wet and enjoy the water lil buggy!

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

Photos look good, nice work.

Bar Keepers friend for non skid... get a decent stiff brush, spread some BKF, add water, scrub and rinse. It worked very well on my Cruisers.

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

thanks guys,
i allready bought the starbrite deck cleaner and the woodys spray for the non skid, but i like hearing how other things are working. i am always up for the cheaper ideas. i love the toiletbowl pieroxide hull cleaner, cheap and works great.

back to the hull and red stripe, although it is cold and rainy out i just went over yesterdays results. it is not as bad as i thought. buffing it on helped bunches for the cloudyness that showed after buffing off the last time. it's still not great and cloudy in spots but i think if i hit it again the same way i can get the cloudy areas a little better. i really dont wana start over and compound back to the gel.
i also noticed that i did not acetone after the restore compound, as it was shiny and i thought it would be ok.
That could be why the cloudys showed again.
whadya think?
here is a few bad,,, shots of what i am talkin about

not sure why there is a color difference between pics, although cloudy it's all the same color

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

also on both sides of my hull in the same spot there is these rectangles that i guess new gel was added, not sure if there was fittings there or what the one side is good just a little different

i am satisfied with the results on this part and am fairly sure that i cant get an exact match


on the other side,,, not so much

and a closeup

either way i am not gonna adress that spot either this spring,,,,, unless,,,, hmmmm.
i move the hull numbers over to cover them up. i guess i could start the numbers on it going forward.
current loacation is real close to the pulpit,,, prolly too close,,, i'll get pics​

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

ok here is the pics

cant really see it in the pic so a lil help,,,lol

i want to move the numbers anyway, and i didn't put on the yearly sticker yet for that reason,,
really if i didn't have those spots i would prolly split the difference between the bungs and exsisting numbers,,, right around the aft bumper holder. the curve of the hull would give it more protection from rash and still more visible from the front and the sides.

if i cover the bung they will be close to the "danger zone for rash"

whadyathink?

i still got some swirls under the red. i couldn't see it but the flash brought it out,:facepalm:, unless thats a jedi mind trick,,lol you cant see any of that in daylight at all,,, maybe reflection who knows,, i'll check after work tomorrow,,shish

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

BSnB,
i did use a wool pad didn't seem to matter much. they all got sticky quickly i have 3 wool ones.
i gotta know more about the screwdriver trick, not sure quite what you mean.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

hey lil buggy!
You use the screwdriver to "clean" the pad. It removes all the gunk that builds up on the pad. Just run the buffer and lightly run the screw driver blade across the bonnet a few times. You'll see all the gunk fly off!
Looking good and I know you've gotta be sick of buffing! Its a tedious job for sure...

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

The screw driver works, but once a pad is clogged up, it needs to be cleaned or tossed. My buffer takes pads that can be used, then reversed and used on the backside. I still have gone through a few of them.

Your well on your way though!

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

Thanks guys,
i got what your saying now. after 2 runs thru the washer the wool pads are closer to how they came outa the pack.

funny thing i was ready to call it good enough the other day,(yes i am quite tired of the buffer, tedious doesn't touch it) but i keep looking at it and it's buggin me too much, although it is super shiny, it's the cloudyness, coupled with the 3 to 5 inches of heave wet snow we are supposed to get tonight, and add mustangs finish, i am starting to feel a little different.
i think i'll return some of the cheaper products i havent used in favor of the 3m heavy compound and some more pads. yep i cant believe i'm suggesting it but me vs the red stripe round 2. whadyathink?

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

ok here is the pics

cant really see it in the pic so a lil help,,,lol

i want to move the numbers anyway, and i didn't put on the yearly sticker yet for that reason,,
really if i didn't have those spots i would prolly split the difference between the bungs and exsisting numbers,,, right around the aft bumper holder. the curve of the hull would give it more protection from rash and still more visible from the front and the sides.

if i cover the bung they will be close to the "danger zone for rash"

whadyathink?

i still got some swirls under the red. i couldn't see it but the flash brought it out,:facepalm:, unless thats a jedi mind trick,,lol you cant see any of that in daylight at all,,, maybe reflection who knows,, i'll check after work tomorrow,,shish

Ok, where to start. The Boat is really looking good man, it has come along way, you should be proud of your work. The red squares or rectangles on both sides are probably from a previous owners name tag or boat numbers. When a vinyl sticker is applied it covers up the gelcoat and protects it from the uv rays. The red your seeing in those areas is probably original or close to the original color. Have you tried to remove the scratch on the starboard side by wet sanding? By the way, you will probably never get this to go away for good.

Before you change the numbers to another location, check with your local laws on where you can put them. I know you want to cover up the bunged up areas, but the lettering will be more protected right under the rubrail. Mine is right under the rail and though the law here says the sticker needs to be before the number and the spacing and size are specific, i pretty mush did what I wanted for looks and haven't had an issue.

i don't think you have swirls, it happens with every camera. You shouldn't have to use acetone between compounding and wax. If you do go to work down to the gelcoating again, use acetone to remove everything down to the gelcoat.

If it were me, I would do a test on one area, get yourself some 800, 1000 and 1200 wet sand paper and by hand wet sand a small 3 foot by 3 foot area. Then compound by hand with 3m compound and then wax and buff. Red is the hardest color to keep looking good. the sun is very hard on red and blue colors. This is true with cars as well and has everything to do with the paint mix. Even house paint now uses different coloring agents to help with matches on reds and blues etc.

Good luck my freind.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

Thanks guys,
i got what your saying now. after 2 runs thru the washer the wool pads are closer to how they came outa the pack.

funny thing i was ready to call it good enough the other day,(yes i am quite tired of the buffer, tedious doesn't touch it) but i keep looking at it and it's buggin me too much, although it is super shiny, it's the cloudyness, coupled with the 3 to 5 inches of heave wet snow we are supposed to get tonight, and add mustangs finish, i am starting to feel a little different.
i think i'll return some of the cheaper products i havent used in favor of the 3m heavy compound and some more pads. yep i cant believe i'm suggesting it but me vs the red stripe round 2. whadyathink?

Your trial aand tribulations is why I still do alot by hand instead of by machine. I guess there is a learning curve there, but I'm old school and still able. Guess I need to get more proficient at the machine work as I get older.

Just be careful as to not burn through. What compound were you using again?

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

Ok, where to start. The Boat is really looking good man, it has come along way, you should be proud of your work. The red squares or rectangles on both sides are probably from a previous owners name tag or boat numbers. When a vinyl sticker is applied it covers up the gelcoat and protects it from the uv rays. The red your seeing in those areas is probably original or close to the original color. Have you tried to remove the scratch on the starboard side by wet sanding? By the way, you will probably never get this to go away for good.

i don't think you have swirls, it happens with every camera. You shouldn't have to use acetone between compounding and wax. If you do go to work down to the gelcoating again, use acetone to remove everything down to the gelcoat.

Good luck my freind.

thanks for the "chin up",
i didn,t try to wet sand the shazam mark in the starbord side but it "looks" to have layers of repair work.

ok the photo is outa focus, my camera has trouble with the close ups.
when looking at the port side a sticker coulda been the culprit on the starbord,, not so much. i have been arguing with myself for a few months over just that. both sides seem pretty smooth over and around the rectangle which adds to the dilemma. the layers of bung on the starbord leads me to believe something was removed. and the practical side says that spot is a rub hazzard area why would anything be mounted there. prolly the po had an accident and covered it up with a sticker and placed one on the other side for balance:facepalm:.

i put my temp stickers and #'s where the exsisting wv, uv marks were, and could be considered ok for pa. the law is a little grey there. i think if all was perfect i would split the difference and start the #'s just under the rear bumper holder, which would add greater visibility to my #'s from the side and just about the same from the front and keep it protected from the rash of ather boats and docks.

i looked for the swirl marks under the red stripe again today and couldn't see nuttin,,looks great there, glad to hear the cameras doo play tricks,,lol

Your trial aand tribulations is why I still do alot by hand instead of by machine. I guess there is a learning curve there, but I'm old school and still able. Guess I need to get more proficient at the machine work as I get older.

Just be careful as to not burn through. What compound were you using again?

so far i used meguires restorer as the compound, there has to be wax in it becouse once buffed it is shiny, even when still wet. i really think the reason it is taking sooo many passes is that it doesn't quite have enough grit to dig deep enough. the part that has me a lil confused there is that all was crystal clear for a day and when i put the 3m wax on it, it clouded up in spots. maybe its the wax, not too sure. when i machined it on it seemed to do a lil better but left some cloudyness. here and there. thats why i was askin about the acetone between.
although it is a ton better than it was

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

thanks for the "chin up",
i didn,t try to wet sand the shazam mark in the starbord side but it "looks" to have layers of repair work.

ok the photo is outa focus, my camera has trouble with the close ups.
when looking at the port side a sticker coulda been the culprit on the starbord,, not so much. i have been arguing with myself for a few months over just that. both sides seem pretty smooth over and around the rectangle which adds to the dilemma. the layers of bung on the starbord leads me to believe something was removed. and the practical side says that spot is a rub hazzard area why would anything be mounted there. prolly the po had an accident and covered it up with a sticker and placed one on the other side for balance:facepalm:.

i put my temp stickers and #'s where the exsisting wv, uv marks were, and could be considered ok for pa. the law is a little grey there. i think if all was perfect i would split the difference and start the #'s just under the rear bumper holder, which would add greater visibility to my #'s from the side and just about the same from the front and keep it protected from the rash of ather boats and docks.

i looked for the swirl marks under the red stripe again today and couldn't see nuttin,,looks great there, glad to hear the cameras doo play tricks,,lol



so far i used meguires restorer as the compound, there has to be wax in it becouse once buffed it is shiny, even when still wet. i really think the reason it is taking sooo many passes is that it doesn't quite have enough grit to dig deep enough. the part that has me a lil confused there is that all was crystal clear for a day and when i put the 3m wax on it, it clouded up in spots. maybe its the wax, not too sure. when i machined it on it seemed to do a lil better but left some cloudyness. here and there. thats why i was askin about the acetone between.
although it is a ton better than it was

Ok, let me clear this up for you! WAX DOES NOT SHINE THE GELCOAT! AGAIN, repeat after me, WAX DOES NOT SHINE GELCOAT!! The wax is just a protectant. All the shots you have seen on my thread where the gelcoat is shiny, is because of compound. Your finished product/shine should be perfect before wax is applied. Again wax is only a protectant. wax will give the illusion of making a deeper shine when applied, that is just because you are putting a protective layer on it.

Also, people that layer after layer wax, are wasting there time. When buffing wax, the wax heats up and fills. Putting wax over wax, just mixes the wax together. Its not a bad thing to wax frequently, but one coat of wax is enough for protection right after compounding. Wax in your case with uv protectors may be a good way to go so the red doesn't get as much uv exposure.

What wet sanding does is the same as compound, different grit compound and different grit sand papers are doing the same thing. The thing I DON"T LIKE about compounds and the difference from wet sanding is that almost every one of them has fillers. Instead of you seeing a finished product that has been cut through to good gelcoat, the gelcoat is cut through in some spots but filled in others because of the fillers goes to work while polishing. This is why you have blotchy spots in just some areas.

Wet sanding, you don't have this issue, you will see exactly what you are going to have before you wax. There is no oxidation coming back to haunt you.

My boat including the bottom restore, outer hull and the cabin that I just did, has no wax applied yet. The shine is acheived by wet sanding or compounding and then wiping off. I will wax the whole boat at one time sometime with 70 degree weather.

where wax does help give a deeper shiny look is it will fill all the pores in the gelcoating after it is prepped with compound or wet sanding. To give you an idea, we use to light wax on fire before applying it to deck floor in the Marine corp. This helped spread the wax better and heated it to get into the pores of the flooring better. Looked like glass after we were done.

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

gotcha,
i have been listening,lol.
ok the restorer i used made it look great (there was slight, looked like wax build up, along the edge of the red stripe, and acetone or restorer didn't go deep enough to take away) nothing was left in the body where the cloudiness appeared till i put the wax on it. 2nd coat of wax took some of the cloudyness away from what the first coat left but also left some behind.
so i guess that all points to the compound(restorer, in my case) not getting deep enough to clear what i couldn't see, or the 3m wax didn't do it's job correctly or i guess something wasn't right for the wax and the second coat just heated it up and fill the first coats "issues"

i get that the compounds and sandpaper are all different grits of the same animal.my problem is good before wax, not as good after.

thanks in advance and i appretiate your help and support

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

gotcha,
i have been listening,lol.
ok the restorer i used made it look great (there was slight, looked like wax build up, along the edge of the red stripe, and acetone or restorer didn't go deep enough to take away) nothing was left in the body where the cloudiness appeared till i put the wax on it. 2nd coat of wax took some of the cloudyness away from what the first coat left but also left some behind.
so i guess that all points to the compound(restorer, in my case) not getting deep enough to clear what i couldn't see, or the 3m wax didn't do it's job correctly or i guess something wasn't right for the wax and the second coat just heated it up and fill the first coats "issues"

i get that the compounds and sandpaper are all different grits of the same animal.my problem is good before wax, not as good after.

thanks in advance and i appretiate your help and support

Imo, your seeing blotches after wax because the compound you used simply hasn't removed the blotches. The wax will just make these appear better. when you compound, make sure you are applying it the same way throughout and with the same pressure and speed on the buffer. When the pads bung up, clean them. All that can effect the finish and how even it comes out. Again, thats why I prefer to hand compound because I can actually feel when the surface stops grabbing or the compound has cut through to a smooth layer.

using a buffer is fine, but it is a learning curve. I will be investing in a small detail one when I get the spare money, I believe these will do a better job because you have better control. May take longer but the end product will be better and I don't like having to do things twice if I don't have to.

Here is the exact product I use for compounding my boat. 3m Marine compound. It is for heavily oxidized or scratch finishes. It does say to follow up with 3m finess but I see no need on my hull to have to.

Again, the red your dealing with is one of the hardest colors to maintain and get to look good, so your doing a good job. I just want you not to have to do it over and over. Cut that red until all the oxidation is removed with a better compound or wet sand and I think you will be pleased. Good luck.

By the way, I have also used woody's fiberglass restoring compound, it really isn't any better than the 3m stuff I'm using. Also, most the compounds will say restoring on the bottle, because they are restoring by removing gelcoat/oxidation. Even the 3m bottle says it on the bottle but its not in the name itsself.

Wood's says, Ultra Gloss fiberglass restoring Wax. It breaks down to a finer grit as you buff and also seals and protects. I usually do not use a product like this because it is asking one product to do many different things.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

How were you applying the wax, and removing it? I did the hull and then went over it with the polish (the product is supposed to not require a wax over the top). I applied by hand and then went back to buff and it looked awful. I found I needed to use the dual action to apply and work the product and then it could be buffed off either by hand or machine with a new pad. This was the same process I used with Meguiars wax on my Cruisers.

 

[lil buggy]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

thaks chriscraft for posting the 3m compound, i am feeling the 3m compound that you posted. i think ill dive back in to the red at least to try to get rid of what i cant see, that seems to be my issue here. so far my compounding hasn't shown the red gel on the pad. and i did use acetone and really rubbed at the red with a clean towel(heck a few of them,lol) before i started useing the restorer
i am glad we didn't get the snow, yet.
this is what i am useing

it says nowhere on the bottle of any wax in it. just meguiars exclusive micro abrasive technology,,lol

mustang
agreed, buffing on with the wax, waiting and then buffing off seems to have the best result. when i applied by hand and buffed off i had the cloudys everywhere. i was real carefull to switch the pad when i was buffing off, several times,,6 to be exact, 3 per side.

you guys and your beatiful woodwork has inspired me to get after the steps on my ladder and the center of my steeringwheel. at this point i started these i was in (no pic mode) but the wood looked like i found it on the riverbank, no finish left and i had to sand like a 1/16th off of all sides to get past the nasties. so this is after wet sanding on the 4th coat

coming along nicely a few more coats and she'll be done

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 89 Fiesta Vee 250 setbacks, projects, and upgrades!

Not sure on the compound, but I would imagine it should work. I have been told sometimes it takes a couple of applications to cut through the oxidation.

The wood looks great! There is a charm to bright, shiny woodwork, even when only little bits of it are around the boat.