Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

[bdbuster]

I purchased a boat from a friend because I new the history and what marina had done the engine maintenance and how the boat was cared for. It does have an issue I'm concerned about and wish to get taken care of as soon as I can. The transom and the hull look immaculate other than some water stains and a little oxidation which all buffed out with some rubbing compound and a little elbow grease but the cap appears to have a clear coat on it that is peeling off. The boat is a 1990 Skeeter SF175D bass boat and I'm not sure how they were finished from the factory. I have a couple pictures which actually make it look worse than it is, but I need some guidance on how to take care of this matter.
It's good to be back on i-boats and can't wait to hear your advice, the guys here have never let me down.

 

[zool]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

It was cleared because it probably couldnt be buffed out a while ago.....best to start looking into paint colors..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

I agree ^^^^ I don't know of any method you could use to bring this back to any reasonable facsimile of it's former self.

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

So you're telling me that stripping the old clear off and having someone do it properly isn't a good option?

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

you can do it but most likely you will end up stripping off the paint or messing up the metal flake in the process. There is no easy way to just strip off the clear coat.

 

[chconger]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

You may want to try to bring back the gel coat where the clear coat has already come off.

If you can, then you "just" have to get the rest of the clear coat off and properly restore the gel coat.

If you cant, then you know what you got to do.

 

[gm280]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Seems like the "clear" that is peeling off is not any type paint, but merely gelcoat or such when the boat was initially built. They spray that gelcoat as their first application in the mold before applying other interesting colors, metal flakes, stripes. graphics and then start building up the fiberglass structure. You have to visualize them building your boat in a reverse operation to understand how a boat gets built. The final outside visible finish is actually the first application to start the building process... With that all said, if you sand, buff, or remove that peeling clear coat, the remaining finish may not be suitable to work with. HOWEVER, and mind you this is just my opinion and certainly not supported by any data, I would think that if you could feather the peeling clear coat on your boat with a block type sander using some 600 to 800 grit wet or dry sand paper and a very skilled hand, you could end up with something you may be able to shoot a quality automotive catalyzed/hardened clear coat onto to satisfy your needs. Reason I say that is because many other folks on here have had your exact same problem as well. And the "PROs" all state to prepare your boat for a new paint job. Well if that new paint job is applied over a controlled sanding and such and it sticks and looks good afterward, why can't your efforts to smooth the clear coat and respray a seriously good clear coat work just as well...? Of course this is just my uneducated opinion and I'm sure others will tell me why that won't work very soon... I'll wait and read and learn...

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Actually GM280 the spot clear has been done before. I have even recommended it in the forums a few times.

Its worth a shot before you go all nuts and repaint the thing. I dont think you could bring it back with a buff job.

I have used some 2 part clear in a rattle can that came out sweet. ( Its a two part clear .. you push a button on the bottom of the can to release the activator inside ).

Basically blend and buff like you would repairing paint.

Good luck.

YD.

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

A repair of the clear can be done first need to confirm if its Clearcoat paint or clear gelcoat. Based on the pics I see I would say its a clearcoat paint. You need to carefully remove all the loose edges then scuff the edges a little beyond, then hand wash the area where there used to be clear lightly with water and dish shop to remove oils and such remember by hand so as to not remove to much of the metal flake. Then lay in some Automotive AU clear, lightly dust the bare spots up to the edges of the good spots, then lay in a heavy coat and let that almost dry and lay in another heavy coat and overlap your existing clear. I would do a few more coats at least 6-7 so you can co back and wet sand any runs and the joints of the new to old clear where there will more than likely be some extra build up. Once done if prep was done right the areas would be indistinguishable except for maybe color fading in the areas not protected by a UV clear.

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Is there a way to tell if it's clear paint or clear gel? I have a lot of experience in the mechanical and electrical parts of a boat but have never really dealt with cosmetic issues.

 

[zool]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

It looks like a urethance clear coat to me, delaminating from improper prep....and from the limited pics of the cap, it looks like most of it is done so i dont get where you will blend it to. If everything above the rubrail is cleared, and most of it has failed, trying to blend 80% of a failed surface, to 20% of a surface that may be ready to fail/delam, is pointless. Maybe its only bad in those pics above, but i bet its all gonna fail.

Can you feel the flake in the delaminated areas, popping thru the original gel?..if not, then you may have a shot at reclearing it as a temp fix...

The best way would be to sand down the whole cap, build up a primer base to smooth and seal, then paint. You can get an single stage acrylic urethane in any color, even some metalics, which will resemble gel and last a long time if cared for.

Whether you end up painting it, or putting a new clear over it, the prep is mostly the same,

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

In the areas that the clear has come off, the gel below is very smooth. You can't feel the flake anywhere and I'm hoping this is a positive and the fix will be more simple than not.
I agree that just trying to fix part of it would be a waste of time, I want to do the whole thing and I'm hoping to do it as soon as the fall fishing season is over.

 

[zool]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

No flake poking thru is a good thing, it gives you some sanding wiggle room, whichever method you go with. Honestly, being its a fishing boat, and not a marina queen, clear coat, aside from clear gel, would be my last choice. I would consider a topcoat that is tough, and chemical resistant, to handle the battle scars, and allow for easy repair.

I know when i had a good day offshore, my decks looked like a Manson family outing, which is one of the reasons im doing my bilge and deck with a chemical resistant blend of a commercial fleet paint, plus i can color code match it to the AU im using on the sides.

Delfleet essential or evolution come in this blend, evolution being the top product, essential being the budget line, both come in tons of colors from the PPG fleet books.

Delfleet Evolution - Commercial Coatings

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

That's what I was hoping for. I'm going to check more into the PPG products you listed and figure out which of the clears to go with.

Now, what grit sandpaper do I start with? (800? 1000?) It's very smooth already, just need to get the clear off and don't want to do any damage to the existing finish or dig down to the flake.

 

[zool]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Well, i guess youve decided to clear it again, over the existing flake color? What I was recommending was a primer and single stage 2 part solid color urethane, without clear over it, maybe some clear mixed in the final coat...anyway

You need to remove all the clear paint on there now. you might want to try a fiberglass paint stripper to remove the clear, without damaging the existing gelcoat. (this would involve trying it 1st on a hidden area and see how the gel holds up). Once its all off, then you can figure how to scuff the gel enough to get a bite, without exposing the flake. If you use another clear paint like urethane, theres no telling how long it will last, but i suppose you could get years if taken care of and applied properly.

I take it your equipt to spray?

A better route for just reclearing might be spraying on a clear finishing resin (gel), mixed with Duratec clear high gloss additive, mixed 50/50. It should spray like paint. This would give you durability similar to when new.

Im not really a gel coat guy, so maybe someone who is, can better explain the procedure, again, i dont really recommend auto clear on a boat that is "used"

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Too many EDITS going on here .. I cant keep up LOL !!

YD.

 

[gm280]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

I'm about as bull-headed as you can get. But I would very skillfully wet sand the hull with 600 or 800 grit paper using a block sander with water running across it and then shoot AU clear coat with hardener for about 4 or 5 coats. Then I'd wet sand that with 2000 grit (again with a water bath running) and then 3M buff it out... But that IS how bull-headed I am...

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

That's the path I would like to take. I love the color and don't have the skills to match it. I still need to go over the boat thoroughly and make sure it doesn't have any structural issues. I know Skeeters were famous for having transoms rot out and I don't want to do a lot of work to the finish and then find out I have to decapitate it.
I had it on the Potomac River this past weekend and we made a very long run (84 miles round trip). Half way into the trip, the winds picked up to 15 - 20 and there were 3 foot plus waves rolling. I beat the living he!! out of the poor boat just trying to get back home and that was running at half throttle or less. If nothing is stress cracked after that trip, I think it is in pretty good shape.
Now another question. Like I said, my experience is mostly structural and mechanical. What is AU clear coat and can I use my normal rig to shoot it?

 

[zool]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

Have you tried to buff out the area where the clear coat is gone to see if it shines up? Maybe with a fine compound, and a quick polish?

Im just asking, because you said you feel no flake or roughness, so its possible, but not likely that there is still enough clear gel to buff. Thats why i mentioned using a chemical removal method, as opposed to a mechanical one. Would also explain the delamination, if it wasnt sanded with the right grit before the clear was added. ust food for thought.

AU is acrylic urethane, an easy to apply product with an excellent finish. You can shoot it with any top coat gun 1.2-1.5 tip

 

[bdbuster]

Re: Clear Coat/Gel Coat issue...I need a little guidance.

I will do some searching and see if I can find something to strip what clear is left off of it and try to buff what's there. If it doesn't shine up the way I want, I will look into the AU clear if for nothing else, to protect what's there now.