How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

[temperedtim]

Finally got my father to hand over the keys to his 1992 maxum bowrider, other than some mechanical (cracked block) issues Im having I would also like to make the boat shine again. I will say my budget is minimal (due to spending money on mechanical issues) so Im looking for some good, less than crazy ideas from people that know more than I do. basically everything is dull, from the white hull to the paint that runs the length of the boat. It was originally red (the strip down the hull) and now its bright pink and awful to look at. So Im debating painting the strip....not sure what method would be best here..? Or trying to buff the color back out of the strip...although im leaning toward the painting idea. So...any ideas? Sorry if this thread is in the wrong spot...couldnt find a paint section.

 

[dccordell]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

Maybe somebody else can help more than I can, but I recently read a thread from a guy that had a similar situation to you and he used Penetrol to revive that old color. There are tons of info on this product on the forums, just use the search...

Here is the thread, check it out!

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=410572&highlight=penetrol+pink

Good luck...
cordell

 

[Chris1956]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

Is the surface paint or faded gelcoat? You might post a picture. Both paint and faded gelcoat may be buffed up with a liquid polishing compound on a low speed buffer.

 

[OldNBold51]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

Finally got my father to hand over the keys to his 1992 maxum bowrider, other than some mechanical (cracked block) issues Im having I would also like to make the boat shine again. I will say my budget is minimal (due to spending money on mechanical issues) so Im looking for some good, less than crazy ideas from people that know more than I do. basically everything is dull, from the white hull to the paint that runs the length of the boat. It was originally red (the strip down the hull) and now its bright pink and awful to look at. So Im debating painting the strip....not sure what method would be best here..? Or trying to buff the color back out of the strip...although im leaning toward the painting idea. So...any ideas? Sorry if this thread is in the wrong spot...couldnt find a paint section.

My last boat was an 89 Maxum. I have never seen an old maxum that wasn't faded. You can buff the red to get it to shine but that only lasts a day or 2. My good buddy talked me into adding a new clearcoat, which is the problem as apparently, maxum went real cheap on the clearcoat.

So, I water sanded the boat with 1000 grit sandpaper then...wait for it....bought about 7 cans of Krylon clear and applied, doing my best not to have runs. It turned out OK. Up close it looks pretty "shade tree" but from 10' away, looks fine. After 3 years, certain sections of the clear paint have come off but I don't own it anymore so I don't care. I affectionately called that boat "SS POS" for many reasons, mainly because that's what it was.


No clearcoat is the problem. A pro paint job would fix it or do what i did as I spent as little money on that boat as I could get away with.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

Its a very simple process but VERY labor intensive. Wetsand with 800 grit working your way to 1500 grit. Do not skip in between. When done the color should be dull but restored. Then buff it out with a wool pad and some heavy duty rubbing compound. Then switch to a foam pad and use a lighter polishing compound. You can buy a cheapo buffer at HF, but buy a rotary, not an orbital.

It will take you 4 hours to 2 days depending on how long you can stick with it. Two guys can do a boat in 4 hours with a short break.

 

[CHEVYJEFF]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

vaseline.. wipe it on, let it sit for a few days in shade then wipe off and wax.
works great on dark gelcoat. light colored gelcoat not so much.

 

[aspeck]

Re: How to paint or restore color on a fiberglass hull??

Vertglas worked extremely well for me on a red boat. I was buffing it every other week till I used the Vertglas ... still shining after about 4 years with just normal spring and fall waxing.