Peeled decals. Seen original color. Whats involved to bring it back to it?

[Shabah180]

I cant figure out for the life of me how to post pics with an i phone!! Lol i peeled my old reg numbers and seen the true color of the hull, just out of curiosity, the hull is a few shades darker than what was under what im assuming was the original numbers. Would this be a oxidization, polish, wax compound or is this a huge wet sand ordeal to bring her back to its original color?
Anybody who's tackled this before?

 

[ondarvr]

Any or all of what you mentioned, every boat and color is different.

 

[Shabah180]

Any or all of what you mentioned, every boat and color is different.

Im going to try a oxidise, wax compound with a wool buff pad. Heavy cut i guess. I just picked the boat up 2 weeks ago,'see what happens trail and error! Lol! Wool pad for heavy cut then ill loghten it a bit for polish and wax.'

 

[boatman37]

i have a 1986 sea ray off-white color. i removed the registration stickers and saw the difference. the existing color looked pretty white where under the reg stickers was definitely off-white to cream color. i wet-sanded with 1200 grit and used presta gel-coat compound and that brought the original color back. follow that up with a good polish and wax of your choice to bring out the shine and protect it

 

[Shabah180]

i have a 1986 sea ray off-white color. i removed the registration stickers and saw the difference. the existing color looked pretty white where under the reg stickers was definitely off-white to cream color. i wet-sanded with 1200 grit and used presta gel-coat compound and that brought the original color back. follow that up with a good polish and wax of your choice to bring out the shine and protect it

Wet sand 1200 grit. So it is possible! I guess understanding the structure of gelcoat would help me a lot! Lol really, does the color follow through the entire thickness of the hull?

Im going to have to find some "gel coat compound" ive heard oxidization removed, its applied with a wool buffer, then polishes and wax with a "blue" grade foam pad.

Gel coat compound applied with wool pads? Sounds like my mariah is the same color as yours. Just to know that it can be restored is great! Thanks buddy!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Gelcoat is just the outer layer on the hull, the color does not go thru the entire thickness of the hull. The bulk of the hull is made of fiberglass and resin.

Be careful, esp on edges, you can burn thru the gelcoat. Even if you dont go all the way thru the gelcoat, if it gets thin enough, you'll get print thru of the weave of fiberglass.

If you arent familiar w how fiberglass boats are made and gelcoat, spend some time doing research before you go after the boat w wetsanding and aggressive compounds.

Its a cosmetic color 'flaw' now, you dont want to make it worse.

If possible, walk thru some used boats and look at the lower hulls. I'd bet you can find at least 1 thats been buffed and polished too much, and you can see print thru.

My 1960 Fireflite has it bad. Age, too thin a gelcoat layer originally and repeated polishing all contributed to it, IMO.

 

[Shabah180]

Gelcoat is just the outer layer on the hull, the color does not go thru the entire thickness of the hull. The bulk of the hull is made of fiberglass and resin.

Be careful, esp on edges, you can burn thru the gelcoat. Even if you dont go all the way thru the gelcoat, if it gets thin enough, you'll get print thru of the weave of fiberglass.

If you arent familiar w how fiberglass boats are made and gelcoat, spend some time doing research before you go after the boat w wetsanding and aggressive compounds.

Its a cosmetic color 'flaw' now, you dont want to make it worse.

If possible, walk thru some used boats and look at the lower hulls. I'd bet you can find at least 1 thats been buffed and polished too much, and you can see print thru.

My 1960 Fireflite has it bad. Age, too thin a gelcoat layer originally and repeated polishing all contributed to it, IMO.

No sir!! This is something, even i consider doing it, i would research and practice on the old boat at the lake.
Thanks for advice guys!

 

[Shabah180]

One more thing, it seems like its almost a build up of old wax? Maybe? If i run my fingers over where the old vinyl used to be it seems like the original color is recesses... Its a very tiny amount, ive seen video's of guys spraying their hulls with a diluted acid mixture or something, on you tube to restore color without damaging gel coat or having to wet sand.

 

[boatman37]

yeah. be very careful wet sanding edges and corners. i usually just make 1 pass over the edges and let the buffer remove the rest but make sure to keep the buffer moving. never let it sit in one place. if you aren't experienced with this process then try starting with a less aggressive compound and less aggressive sandpaper, maybe a 2000 grit or something to start out.

here is a pic of mine after>

 

[mjf55]

Do a google search on Maine Sail buffing gelcoat and you will find ( in several sailing forums ) complete details how to restore gelcoat. Maine Sail is a respected contributor in the sailing community. (Not sure if I can link directly to another forum. Read the rules, it seems ok, but I am playing it safe.) Hope this helps.

 

[Shabah180]

yeah. be very careful wet sanding edges and corners. i usually just make 1 pass over the edges and let the buffer remove the rest but make sure to keep the buffer moving. never let it sit in one place. if you aren't experienced with this process then try starting with a less aggressive compound and less aggressive sandpaper, maybe a 2000 grit or something to start out.

here is a pic of mine after>

Nice work man.. Thats just it, i dont know how thick the gelcoat is. I read on other forums here dated back in 2009 that a gelcoat restore compound was used without wet sanding. Start with 600, then 800 then 1200. Lightly soapy water, 3m pads. Wash everytime with 50/50 water and white vinegar solution.
Ive used buffers with wool pads before, and know to stay conscious of angle, pressure etc.
I might try my hands at it with our old boat, its old and blue in color.

It would be nice to have someone show you hands on, who is experienced in it, up here people are charging over 1000 dollars to restore, seems like a lot but there is a lot to it!