Restoring Finish

[mrplayer67]

I have a little 1962 Cadorette and am very new to boating. I believe the hull to be fiberglass, because it is clearly not aluminum, but at least the top section seems more like plastic than fiberglass. Does anyone know of that's likely to be true or is it more likely fiberglass and I'm just not familiar with it enough to know?

The top section is blue but is severely faded and I want to try and restore it as best as possible Can anyone recommend what to use and any tips for restoring the finish to the hull?

Thanks,

mrplayer67

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Restoring Finish

Sharp looking boat.

Search this section of iboats for Comet posted by Mark42. That will give you some insight on restoring the finish.

 

[sdunt]

Re: Restoring Finish

Our member mark42 did a really great write up on this at: http://www.fiberglassics.com/mfg/restoring_glossgelcoat.htm

Good luck..

Mark is active on this forum so you can post or PM him for more details..

And yes, that is probably all fiberglass.

 

[mrplayer67]

Re: Restoring Finish

Guys, thanks for quick response. I will be spending a lot of time here as this project unfolds.

Much appriciated!

mrplayer67

 

[ParallaxBill]

Re: Restoring Finish

I'm pretty much using Mark's method on my 72 Glassmaster Tarpon Tri-hull and so far it is improving quite a bit. I was using the standard kitchen grade green scotch brite pads without the comet and feel that I was too timid with it so far. My finish is looking better but I may take a little more aggressive approach from now on. I'm vacationing with my boat in a couple of weeks and want it looking real nice. Nothing like a nice classic boat to run around the lake on. Most of the old one's in nice shape are real head turners.

Good luck with your's. I hope to post some before and after photos of mine soon.

 

[mrplayer67]

Re: Restoring Finish

When I got home from work tonight I took a long look at the finish and think the method outlined here will work wonders. I can't wait to get started!

One odd thing though, (and again I am totally new to boats), but after readng a lot of posts here, flooring is clearly a huge issue. I pulled up some of the old ratty carpet in the boat and I don't think there is any plywood on the floor. I think it's all fiberglass. Are some built that way? I can't imagine putting plywood over whats there, because there is no clear way to secure it, and there is not a ton of clearance betwrrn the dash/steering wheel and the floor as it is.

Thanks for any and all input!

mrplayer67

 

[sdunt]

Re: Restoring Finish

I pulled up some of the old ratty carpet in the boat and I don't think there is any plywood on the floor. I think it's all fiberglass. Are some built that way?

There probably is plywood under that fiberglass. its likely that the layer(s) of glass on top of it are so thick that it appears to be solid fiberglass. I would NOT install anything over the top of the existing floor.

If poking at the floor with an ice pick reveals soft spots then you need to plan on doing a full floor replacement.

I would be interested to see pictures of how you floor / steering wheel are setup. There isn't a lot of room on my 14' either..

Pictures would be really nice..

You can 'blog' your project for FREE at www.shareaproject.com and its also a great way to store pictures to link with forum posts.

 

[Sorrento 25]

Re: Restoring Finish

I am using 400 and 800 dry on a dual-action 6" sander, then buffing with 3M rubbing compound and Finesse-It. The results look better than a brand new boat because the resulting finish is dead-flat and shines like a mirror.

Just make sure you have enough gelcoat to do this. My '88 Sea Ray is fine, but a friend's '87 Baja got thin in a couple places but it had been buffed several times over the years. You need to remove some material with the 400 to get to the virgin gelcoat that will result in the hard gloss and stay that way for years.