What is this surface?

[62cruiserinc]

I have a 1981 Sea Ray 260DA.

The maroon-colored dash surface under the windshield is shot due to the UV from the sun.

If I wipe it, it leaves maroon dust on the cloth.

It looks like a textured surface on top of fiberglass.

How would I restore this surface? Do I just sand down the old stuff and spray paint it? Glue down vinyl over it?

I know it needs to be a non-reflective surface (no gloss paint) to prevent reflections in the windshield.

I have a picture but it won't upload for some reason.

Steve

 

[GA_Boater]

It might be textured gelcoat. You could try soap and water with the one of those dish washing sponges with a thin Scotchbrite pad on one side. Use Dawn or dish washing soap and a used Scotchbrite sponge the Admiral is ready to throw out are soft from use.

Click on Forum Help in my sig and look at the Photo Tutorial for picture attaching help.

 

[JimS123]

I once had a similar problem with a car. It was a new car and hadn't deteriorated, but the reflection in the windshield was mind boggling.

I bought a piece of black outdoor carpeting and cut it to fit the dash. It stayed in place relatively OK. It served the purpose for 8 years until I sold the car.

 

[62cruiserinc]

I think GA_Boater might be right, that it's a textured gelcoat.

I tried the sponge but it's in too bad shape for that.

I sanded it down using 320 grit paper by hand and looks like I can get down to a consistent-color surface where washing doesn't turn the rag red every time. It does remove some of the texture. Probably for now I will do that until the fall when it comes home for the winter. Then I will repaint the top of the dash. With the windshield and the electronics and dash in the way, it will require a lot of disassembly to properly spray it. Or I might just use a roller since it's a texture anyway.

Steve

 

[62cruiserinc]

Yesterday I sanded and scrubbed and washed repeatedly until the wiping cloth only had a little maroon color on it. At first, the pail of water looked like a bucket of paint, there was so much paint powder from the UV damage to the paint. Being a maroon color probably makes it worse.

Any suggestions for what kind of paint to use? It has to match the maroon color, so it has to be a custom mix color. I will be using a roller to put it on. It has to be very UV resistant.

Steve

 

[Scott Danforth]

Any suggestions for what kind of paint to use? It has to match the maroon color, so it has to be a custom mix color. I will be using a roller to put it on. It has to be very UV resistant.

Steve

nothing except custom matching will match your 40 year old gel. then you have the other problem....even if you custom matched it today, since the new and old will fade at different rates, you would have different colors in 6 months.

either re-do the whole area

or re-do the area in a different color

you can either use gel or paint..... or cover the area in a vinyl decal

I ended up with a complete re-gel of the entire boat (I dont recommend that if you are married......)

 

[62cruiserinc]

I'm just trying to get close to the other maroon on the boat. This is an old boat, so it's not a showpiece but I would like it to at least look OK. I will be painting the whole section, so it won't need to be blended-in. It buts another maroon section, but they are separate pieces with a gap between them.

I am looking for suggestions on the type/brand of paint that would hold up decently. Home Depot oil-base paints? Automotive store paint?, etc. Also want to make sure it's something that is compatible with the stuff on there now.

Steve

 

[JimS123]

I go to boat shows every year and the one thing that irks me is how the stupid designers fail to make dashboards that don't reflect on the windshield.

When I sat in my current boat I said OMG this is awesome, went home got the wife and we bought it on the spot.

IMHO, the ONLY color for a dashboard is flat black.

 

[Scott Danforth]

IMHO, the ONLY color for a dashboard is flat black.

light grey wrinkle finish is what was on my boat. black would be too hot in the Florida sun

 

[JimS123]

light grey wrinkle finish is what was on my boat. black would be too hot in the Florida sun

This is oem. Looks like a star board "plate" covered in vinyl. ZERO glare. I get the sun comment, but I don't think I'll lay anything on it anyway. If the vinyl deteriorates, It would be easy to recover.

The port side is the same.

 

[Horigan]

I have a similar issue with light colored gel coat reflection on the windshield. I put down some black perforated drawer/shelf liner. Stays in place and works great. Something to consider for this issue... See example below.

 

[62cruiserinc]

I found some oil-based paint from Rustoleum called "door paint" that had a satin finish and was close to the original dark maroon. The paint color is burgundy.

I painted the first coat and it was still a little more shiny than a completely flat finish. One of the guys at work is a chemical engineer that used to work as a paint chemist. He told me to add talc to the paint, around 10% by volume. I used a ratio of about 8:1 paint to talc. That worked great. The next coat was a flat finish. Job finished.

Steve

 

[JimS123]

LOL

I was a ChE paint chemist for 45 years. Talc is the poor man's way. Your paint now has poor durability. If it doesn't last very long, come back and we'll give you other directions.

I hope your job comes out to your satisfaction.

 

[62cruiserinc]

JimS123:

I would still like to know what you would have suggested to flatten the paint so I know for next time.

When you say it affected the durability, do you mean durability from rubbing and cleaning it or UV durability?

I am an electrical engineer, so I like to know these things and add it to my "store of knowledge"!

BTW, if I remember correctly from your previous posts, you are in or near Western New York. I live in Cambria (next to Lockport). Did you work at a WNY paint factory?

Thanks
Steve

 

[JimS123]

Soft finish, scratches easy, poor wear resistance. Most all paint is high gloss as-is. To make semi-gloss, satin or flat you add varying amounts of precipitated silica or one of the synthetic blends. You can buy talc in the drug store, but silica is not a garden variety commodity. PPG is one of the major suppliers. They DO provide free samples if you tell them you're in the bizness.

I live in Wheatfield (next to Cambria....LOL) I cut my teeth working for Ameron Corrosion Control Coatings back in the 1970's and then spent 30 years with National Gypsum's Engineering Group before going into Consulting. I'm technically retired now, but I WILL accept an assignment in Maui as long as I can take my VP along...

 

[62cruiserinc]

A fellow Niagara County Resident!

The difference is you have a huge amount of boating experience and I have almost none. I bought the boat 3 years ago because I thought it would be fun to boat since we have so many waterways. The boat has a summer slip in Wilson, NY. I have only had it out about a dozen times. This year I hope to have it used regularly for the first time, as soon as I get some experience piloting a boat. Controlling a boat is a new skill for this old guy to learn.

So could I have used Cab-O-Sil instead of the talc for better results? I even have a bunch of Cab-O-Sil left over from glassing a boat (another project still in the works to be done some day).

Just as an FYI, the coworker who is the chem engineer (who suggested talc) used to work on paints at Pearce & Stevens Chemical on Tifft street in Buffalo back in the 70s.

Steve

 

[JimS123]

Cab-o-Sil's primary purpose is to enhance flow properties and corrosion resistance. I used it in many applications years ago but not specifically for flattening. I don't know it it would work or not, since the gloss of those industrial coatings was not of concern.

Ameron was located a block over from Tifft. Its likely we ate lunch at the same dives on South Park. National's Gold Bond Velvet Supreme paint was the best on the market, second only to Pratt & Lambert. Their P&S division came in third, though their varnishes were the best.

Its funny - they are all gone now. Acquisitions and mergers have done them all in.