At about 30 years old, our boat’s paint looks dull. When we sail it, I just hose it down with fresh water. I’d like to clean it up well and possibly wax it. What does everyone recommend?

I know that racers believe that wax slows the boat, but I’m not winning any races anytime soon, so that’s not a big concern for me. I’d like to brighten up the old girl without inadvertently doing any damage to the finish. Thoughts?

Dana

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
--

I use Starbright Marine Polish. Apply by hand like wax, let dry to a haze, remove with a soft cloth, then use a buffer to really bring out the shine. This leaves the hulls very shiny and slick!!!

--
Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
--

I use 3m restorer/wax. Nothing to it, I just use a cloth. I do it twice a year on both boats which are full time outside. It’s not a make your neighbor jealous shine but I think it looks good and gives some basic protection to the gel coat. Some say it’s expensive, but it doesn’t take a whole lot to do my 16, takes about triple the amount for my 5.7, I guess wider decks and higher freeboard add up quick. There are several good threads on here on some really nice hull refinishings, good place to start

dartsailors

At about 30 years old, our boat’s paint looks dull

First, is it actually paint, or do you mean gelcote?
The fellow who owns the shop I get my fibreglass supplies from swears by the 3M product, but he does admit it’s expensive. He mostly works on cruisers, and so has no time for hand buffing. We have 4 cats, plus a couple of power boats, so I also use a power polisher. Decent ones,(variable speed, Velcro attachment), can be had on sale for not much over $100. I use the Starbrite polish/wax, & find it very good. (Anything that says “polish” contains a very fine abrasive and will remove some oxidation along with giving a wax job.
If you are merely waxing, as you would a car, hand power is fine. It sounds like your boat has oxidized, a normal reaction to exposure. Gelcote is thick compared to auto paint, and be compounded quite a few times. It is a lot of work to compound, or remove oxidation by hand, you need to work the product over the surface to effectively remove the oxidation. The power polishers, set to the speed recommended by the polish manufacturer makes short work, especially if your hull is heavily oxidized and you start with a cutting compound.
The chap mentioned above showed me how he does large hulls.
Get a few lambs wool pads and a bucket of water. Apply compound to pad and work a 1’ x2’ area. The compound will break down as it removes oxidation, & soon becomes “ worn out”. Rip the pad off, grab another & repeat. Once you are out of pads grab one from the bucket, slosh it around a bit to rinse and place on the power buffer. Spin it to blow out the water, apply new product, and keep going. Good pads will last years.
Be careful around fittings, they will grab an rip the lambs wood.
You will be surprised how good an hours labour will look.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Once again, thanks all. I think I’m going to try the 3m to start. Once I cut through the oxidation, I may try the starbright product.

Edchris is likely right. It is likely oxidation in the gelcote. I’ll probably start on the inside of the boat to make sure that I don’t damage the finish.

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
--

West Marine has a good selection, not sure if their prices are competitive. Check under "Boat Maintenance Marine Finishing"
https://www.westmarine.com/marine-finishing
The first item Starbrite Premium Polish with PTEF. The PREF keeps things slippery, & helps to preventlake goo from adhering, seems to work fairly well.
The fellow mentioned above uses the 3M Finesse it II product...ouch when you see the price. It works well to remove light oxidation. According to their product intel, the particles break down into finer substrate as you use it, effectively changing to finer grits.
If your boat is heavily oxidized, start out with something like 3M Super Duty Rubbing compound, to remove the oxidation, then follow up with a Polish/Wax. You're now seeing why a variable power polisher is de rigeur
West Marine used to sell their own branded rubbing compound. They don't make their own, so it's probably from one of the major manufactures, rebadged. It's probably still there, on one of their pages. IIRC, it was priced very well, & most likely works as good as any rubbing compound. You just have to decide what level of oxidation you are working with.
Pick up some polish/wax,(you will eventually need it), & try a small section that is most heavily oxidized. If the result is satisfactory, keep on going. If it takes a ton of work, & repeat application, then get some compounding product & resign yourself to a 2 step process.
It is WAAAYYY easier if your boat is apart. With the hull on its side, you can do an entire side in under 30 minutes, without any fatigue.
You have a Dart...no tools required, they have to be the most user friendly Cat to assemble.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

dartsailors

Once again, thanks all. I think I’m going to try the 3m to start. Once I cut through the oxidation, I may try the starbright product.

Edchris is likely right. It is likely oxidation in the gelcote. I’ll probably start on the inside of the boat to make sure that I don’t damage the finish.

First, I found this about the Dart. http://www.dart18.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/UKIDA-Technical-manual-1.pdf If you read through it repairing "Gelcoat" is discussed. Lot of other good info there also. So since you dealing with Gelcoat I would do this. Buy this product AQUA BUFF 2000. http://www.duratec1.com/aquabuff/?p=147 The 3M restorer w/wax is a pain to use. The advantage of the AB is you use water to lube the surface as you buff and leaves the surface polished without swirl marks. If you want to wax after, have at it. You can order it online or buy it locally to you at Fiberglass coatings on US 19, St Pete. It will polish 800 grit sanding scratches so it will remove light oxidation easily. Awesome product. Another good way to deal with the surface after buffing and instead of wax is to use ZEP floor polish. If interested I'll explain.



Edited by catman on May 28, 2018 - 12:21 PM.

--
Have Fun,
Mike
--

Heck, I'm interested, so please spill the beans about the Zep.

--
Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
--

When posting a link, use the URL button, hen paste the link inside the brackets.
http://www.dart18.com/new…A-Technical-manual-1.pdf

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Mike, I'll give that product a shot if it's easier to use. I'm also interested in hearing about Zep. We like their products for other stuff as well.

Edchris is right that our boats are very easy to take apart. Since we're heading into hurricane season, I may wait until a big storm approaches and I need to take it apart anyhow.

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
--

There are products out there marketed for boats that are expensive. Newglass 2 as well as others. They are a polymer coating. What's neat about them is they will build up as you apply coat after coat. I have sanded a boat with 220 grit and after 10 coats It looks like a smooth polished surface. Zep makes a floor polish for vinyl floors like you would find in a school. Armstrong type tiles. This product does the same thing and is very cheap to buy. Home Depot has it in gallons for less than $20 as I remember. The gallon I have has done three complete boats and the bottom of my 23' power boat twice over the last few years. I still have a half gallon left. It is very durable and does not yellow. I apply it with a good sponge. It takes very little at a time, just enough to wet the surface. No runs. A little practice is a good idea. Start with a rudder until you get a feel for it. I do the bottom of my power boat with some sponge mops I get from the dollar store. If you look at the newglass site they sell applicators for their product that are made from Absorber chamois wrapped around pipe insulation. It takes very little at a time to do this. Can't stress this enough. This stuff will not clean anything and dirt or stains will get buried just like if you clear coated it with paint. I found out about this from a forum for small fiberglass campers like a Scamp. If bugs or dirt get into the finish you can use a clay bar or a fine scotch bright pad to smooth them down. If it starts come off just pressure wash and go right back over until the surface is smooth and shiny. If you have yellow stain just acid wash the hulls and apply. Wear rubber/latex gloves. It will build up on your hands. Any questions ask away.



Edited by catman on May 31, 2018 - 05:16 PM.

--
Have Fun,
Mike
--

Edchris177

When posting a link, use the URL button, hen paste the link inside the brackets.
http://www.dart18.com/new…A-Technical-manual-1.pdf

Thanks!

--
Have Fun,
Mike
--

Thanks for sharing that about the Zep product Catman, that sounds pretty awesome. Also, I have used clay bars on a car before but never thought about using one on my hulls, I'll bet the clay bar would really make things smooth for sure.

--
Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
--