un-oxidize this!

[Sinister]

How much effort and what grade of sandpaper/compound is required for this level of oxidation? The last person I paid to do it, obviously didn't do it. The surface is very smooth, just faded.

[vwfreak]

Have you ever tried Nu Finish? It's as car wax/compound in one, but the results can be pretty amazing! Try it before breaking out the wetsand paper.
It comes in a bright orange bottle. You can get it at your local auto parts store.
If you have a high speed buffer, the combination of the two, and a little elbow grease should make your hull shine again. You may want to put a coat or two of wax on after that to help seal the shine in. I've had good results with some very neglected paint jobs. ;)

Vertglas is also quite good, but it's very expensive, and in my opinion not really a superior product.

vwfreak,

[amityray]

I used aqua buff polishing compound. The results where pretty dramatic.
There is 2 types. aqua buff 1000 for heavily oxidized surfaces (like yours). then go over it again with the aqua buff 2000. You need to use a polishing wheel and it has to be done wet. An orbital buffer won't work with this stuff. Its alot of work but its pretty amazing how well it brings back the finish. It got my 15 year old finish looking new. If you do a search on here somebody posted a link for it. Also its not very expensive!

[StratosVT]

Aqua-Buff is great stuff. I used it based on a thread that I read on this website. I can't recall who made the post, but someone on S&F, who was formerly a body shop pro, recommended it. I used the Aqua-Buff 1000 and then the 2000 as per the instructions. Followed that up with Mcguire's #3 Professional Machine Glaze and then sealed it up with a couple of coats of Mcguire's #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax. The results were awesome. Your gel coat looks a little more faded than mine was, but I'd definitely try the Aqua-Buff before wet sanding.
Good Luck.

[Sinister]

I am glad to hear AquaBuff is being recommended. I wasn't sure how advanced the oxidation is and was concerned that I needed to wet sand. I will definitely go this route and see what the results are.

What equipment should I buy for this job and for maintaining my car's finish?
I like buying tools. And, how much Aqua-Buff for 21'?

One time a long time ago I waxed one of the vehicles I owned. It was a van, maybe that's why I never took on polishing a finish again.

[Bruster]

You'll finish this job a lot quicker if you break out the sandpaper. ;) (it'll look a lot better too) I would sand the entire area that needs work with 1000 grit, 1500 grit and then 2000 grit. You'll use a lot of sandpaper and water. I use a Dewalt 1/4 sheet palm sander, otherwise your arm might fall off. OK do the edges by hand. Don't try to skip the sanding steps, :eek: it'll just be more work. When you get to the 2000 it'll already start to shine. I like Meguaire's Diamond Cut, but to each his own. A good buffer with a 8" foam pad works well. Try this: do a small area with your buffer and magic polish :( Then sand a similar size area (all 3 steps) and get your magic polish out. :D

[chynewalkr]

dont waste your time using compounds or wax, sand then buff then wax, if you dont it will just come back to haunt you. ive been down this road...

[amityray]

For a 21' boat the 16oz. size should be good enough. I only used about 1/2 of that to do a 22' Velocity. You have to keep the compound wet with a spray bottle. It almost looks like toothpaste when your working it. Keeping it wet seems to lessen the amount you use. Try it first before you wetsand. If it doesen't help then try wet sanding.

[pyro]

If you're going to wet sand, use the finest paper required to get the job done. Try it with 2000 first. Use a coarser grit ONLY if 2000 isn't enough. This will save a lot of time and effort that would be needed to sand out the coarser scratches. And you won't be removing too much good finish from underneath. If your arms can handle sanding by hand, do it. If one little speck of something gets under the sandpaper on an orbital sander, you'll be sanding out curly-Q "jitterbug" marks for the rest of your life. Constantly rinse the area with clean water while you're sanding.

Follow up with 3M rubbing compound on a ROTARY foam wheel. This stuff likes to thicken and dry up as you buff, so keep a water spray bottle handy to re-wet the pad as needed. Too wet, and it will fly everywhere.

Follow up with Meguiar's Machine Glaze on a fresh rotary foam buff wheel. This stuff is TITS. oit's the KEY to a mirror-perfect shine. You can thin this with water as well, since it's water-based. Your bottle will last much longer if you occasionally re-wet the pad rather than keep squirting additional product onto it.

Get a good look at your finish in the sun BEFORE applying any wax to see if it's good. It should already shine like a mother at this stage. Wax can "wet" the finish and make it APPEAR to br shiny when it's NOT, so make sure it's done RIGHT before you bother putting on any wax.

Nu-finish is a good product, but it's really more of a synthetic wax, rather than a "polish." It has little or no "rubbing" effect on most finishes, it's not designed to smooth out scratched surfaces like compound and glaze will. If Nu-finish makes it more shiny, it's superficial, and the haze may return if the surface was not properly rubbed out and glazed first. When used as a "wax" of sorts, Nu-finish lasts a long time and repels water adhesion very well. I like this stuff, and I use it sometimes. The only downside is the excessive staticky-dry white dust everywhere when it's buffed off.

[Bruster]

....when it is done right. :D

<img src=http://home.comcast.net/~mercmanwon/TAYLOR1.JPG>

<img src=http://home.comcast.net/~mercmanwon/TAYLOR2.JPG>

<img src=http://home.comcast.net/~mercmanwon/TAYLOR3.JPG>

<img src=http://home.comcast.net/~mercmanwon/TAYLOR4.jpg>

<img src=http://home.comcast.net/~mercmanwon/taylor5.jpg>

[Sinister]

It looked great after a fresh wax. It's the following week that bothers me.

[Bruster]

It looked great after a fresh wax. It's the following week that bothers me.

2 years and counting. Still looks just like the pictures. You need to get the oxidation OFF, polish and then protect the surface. :D

[Sinister]

I'm gunna.
how do you do that big picture thing?

[Bruster]

I'm gunna.
how do you do that big picture thing?

Big camera :eek:

[Scream And Fly]

A multi-stage system is what that boat needs. If it can be restored, gelcoat can indeed have a very deep luster.

To display images larger than our forum upload limits, you must host the image offline (imageshack.us (http://www.imageshack.us) - it's free), then paste the links into the forum code. You can also use the "Insert Image" link above. Just be sure you have the advanced editor enabled in your User CP (http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/usercp.php?) options.

Greg

[img]http://img223.echo.cx/img223/2770/0010ku.jpg

[pyro]

I love the colors on that Taylor. I've always had a thing for the red/gray/black scheme... :D

[RBT]

I am the one that said to use the Aqua Buff 1000 and 2000 followed by Meguirs #3 Professional Machine Glaze ( this stuff is GOLD ) and then #26 to seal it.
On a boat that is as heavily oxidized as the boat at the start of this thread, I would without a doubt wetsand it first. I would start with 600 then 800, then final 1000 then the steps above. If you want you could just start with the compounds, but it will take a lot longer. If done right, you can bring the shine up to be just like Gregs boat....... perfect!

BTW.... just so you don't get scared, I have started with 320 grit wetsanding on a real badly fadded boat ( an 18' Donzi ).

RT

[Sinister]

This boat is a '99. The oxidation does not rub off, the surface is smooth. Do I need three stages of sanding? Are there other determinators for how much elbo grease to use, or should I just spot sand and compare?

I appreciate all the very useful replies so far.

[RBT]

If it were me, I would do the 3 stages of sanding then the two aqua buffs and then the #3 and #26.


Be warned, it will take a LONG time, to do it right the wet sanding will take a good day or two and so will the aqua buff and #3.

This is a BIG project, but the results will be worth it.


A few tips, use warm water with a few drips of sunlight soap, use a sanding block to wrap your paper in ( I like 3m paper ), use a lot of water, keep it clean, if you sand with any dirt you will sand for ever, becarefull on the edges, they sand easily and you can go through..

I hope that helps

RT

[Bruster]

If it were me, I would do the 3 stages of sanding then the two aqua buffs and then the #3 and #26.


Be warned, it will take a LONG time, to do it right the wet sanding will take a good day or two and so will the aqua buff and #3.

This is a BIG project, but the results will be worth it.


A few tips, use warm water with a few drips of sunlight soap, use a sanding block to wrap your paper in ( I like 3m paper ), use a lot of water, keep it clean, if you sand with any dirt you will sand for ever, becarefull on the edges, they sand easily and you can go through..

I hope that helps

RT

I'll go back to the DeWalt 1/4 sheet palm sander again. I wouldn't think of doing a big job by hand. The results will not be nearly as uniform as you want them to be. You only want to sand the minimum amount off, and the palm sander lets you do this with long uniform and overlaping strokes, plus I'm pretty sure you will want to get the job finished someday. Use plenty of FRESH 3M wet & dry sandpaper and plenty of water. I start with a clean surface, wipe it off with a wet sponge, and keep a spray bottle with warm water and a few drops of dishsoap in it.
Stay away from the machine glaze. You need to use your polishing efforts to get the shine that will last. The machine glaze has oils in the compounds that make your look finish better than it really is (for a short period of time). Lastly, experiment to see just what you need to do, and it won't be an afternoon job but it can be a rewarding one. :D

[pyro]

In other words:
An orbital machine sander is recommended for maximum jitterbug marks. Skip the machine glaze step too, since polishing out the rubbing compound swirl isn't important. You don't want it to shine, do you? You must be far-sighted?

On the contrary, Meguiar's Machine Glaze is primarily water-based. The label even says it's "paintable." The residue is a harmless, dry powder. This is the critical step between medium-cup rubbing compound and waxing. It REMOVES the finist scratches and swirls, it does NOT "hide" them. It has no wax content. If you don't believe it, try to strip and de-grease the area with solvent after you wheel it with the glaze, there's nothing there to hide. This stuff makes the difference between a smooth surface and a glass-perfect surface. Maybe they have changed the formula since the last time you used it. Very good stuff...

Meguiar's Step 2 polish and many other "polishes", on the other hand, have some oil content that leaves a little extra fake shine in addition to some fine rubbing quality.

-Chad

[Bruster]

In other words:
An orbital machine sander is recommended for maximum jitterbug marks. Skip the machine glaze step too, since polishing out the rubbing compound swirl isn't important. You don't want it to shine, do you? You must be far-sighted?


Meguiar's Step 2 polish and many other "polishes", on the other hand, have some oil content that leaves a little extra fake shine in addition to some fine rubbing quality.

-Chad

Paint is one thing gel is another. I would never power sand paint, but I would never not power sand gel.

and...

The orbital sander only leaves "jitterbug"marks when you don't use the correct sequence of sandpapers. In other words you can't sand the scratches from 400 grit with 1000 grit. Do the sequence right, keep the surface clean, and it'll work fine. You've seen the results of how I have done it. It's impressive to say the least. :cool: