A few comments....
Thank You!
First I'd like to thank all the guys that traveled from far and near to be a part of this project. Wetsanding a brand new gel-coat from start to finish is a HUGE undertaking. The gel-coat finish we started with was as rough as concrete pavement. That's the nature of the beast, it's how gel-coat lays out when sprayed onto a hull and then air dried.
I'd also like to thank John Greviskis and his Team from Ship Shape TV, Bert, Mike and Steve. Not only do the run the cameras and do all the behind the scenes work to make a TV show come together but they also wetsand, cut and buff boats!
Mold Finish
Normally when a boat is built the gel-coat is sprayed into a mold and because the mold is sanded and buffed till it's smooth, when you pull the boat out of the mold the finish mimics the mold and thus the outside finish on a boat is smooth and even shiny.
50+ Year Restoration Project
This is John's personal boat, a Glastron built in 1960. John chose to have the boat sprayed with gel-coat because by spraying with gel-coat a much THICKER layer or film-build of polyester resin could be applied. The thickness was measured and averages around
25 mils.
Had the boat been painted, the average film build would have been in the
4-6 mil range.
The thicker, incredibly tough gel-coat resin will hold up better and longer to damage such as bumping into wooden docks or pulling onto shore. With a paint job, the paint would easily chip off, not so with the fresh gel-coat finish. And this is why John chose to respray new gel-coat instead of simply painting.
The challenge then is to sand and buff the sprayed gel-coat till it as a smooth, shiny surface like a boat pulled from a mold and that's where Marine 31 and my team of guys excelled.
You can do it too!
We hand sanded, machine sanded, compounded, polished and machine waxed and I think the results speak for themselves.
You can duplicate this sanding and buffing process yourself for,
- Fiberglass repairs
- Heavy oxidation removal
- Fresh gel-coat
And you can get all the tools and supplies you need plus the personal help from myself and our staff at Marine 31. Call our friendly staff or shop online and we'll ship everything right to your door. It can't get any easier than this....
On Marine31.com
Products used...
Marine 31 Captain’s One-Step Compound & Polish
Marine 31 Gel Coat Wash & Wax with Carnauba
Tools for buffing used...
Compounding: FLEX PE14-2-150 Rotary Polisher
Polishing: Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher
Waxing: Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher
Machine Sanding Tools
Porter Cable 7424XP HD Plus
Buffing Pads
7.5 inch Hook & Loop DuroWool 100% Twisted Wool Cutting Pad
http://www.autogeek.net/lc-wool-sheepskin-polishing-pad-7inch.html
6.5 Inch Hybrid Power Finish Blue Pad
CCS Red 6.5 inch Ultrasoft Wax/Sealant Foam