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Thread: Paint or Wet Sand

  1. #1
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    Paint or Wet Sand

    I've got a '95 18'Classic, all white with yellow deck and waterline stripe.
    Both the deck and waterline stripe have faded to the point that compound and polish will not wake them up. The rest of the gel (white) is in new condition.
    Been told that wet sanding could bring them back .
    My question is would it be better to try having a professional wet sand the stripes or just have them re painted during the off season? What kind of paint? What might the cost difference be?
    Thanks,
    3d

  2. #2
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    My hullsides and stripe were red (even worse) and I finally gave up and went to paint and it has been great so far (2 seasons) PPG 2 coats and 2 coats of clear on a primer base so 5 coats total.
    Cheers,
    Pismo
    1996 22 Classic
    Red with Stainless Windshield
    Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
    Stock Bravo I
    25" Mirage Plus
    74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
    27" Labbed Mirage Plus
    75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)

  3. #3
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    Stripe

    Im a painter for a living, wetsanding may help but it may be short lived. For the sake of just the stripe, Maybe you can looking into Vinyl? Its inexpensive and holds up well.
    Im painting my 18 in the next couple months, Im using Sikkens Basecoat Clearcoat on the whole boat. Bc/Cc is nice because you wont get the buildup edge as you would in Imron. Paint the Basecoat, Peel your tape line and make a new line about 1/8th inch past the stripe... wetsand and rub it out... the stripe edge will be far less noticable
    The sting of poor quailty far outlasts the Joy of a cheap price...

  4. #4
    mrfixxall Guest

    fixx

    before you bust your tail on wet sandinf try fountain ot youth products first,chit really works..

    first step is vibra cut then wash and let dry then do totally buff then wash again and let it dry then follow up with vitro wax..

    before


    After



    trend here
    http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...vibra-cut.html

    http://www.fountainofyouthrestore.co...outh_Home.html

  5. #5
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    Find someone who REALLY knows his way around a buffer. Not one of those little car buffers either. A real buffer, real 3m compound and a pro who knows how to do it. My glass guy, Sonny Castro, is a freaking magician. You just cannot believe what he just did to EricH's 1976 18. It was trashed. Looks new now....He did mine too. Looks amazing...
    1970 18 2+3 Hull #18-355 H/M 351W Volvo 250
    07 Cayman IT IS BACK! - '13 Abarth Cabrio

    PRESERVE, DON'T RESTORE

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimG View Post
    Find someone who REALLY knows his way around a buffer. Not one of those little car buffers either. A real buffer, real 3m compound and a pro who knows how to do it. My glass guy, Sonny Castro, is a freaking magician. You just cannot believe what he just did to EricH's 1976 18. It was trashed. Looks new now....He did mine too. Looks amazing...
    To find a 'good guy' I suggest going to local boat dealers that take trades. They usually have a guy on hand that will make used boats look like new again. I have seen some of the work done at one marina and it's flat out astounding.

    Now... on the other hand, if you want to be 'done' with it for many years, paint it. Awlgrip is what I'd use. My current boat is PPG and it's good too.

  7. #7
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    I brought my '78 x-18 back using 3M superduty, followed by 3M finese it, then wax. The 3M superduty compound is like liquid sand. I used a right angle buffer and did all the work myself. It was very faded, and I'd say it came back to 90-95%. I did probably put about 60 hours total into it though.
    1978 X-18, SBC, Volvo 280T
    Big Grizzly 21 Solas Prop
    Heart Bay, Lake George, NY

  8. #8
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    Kirby the boat does look GREAT !!! but 60hrs??? thats is alot of time I would rather spend 60hrs riding in a painted boat then 60hrs of riding a buffer on a boat.

    I have 2 friends both with black boats the worst color for maint on a boat.

    one is original gel the other is black paint both boat live on lifts so water is not an issue. the gel boat starts out great after much time spent getting it that way. The other is wash and wax. in 2 weeks time the gel looks chalky but the paint still shines.the paint on the boat is almost 9 years old and it looks like the day it left the booth.

    for stripes and deck, paint is a no-brainer in my book
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
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    boys, I'll be buying!

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  9. #9
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    With paint, you have a high gloss that will last virtually forever. Gelcoat demands constant maintenance. Any of the paints mentioned are great candidates for the job. I did my 1971 18' with Imron only because I am so used to shooting it on boats, but I do my classic cars with PPG BC/CC. Bill

    1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
    1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
    1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
    1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
    1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
    Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma

  10. #10
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    This is 30 year old gelcoat that was restored by a local proffessional. The blue sides and top stripe are better than new. The white polished up great, but had bleached whiter and mis-matched the inside so I am having all the white re-gelled.

    Kent
    Never underestimate the power of persistance...

  11. #11
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    If you want scratches and chips. Paint is great for that
    machinist ,bore it deeper,ream it bigger, and lap it to a fine finish



    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...=2&theater

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Conquistador_del_mar View Post
    With paint, you have a high gloss that will last virtually forever. Gelcoat demands constant maintenance. Any of the paints mentioned are great candidates for the job. I did my 1971 18' with Imron only because I am so used to shooting it on boats, but I do my classic cars with PPG BC/CC. Bill
    I agree with Bill 100% and also spray Imron , & if you can spray Imron you can spray Awlgrip ,because they both are..... a very wet paint . Hey guy , i have to say that PPG , base coat , clear coat , can make the worst painter in the world look like a seasoned pro because it is very forgiving and buff's like butter .

  13. #13
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    I always wet a surface down and if it looks good wet chances are it just needs a good compounding / polish or it may need to be sanded but I wouldn't paint it without sanding it down and then compound and polish. I am a 3m fan but there are other products on the market. Just take your time and don't skip any steps.
    better to die on your feet, than live on your knees

  14. #14
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    I wet-sanded my '96 22 when I bought it in 2006. It was a very labor intensive process, but turned out great. I wish I only had the deck and boot stripes to deal with, since my red hullsides add quite a bit of square feet to the job! With only the two stripes, you could easily tackle that by hand, starting with a 600 or 800 grit and working your way up to 1500 then your 3m or similar buffing compound. Here's an old thread with details;

    http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthre...highlight=pink

    Since the wet-sanding I have used Leverage Polish twice a year, and simply hose and dry the boat after use. (I trailer to locations.) In my opinion the gel still looks very good, and I am glad that I went this route.

    You've got a lot of good options as suggested in this thread, but don't be afraid of a little elbow grease to restore the original gel. Choose a polish with UV protection and the gel should continue to look great for many years to come.

    Good luck!


    Member: Red Boat Club
    1996 22' Classic
    Volvo 7.4GSi/DPX (E-4 props)
    bone stock 72.8 gps mph

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by joseph m. hahnl View Post
    If you want scratches and chips. Paint is great for that
    You haven't had a quality painted boat before I see.

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