topside, bottom and deck restoration (Page 1 of 2)

This is my first post on this site, although i read it regularly and my boat, Mustard Seed, is on the site.
I can swear to the fact that no matter how much sanding, buffing, waxing you do to a colored gel coat, once it starts to chalk, there is no fix that will last longer than a couple months.  Mustard Seed was yellow, I say was because I got tired of the chalky look and painted it this year.  Now I'll have to update my picture on this site!  Maybe you'll have better results on an '86 as opposed to my '72.
I considered AwlGrip (rolling and tipping, because there was no way I could afford to have it done), but the stuff is so expensive when you add up all the converters and solvents you need.  I ended up using Interlux Perfection, it's a 2 part epoxy paint.  It's super glossy, and I gotta say, it rivals the look of awlgrip, maybe better.  I did the whole thing myself, the steps were easy, but it's alot of labor.  I did two coats of primer and two coats of paint.  I rolled and tipped each coat, and the results were better than I expected.  But it's true what they say, it's all in the prep.

I reduced the pre-kote about 25% to get it to flow out better, but I didn't have to reduce the Perfection at all...but I didn't spray either.  I ended up having to do alot of sanding with the primer, but it turned out extremly smooth.

Christopher...

Thanks for the Rolite tip.  I've ordered some easily online.  I've already cleaned up Varuna's chaulky decks with a green Scotchbrite pad and Soft Scrub, but now the surface is just dull, although wax gives it a very slight gloss.  Tried automotive rubbing compound too, but the Scotchbrite worked better.  I'll let you know how the Rolite works...

RBPorter,

I painted my topsides (74 JJT) last spring, it was a lot more work than anticipated, and for me not as easy as they made it sound. I used Interlux. The result is ok, not spectacular, although from a distance it looks nice. Rolled and tipped it after failed spray attempts. Some pictures on the website.
I will try this Rolite stuff for my deck, I was thinking Rhinoliner if it doesnt work....
Good Luck!

Peter SC - did you use two part paint (perfection or interthane plus)??  Why did the spray attempt fail?  I'm going to spray the hull and decks of my 74.  Just wondering if you've got any "not written on the can" tips, cause I've come up with about 20 of them....

I just finished painting the inside of my boat, 1 coat of pre-kote ( 1 pack primer ) and 1.5 coats of off white Brightside.   (the .5 is where the liner repair was showing thru).  Check out the pictures at yahoo.....

For those who used Rolite in the past, how does the gelcoat look a year later?  Did it hold it's shine?  Did you use anything after the polish (wax or sealer)?

Just saw your Gallery post, Christopher.  Fantastic!!!  I just looked at Rolite's (Spec Distribution Inc.) site (yuck!) but it didn't post any prices and I was just confused with all the different products not knowing which one(s) to use.  Could you guide this forum to how you got that hull to shine like that?  Also, Spec is a little slow in giving me prices and info so if you could expedite that part and just tell us which product to use, how much it costs and how to apply it would be just amazing.  No detail is too small by the way and thanks for sharing that pic.  Can't wait for your response.

José

nothing that you can do about it save for sand it all smooth and paint her.  common in older, dark hulled boats (contessas included....)  as far as waxing before painting - when you are going to paint you'll sand and sand and clean and clean and clean and dewax and dewax and dewax again and again and wipe some more times.  so a coat or two of wax now before a paint job next year won't really be much of an issue.

Good day!

My experience with Rolite is that you can use it quite sparingly on our Contessa's.  I have never used more than 1/3 of a can of the polish, nor a that much wax for that matter.  Your investment will last more than one season.  Also, visit your local marine store -- it may not be cheaper but I saw Rolite products recently at The Boathouse here in Montreal.  I checked the Westmarine catalogue but did not see Rolite.  That does not always mean that it is not there.

It seems to me that it is the big buffer that does the work on this job.  For those of you who are going to try Rolite, I use a 7" variable speed angle polisher with a big sheepskin pad.  My yacht club has a few of the machines available to members because this method of polishing (whether using Rolite or not) has been so successful.  Perhaps you can save a few dollars by asking at your club.  My first season doing this I was able to do the topsides in half a day and I am faster now.  A key element in the process is to use the Zappy pad cleaner often to get the old wax and other oxidized gelcoat out of the pad.  The Zappy cleaner is a gadget that fits on the top of a bucket and you can get one through the same distributor as the polish.

Some have asked "How?".  Elbow grease has always worked well for me.  I start by giving my boat a bath!  I start on the decks and work down -- I use stiff brushes on the non-skid and rags everwhere else.  I use the standard deck cleaner (Starbright lately) and I rub every surface.  I find that this removes a lot of the oxidation from the deck -- they look and feel a lot better when I am done.  I also prepare the teak for oiling at this stage.  (Aside:  to keep this thread on topic I have posted about teak elsewhere).  Then I clean the topsides with the intention of removing old wax, dirt, grit and grime.  I have not settled on a cleaner for the topsides yet -- I want to find a balance between something that takes off old wax but is not hard on the underlying gelcoat.  Again I use rags and I rub hard.  Rinse WELL!

Next, wet the sheepskin pad and spin off the water.  Your Zappy Cleanner is a good tool for this.  Use a rag and apply a bit of polish to the boat.  I may also spritz with a few drops of water if I feel it is needed for extra lubrication.  The proportions of water and polish is something best learned by trial and error.  Then polish.  You will see shiny boat and it will be obvious, particualrly on a coloured hull, if you need to polish more.  Follow the instructions -- small patches.  Rolite is not unlike most polishes and contains a solvent that evaporates quickly.  Keep the can covered and apply in small areas -- you need wet polish for buffing. 

Also, be careful not to overbuff.  Do what is necessary and no more.  Polish is an abrasive process and you are using it to take off oxidized gelcoat.  The more gelcoat you polish off (literally!) the less you have on the boat!  As I noted elsewhere, my experience with Rolite has been that very little work is required on the gelcoat in subsequent seasons -- the apparent oxidation is actually old wax.

Once completed this stage you should be looking at a shiny boat.  Take a dry rag and wipe the whole boat down to remove any residual polish etc.  You will probably find a few spots to polish again and that is part of the reason for doing this overall rub-down.

Wax is the easy part.  I apply the wax like I would on a car.  I use a damp cloth and rub wax onto an area of the topsides -- I go larger at this point and apply wax to armspan sections.  My goal is to evenly distribute the wax over the surface if I can -- not too thin and not too thick either.  The wax dries quickly and must be completely dry before polishing.  Then take a dry rag and rub off all the dry wax.  The residual is the shiny surface.  Waxing is a fast process and if you work at it you can easily work your way around the boat in less than two hours.  I use three coats for a nice shine.  My last step is again a quick wipe with a clean rag over the whole boat.

Happy Spring!

Christopher

Okay, I am at a lost on where you can find this Rolite stuff (do not use polish as they go after the county on the search engines).  I have tried Googling it every which way and failed to the Nth degree. I tried every on-line sailboat website and nothing there.  I do not have a marine store where my boat is and closest one is 1+ hours away and it is 2 hours north to get to my boat from my place.  So, if someone would be so nice and direct me in the direction to find it and order it, I really be graceful.  ~jklee