The clear coat is flaking and peeling in lots of spots, should I sand the clearcaot first then the gel coat?
Sounds like this boat may have been sprayed with an auto clear coat at one time. The clear factory gelcoat will usually not peel, it will just usually wear away.
If it is peeling and cracking then I would suspect it has been sprayed again with auto clear, or clear gel that was not properly prepped..
To get to the gel underbeat you will have to remove the clear that is peeling, teflon blades and sanding is the cheapest.
A product called Removall that will lift the damaged clear coat off without damaging the gel coat underneath.
http://www.biowash.com/products/product.php?pid=34Most all gelcoat can be brought back to look new, unless it is completley wore off and the metal or poly flakes are sticking thru the gel. Once that happens, the flakes forcing their way out of the gel, then nothing short of re gelcoating will make it look good.
If the gel is still semi smooth under the peeling clear, once You get the clear off you can wetsand/compound and glaze the gel back to look new.
Here is an example of a black gel boat we did last year.
Before wet sanding :
After wet sanding/compound/glaze :
Here are the instructions to do the wet sand/compound/glaze
All the peripheral hardware should be removed from the boat, cleats, handrails, lights, windshields, decals, anything that can be unbolted from the top cap and consoles, etc will make the job easier....less obstructions when using the buffer.
You will need a high speed buffer, not an orbital buffer, the high speed produces the heat that makes the compound cut thru the faded gelcoat, you can use a cheap buffer, no need for an expensive model.
Harbor Freight has an inexpensive 3,000 rpm model.
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...etype= 3M waffle polishing pads.....the white one for compounding/cutting and the black pad for glazing/polishing.
compound
http://www.levineautoparts.com/3mperiirubco.html Glaze
http://www.levineautoparts.com/3mpe30figl1q.html black pad
http://www.levineautoparts.com/3mperplusfoa1.html white pads
http://www.levineautoparts.com/3mpeiiiroedf.html protec
http://www.protecproducts.com/faq.htmlWet Sandpaper in 1200/1500/and 2000 grit. The grit can be matched to the severity of the oxidation...if it is real bad you may have to start with 800 grit and work up to 1200 grit.
3M Perfect It Rubbing Compound # 05973
3M Final Glaze # 06066
Any hard Carnauba Marine Wax Collonite makes one of , if not the best marine wax on the market,
Heavy Duty paste Fleetwax :
http://www.collinitemarine.com/products.htm#8851st step is to remove all the hardware you can.
Wash the boat, remove any tar, bugs , etc stuck on the glass.
2nd step is to wet sand by hand with plenty of water, put a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the sanding water to make the paper slide easier, dunk the paper often to clean the sanded material off the paper.
Start with the 1200 grit, sand the whole area to be redone, rinse off with the hose, repeat with the 1500 grit, and rinse, then again with the 2000 grit....this is very labor intensive , may take you a few days to get thru ..., don't sand too hard in one spot, keep feeling the sanded area, if you feel any of the metalflake ( rough , grainy ) stop sanding on that area or you will sand too deep and expose the flakes.
You'll know You are getting the oxidation off if the water is turning milky colored while sanding, sand till the water runs clear.
When the sanding is done , wash the boat again to get the glass clean of particles, it will look dull but not faded.
3rd step is using the high speed buffer with the white 3M pad and the rubbing compound, do small areas and move the buffer slowly, not keeping it in one spot or it might burn the gel.
When done compounding wash off the compound and dry the boat.
4th step is using the black 3M pad on the high speed buffer and the 3M final glaze to put on a high gloss glaze coat.
make sure you cover the carpeting in the boat with a tarp or plastic to keep all the material off the rugs.
By this time if their was not any actual gelcoat damage the gel should look almost new again.
The final step is putting on a good coat of high carnauba paste wax....then keep the boat clean by wiping it down as soon as it comes out of the water with one of the spray wipes like Bass Boat Saver..
Pro-Tec makes an excellent polymer sealer for the gelcoat, bonds to the glass and seals the pores to help prevent oxidation.
http://www.protecproducts.com/products.html Basscat7
