A Great Gel Treatment

[Skeeter1]

Ok guys, I found an excellent product for you guys with older boats. It's called Instant Glass and it's made by Star Brite. It's about $18-$20 for a 16oz bottle.

Here's what I did: I wet sanded my hull with 1500 grit sand paper to smooth everything out and do get rid of the milky color. Then I wiped the whole hull down with Acetone to get rid of any wax and grim in the nook and crannies. Then I hit it with a light coat of Instant Glass let it set for an hour hit it with another light coat let it set for an hour then hit it with a third coat. Apply it in the same direction. Don't apply it in circles. It's not a wax, it's a clear coat. When the sun hits my blue flake, it's almost blinding.

Alright, heres a couple of things I learned. Get and use surgical gloves if possible. This stuff is tough to get off your hands when it drys. No mater what color your boat is, your flake is silver. They put the color in the gel coat. If you start seeing silver flakes you going too deep with the sand paper. Ease the pressure off and don't keep sanding the same spot. Take long strokes with the sand paper because short strokes heat it up and could change the color as well. Just keep it good and wet and you'll be fine. Oh ya, a cut up T-Shirt works best for applying the Instant Glass. Don't apply it in the sun, find some shade.

[Jared LeBlue]

Skeeter 1, thanks for the details, I'm sure there are some members that this will help. Do you have some before and after pictures?

[Skeeter1]

I'm shooting myself for not taking pics of the boat when I bought it. It was a real piece. I'm not sure how to post pics. I have a few "after" pics.

[left_turn56]

Will it help the house paint that my boat was painted with?

[Skeeter1]

  It'll help remove it probably 

[DAWG]

Skeeter if you need help loading  let me know and we can get them on for you.
I wish I had some of this stuff for my old boat before i sold it ,might have gotten more for it 

[Mike Cork]

Skeeter1, great post!!!! 

Thank you for sharing your success with us. I have been looking at different products and am afraid to get envolved in something that doesn't work. This post definately boosted my confidence on this.

When it comes to the wet sanding and the 1500 grit paper, is this a long process? I know when I used a rubbing compound it took for ever to make a noticable difference. After many hours it definately helped but I wish I would have tried the wet sanding

[BassBUFF]

Mike,
  I did the same as you when I first got my boat. Then i found an article about wet-sanding first, then buffing compound, and finally a good wax. It made a huge difference. Only problem was it didn't last but about 6 months then started to fade some. It still looks 100% better than when I got it, only not that "just waxed" look everyone wants. I added some dish soap to my water (old trick) for sanding and it did'nt take long at all.

Skeeter1,
  This product interests me as well. Only thing that scares me is the auto industry came out with something that sounds similar to this about 10 years ago. Just wipe it on and let it dry to a "like new shine". I had an old truck so I tried it and it worked great for about 1 month then started to fade real quick. Three months later, the truck looked just like before I used it. So I'm curious as to how long this Star Brite product will last so keep us posted. Also where did you find the product?

[DAWG]

I loaded some  in the gallery of the final outcome on his boat in my gallery. Gp take a look .

[Skeeter1]

It took me about an hour and a half to wet sand my 16.5' boat. When I first got the boat (year and a half ago) it was in really bad shape. It took me a few weeks to prep the hull. The previous owner shot it with a clear coat without preping it. He shot over dirt, carpet, seats, guages and everything. It all blistered up and it took me a while to get down to the original gel coat. When I did finaly get down to the gel coat I hit it with some 1500 grit and then waxed it. It looked good and lasted for about 4-5 months. I'll keep you guys posted but I think this Instant Glass is going to last much much longer.

[cmegee]

I'm interested myself, where did you find this instant glass?

[Skeeter1]

Boat US but they have it at West Marine too.

[cmegee]

Thanks, let us know how it is holding up. I might just try it on my old Stratos before I sell it....

[92Nitro190TF]

Skeeter1,
How long did the Instant Glass hold up for?  I know this is an old post but it caught my attention.  Just curious if it lasted for a month or for alot longer.

Anyone else familiar with lightly wet sanding your murky clear coat and applying Instant Glass?

Thanks for your help!

William

[Stump bumper]

Just the tip I was looking for, you are the second one to recommend sanding. Guess I'll have to get busy.