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Wet sanding sucks!

Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2589
Printed Date: January-16-2025 at 5:38am


Topic: Wet sanding sucks!
Posted By: stang72
Subject: Wet sanding sucks!
Date Posted: October-11-2005 at 11:04pm
Ok...I know this subject has come up plenty!But you guys are right!Wet sanding is a major paint in the -ss.
From the stripe down to the chines...I am wet sanding.The deck and upper sides pollished out real well and look great...but there is a nasty discoloration at the waterline...more like water stain! Anyway the only way I can get the color back is by the old labor intestive W.S.
David F...you are way right...at least 600 grit to make any progress...I am starting with P220...next 400>>>600>>>1000 and compounding.Did the stearn first and it came out nice....took about all day though!
So if anyone is looking for me...I am out in the garage with a pail of water and a sanding block.
There has to be a better way



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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air







Replies:
Posted By: 882001
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 12:48am
hull cleaner by starbrite will make tht stain disappear so fast you wont believe it.

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kemah texas
http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=163&yrstart=1986&yrend=1990 - 1988
skinautique "2001"


Posted By: S.T.
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 1:12am
Originally posted by stang72 stang72 wrote:

There has to be a better way


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91773

?


Posted By: Bill336
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 9:49am
Originally posted by 882001 882001 wrote:

hull cleaner by starbrite will make tht stain disappear so fast you wont believe it.


Did you try any of the acid based hull cleaners? If not, try the above, Marykate on-off, or for something that works as well without being so nasty to work with, FSR (Fiberglass Stain Remover that comes in a small blue jar.) All are safe for gelcoat.


Posted By: David F
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 10:58am
Stang:

Believe me, I know your pain. Be careful with that 220 grit as it cuts relatively fast and leaves some deep scratches. Personally, I would start with 320 grit. 320 still cuts fairly well and does not leave the deep scratches. Are you using a tracer between grits?

Good luck and know that your right arm will end up much stronger than it is now. You will loose your finger prints and your wrist will be sore. But you will heal quickly and forget the pain every time you look at your shining boat.


Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 11:49am
David F ...What is a tracer?

I wish it was so easy...star bright is not getting it...nor snow bowl nor lime away..but I AM up for trying a stain remover...if there is one that will work.
I think I may be wet snding...

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 11:55am
S.T.
Tell me more about that tool!Have you used it???
Thanks

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 12:21pm
Wait a minute...there is a better way...at least in this case.
882001...star brigh IS working....it needed to sit for a while(half hour)and I resprayed a couple times inbetween...most important , I had to scrub with a scotch pad....it's almost as much fun as wet sanding! But it is working and I am not sanding away the gel coat!!!The scotch pad scuffs the gell slightly but buffs out with a light rubbing compound!
This is much better...hard work... but faster!

many thanks to all!!!

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: David F
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 12:33pm
FWIW: "tracer" is a light coat of black spray paint (obviously will not work on black gel coat). I usually spray a VERY light coat of black enamel on the gelcoat surface to be sanded and then using a acetone soaked rage wipe it to get a sort of uniform black thin film all over the area to be sanded. What this does for you is fill the scratches will black paint. When you start sanding with the next grit, it shows you the progress of your sanding. When the black disappears, you have successfully sanded out the scratches from the previous grit and can stop sanding.

Remember, Acetone has absolutely zero effect on cured gelcoat, so do not be afraid to use it. Just keep the Acetone off painted or vinyl graphics.


Posted By: S.T.
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 12:35pm
I used one years ago on some body work I did. It's basically the same thing as block sanding only faster. I used it on body filler but I don't see why it wouldn't work for what you're doing. You would just have to be careful and use a lot of finesse. The last time I dealt with severly oxidized gelcoat, I used a rotary polisher; it came out perfectly and was done in a day. That tool requires even more finesse though.

A tracer is something you spray on the surface to make sure you don't go too deeply into paint. AFAIK, its typical embodiment is a thin layer of contrasting paint sprayed on so that the sander knows exactly when he has removed all of the orange peel from the underlying finish. I guess if you're using a very coarse sand paper on your gelcoat, it would also reveal the deep scratches from that.


Posted By: S.T.
Date Posted: October-12-2005 at 12:40pm
Oops, too slow...I missed the last two posts. I didn't notice that you were only wet sanding to remove the water stains. I'm glad the hull cleaner is working for you.


Posted By: bwooton
Date Posted: October-18-2005 at 2:53pm
Hull cleaner and compound are great but sometimes the only way to go is wet sanding. i start with 600 and end with 2000 then some good wax.
the process sucks and i feel like someone beat me in my sleap the next day but its worth it when someone asks who re-shot my gelcoat.


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Thanks Bobby

there's no replacement for displacement


Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-18-2005 at 10:57pm
bwooton....you got that right!!! It's comming along well...but slow! Starting to shine though....damn nice salem orange!!!!Got all winter to make her look fine

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: 64 Skier
Date Posted: October-19-2005 at 3:46am
Sorry to trespass in, but I need some help. I bought a new Promo boat that the PO had waxed prior to delivery. The boat still had a lot of water marks and they obviously got too agressive trying to remove them and scratched (not swirl marked)the finish. Although the dealership is contemplating what to do, if they stick me with this can it look new again?

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64 Skier
66" HO VTX and 67" HO Triumph
http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1071&sort=&pagenum=3&yrstart=1971&yrend=1975 - 71CC


Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-19-2005 at 9:34am
64 skier...is that a 72 in salem orange?
That's what I am working on...new purchase as well...congrats!!!
How deep are the scratches??? The gel is pretty thick....you might want to work a small 1' x 1' area with p320 grit > 400 > 600 >800>1000>2000>>>compound and polish....see how it comes along.I am doing that from the stripe down and it is looking great where I have worked it.The wet sanded area is a bit brighter than the above the stripe part but with the stipe added back in it will be hardly noticable!
Yes...it can look great again....soon I will post mine and share the results!
I plan to redo all the graphics...stencil and paint...Are your graphics stenciled or vinyl.I don't know what would have been originally done because the PO redid them in vinyl...I would assume they were painted.

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: GottaSki
Date Posted: October-19-2005 at 9:44am
Add some soap to the water mix and it makes wetsanding a lot easier, removes the surface tension of the water, eaisier to keep it wet, too.

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"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worthwhile as messing around with boats...simply messing."

River Rat to Mole


Posted By: 64 Skier
Date Posted: October-20-2005 at 2:01am
Stang

Our boat is yellow. Going to paint the scoop on the front and the rear blower vents black and then think about a stripe on the side.

I like the orange boats better than the yellow, but WTH you can't have it all! Ole Yeller performs well enough that I don't really care if it has paint!

Yeller has a great paint job....it's the Promo/new 2005 that's scratched! The Dealer will most likely take care of the 2005, but I hate to see sandpaper on a new boat, thus the question.

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64 Skier
66" HO VTX and 67" HO Triumph
http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1071&sort=&pagenum=3&yrstart=1971&yrend=1975 - 71CC


Posted By: David F
Date Posted: October-20-2005 at 8:46am
How deep are the scratches? Would compounding via machine take care of the scratches? If not, let me tell you that the gelcoat is major thick on CC boats. So, the boat can handle a LOT of sanding before you go through.

When restoring my '93, it about wore me out removing the gelcoat even with a 4.5" grinder with a 36 grit sanding disc. My driveway was blue when I was done with just the front 1/4 of the port side.


Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: October-22-2005 at 5:38pm
Well it still sucks!!! But looking better all the time
From the stipe to the chine...glad thats all! I am getting about two feet a week...hard to find the time and hard to stay with it any for very long!!!

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air






Posted By: Jim_In_Houston
Date Posted: November-02-2005 at 7:26pm
You guys are making me tired. Whew, my arm hurts and all I have been doing is reading.... You just have to love these boats.

By the way, I just pulled my boat out of the bayou after it had set in the water for about 4 weeks. I had some pretty tough scum. "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner took it off with very little rubbing.The boat does need a good refinishing though. You guys post some pics!!!!!

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Happy owner of a '66 and a '68 Mustang


Posted By: 62 wood
Date Posted: November-02-2005 at 11:28pm
Hey guys,
I know wet sanding is a tedious job. I did my 64 American Skier last spring and can tell you it was well worth the effort.
I keep in mind the end results AND its about the only thing when doing body work (I mess with old cars also) that doesnt have a lot of noise involved...which means you can put on your favorite 'metal CD and go "brain dead".

I think its a great way to spend a weekend afternoon ,especially now that its too cold to hit the river!!!! Now...enjoy!

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http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1117&sort=&pagenum=6" rel="nofollow - 64 American Skier

62 Classic..
73 Ski Nautique


Posted By: Rosser
Date Posted: November-04-2005 at 1:56pm
check Island Girl Products.Makes old fibergla** look new without wet sanding.It really works.See web site at google.

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1971 Skier holman&moody 1971 Mustang holman&moody


Posted By: stang72
Date Posted: November-04-2005 at 11:42pm
I can use a high speed buffer with a medium cut compound a make it shine like gla**... the problem with colored hulls (like orange ) is discoloration...wet sanding gets it back to the original color. It will look good again, but the process is labor intensive.Have not found any other way!
SOOO....Wet Sanding still SUCKS! And I am am still slowly working on it...

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stang



Face plants are not that funny when it's you face!



http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/images/3720/photo1.jpg" rel="nofollow - The Super Air







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