Getting rid of chalky gelcoat
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- Опубліковано 8 лис 2023
- Regular viewers will have seen us battle to keep our dark green gel coat on Fair Isle looking goos over the years.
We've tried all sorts or restoration methods and protective coatings like top end nano technology ceramic coatings.
We actually thought our gel coat was now beyond help and we may have to paint, a very expensive option! But you'ld be amazed what can be done with the right equipment and a bit of hard work.
This video will take you through the step by step process to get your gel coat looking like new.
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So glad I have a wooden boat now 55 years old. Just repaint every four or five years looks great! Takes me about a week and materials are good quality but inexpensive. Really enjoy all your films and insights, especially the new things Thanks
I follow different sailing channels and your boat is far the most beautiful one! And looking this shiny makes me melt! Btw, you guys are very pleasant to watch. I love the tourism and historical content you add to your videos. Yours and Project Atticus are two of the best on UA-cam! Thanks! God bless you all and stay safe!
We love Jordan & Desiree too, really enjoyed spending time with them in Malta
This looks like a waste of time and cash :( what about a clear coat or polyurethane
I'm not sure you're getting this, the work is taking back the gel coat to loose the chalky dead stuff on top. Whats a clear coat of polyurethane going to do? wake up!
My shoulders were aching just watching you. A wonderful outcome for your efforts! Nicely done.
'3M; you need a PhD to figure out which one to use'...luckily you have someone on board who has one of those!
Great video again. I had the pleasure of meeting these good people in Lagos Sopromar boatyard recently. Busy people getting their boat ready for more adventures.
Outstanding Steve! You certainly are a worker! I’d like to bring the hull up on my Dehler 37. So far all I have had time to do is clean it with Pink Stuff cream! Other jobs have taken priority! ⛵️
Excellent tute.
Great job. Fair Isle must be an awesome boat with how much you care for it.
Amazing results.
Greatly helpful!
Great video will be interesting to see how this version survives and what future maintenance looks like. We’re looking at spraying the hull and easily could eclipse bleeding eyeballs price.
good job, Steve! that looked like a lot of effort.
Very useful, thank you
Great transformation, the UV wax does a great job, I hope it lasts a while after all that effort.
very informative video mate 👍
Cracking job Steve. Blue Beneteau owners take note. (Ryan and Dean) 🤣Sail Safe mate. Ant & Cid
Thanks for this! Would be really helpful if you put an itemized list of all the materials you used in the description.
Nice work. I found that less compound and polish is better for working into a high gloss polish . I watched a professional boat Detailer doing the yacht next to ours and he used only a few dots each time but white is an easier colour that’s for sure.
What a huge amount of work , it looked beautiful though.
Very informative and as pleasing to watch as sailing.....
It wasn't as pleasing to do as sailing!
Nice video. Of course, I am watching all that work and hoping in six months the chalkiness doesn't return. I use the same 3M polish/wax on my boat and it doesn't seem to last as long as I would expect.
Hats off to you but christ Steve, you must have a very high boredom threshold! 'Lee Shores, Lazy Jacks & Lunches' recommends industrial floor polish (£30 for a tin), they reckon it works a treat as it puts a very tough polymer coat on the hull surface. You might need to try it in 6 months time... :)
I painted our topsides and deck with new nonskid complete . If you do resort to painting , use IMRON ELITE . No more chaulky topsides , its hard as nails and repairable. Also will last decades . I have seen 30 year old Imron that still looks like the day it was applied .
Thanks, I'll make a note for the future
Wow Looks new again! But boy a lot of work your going to need a vacation again! LOL
To polish the gelcoat, the polisher is circulated counterclockwise (Anti times) in a circular way throughout the hull, otherwise there will be areas with less and others with more brightness. Good fortune
Hi again Steve,
James at Yacht wraps UK looked at your video and confirms that there is no reason why your hull could not be wrapped.
It is of course vital that only the very best vinyl is used. My boat was covered using Avery Dennison.
That's really interesting, I assumed the ridges would mean it was not possible. Good to know, thanks
Thx for sharing your experiences. Thats a big investment of time; looks good ! Did you choose not to wear gloves, earplugs, respirator etc ?
Yes. There’s really no need look like you’re about to enter a chemical warfare zone on a job like that
Thanks so much Steve! Very helpful. I have been doing that work bit by bit but I haven't found a great process yet. I love that quick disconnect. Do you have more information on that? Is it a 3M product? The Gyeon Rim (automotive wheel ceramic) seems to be holding up well but it is expensive. Beautiful result you got! F
Hi Franny, yes the bayonet connector is a 3M's device www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354408316247?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=354408316247&targetid=1814673647502&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9041112&poi=&campaignid=19089547614&mkgroupid=142438599285&rlsatarget=pla-1814673647502&abcId=9303859&merchantid=428628601&gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4ui6dfb7GT0kQ_b_kaPZluGiMiWsPJYjZthLtQvFijfPDx85yabsRLUaAglBEALw_wcB
Interesting about the wheel ceramic, are you using that on your gelcoat? I was wondering about using it to slow down my bronze tarnishing
@@svfairisle I am using it in gel coat. I did the aft seating lazaret. I also did the helm and wheel. It is designed for metal so it should work well on your bell. I'm really curious if you feel it last any longer. It is quite a bit thicker than normal paint ceramic and, in theory, is formulated for salt and grime (brake dust is acidic and iron-ey).
I'll see if I can get hold of some. I did try the Gtecniq "Fastcoat' on some bronze a couple of years ago (they said not to use the strong stuff I used on the topsides but fastcoat might work) Well it seemed to work for a bit, then it turned the bronze black & made it difficult to polish back up so i'm wary of it now.
Looks beautiful but not sure I would want to spend that much time and effort to go from looks good from 10 feet to looks good from 10 inches ;) I think in my case, I will do more of a satin/flat finish.... but then, I am tied to the fisherman's wharf, so maybe that work boat look fits better anyway. I should add that you are making your home look good while mine is at best, the summer cottage.
Great content as always, thanks! I am wondering if this is "only" a cosmetic thing or is it important for the structure of the hull?
It's just cosmetic gelcoat isn't adding to the strength of the hull... although maybe with some of the paper thin constructions we see these days every micron helps!
Thanks @@svfairisle! Haha you certainly don't need it then - but you sure made it look beautiful!
Really helpful. How do you know of the gelcoat is too far gone to polish it back?
You don’t really, just have to try a patch & see if it works. Gel coat is generally thicker than you think though, on older yachts anyway not so sure about new ones.
Nice work. Hope it lasts a good time. How are your shares in 3M doing!
I wish. If anyone from 3M would like to give support we are here!
I have a fiberglass freshwater boat. Some companies offer a treatment of muriatic acid to remove oxidation. What do tou know about this option? Rick
Muriaic acid is what is usually used for rust stains, works really well. You’ll find it in brick cleaners / patio cleaners as well. If you have any little cuts on your hands it stings like hell!
Can you please share which 3M discs you used? You did not mention the exact PHD level discs in used :-)
Yes they are 'Trizact' discs, like these... groveshop.co.uk/3m-150mm-purple-hookit-discs/22867-3m-p1200-150mm-purple-hookit-film-disc-260l-17h-pack-of-50-34783n.html
Can I ask if you thought about the continuing with the use of the nano polish after all the cutting back, rather than reverting to wax? My own experience with the nano stuff has been good, and it seems to hold the gloss for ages with very little effort in getting it onto the gelcoat.
Yes I considered it, but for me it only lasted 2 years. With this better base maybe it would have lasted longer but it's a lot of money to spend if it didn't. Glad yours seems to be working, was the gelcoat relatively new?
I would be over the moon with a 2 year gloss! But then, I think we may be talking about different products. My stuff costs about £35 for 250ml spray application and light bluff, so I'm wondering just what you are using, and just how much it costs. And yes, My gelcoat is relatively new (4 years)
@@svfairisle
Arh no the Gtecniq juice would set you back about £2,000 for my boat. I used it as a test trial for them a couple of years ago so I didn't pay for it. It what they use on new Ferraris etc. It's excellent on a new finish but doesnt fare so well on old gel coat
@@svfairisle Hey Steve - based on your previous videos re GTechniq, we splashed out the big bucks and applied it a year ago to 25 year old gel coat - so far so good. Once you apply all this labour, couldn't you consider the gelcoat 'new' and so apply GTechniq again?
@@michaelwiggins7682 Yes & if I had a way of getting hold of some I may have done that. I'll be interested in knowing how yours gets on in a few years
The joys of a green hull. How long do you reckon your bell coat will last keep cutting it back?
Impossible to tell really it all depends on how thickly it was applied to the mold. Most of these older boats tended to just get it on there thick rather than have complicated application methods to get exactly the right amount to save money, same as the fiberglass really. So I might get a couple more cut backs, that might not be true with modern yachts though so watch out!
Next important restoration job, removal of arm-juice 😮
What no "polish on, polished off'?
not this time!
Just to be sure, this is gelcoat you're polishing? Not paint?
Yes… you cannot do this with paint!
Good for the guns!!! 💪💪💪💪💪💪😂😂😂😂😂😂
It looks very good indeed but every time you cut it you are reducing the gelcoat thickness and therefore the colour.
As I have said before either painting or professional vinyl wrapping is the only effective long term solution.
I chose the latter on my blue hulled Nimbus. It was done 3 years ago and still looks as good as the day it was done.
Believe me it really will be the cheapest in the long run.
Cant be done on Fair Isle though because of the ridges
Do you listen to audio books or podcasts whilst you grind and polish? Any lingering vibration disorders? 🫨
Yes usually podcasts. The orbital sander is actually very kind on the lingering vibration issue
@@svfairisle There’s definitely an art to listening and engaging in repetitive tasks. Two streams of concentration. I’m marginally competent at either. What the hell did I just listen to? A baseball game is the perfect tonic. Simple and equally mundane.