Gelcoat, teak, and metal restoration. - Moderated Discussion Areas

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Author Topic:   Gelcoat, teak, and metal restoration.

thunderpaste posted 01-28-2009 10:16 PM ET (US)
I want to polish, buff and wax all the gelcoat on my recent Montauk purchase.
It seems like the way to go is to (1)remove the rails and teak then sand, polish, and restore everything seperately. (2)Buff the gelcoat and then epoxy fill all the holes, (3)repilot drill everything, and put it all back together.
Is this overkill? Everything is in pretty good shape. I just want to make this boat really nice. If anyone has done this how many hours did it take?
Ritzyrags posted 01-28-2009 11:53 PM ET (US)
No,
You will not need to take the bumpers and antenna off in order to refresh your Tahoe will you now?
Take it one step at a time and go by steps.
First clean and scrub all staining.
You will address the needs of metals next.
And then you can see if your woods will need some TLC.
After a thorough cleansing take a couple of steps back and scan of the state of your unit.
You should see the big picture by then.
If inclined to do so post some photos.
thunderpaste posted 01-29-2009 09:56 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the advice. I have a tendency to go all out on projects.
I will definitely be posting some pics.
pglein posted 01-29-2009 06:14 PM ET (US)
If you want to go all-out, I don't think stripping the hull down is necessarily overkill. Clearly, it wouldn't be necessary in all cases, but if your boat is in serious need of a deep cleaning, it might be worth it. However, I wouldn't epoxy and re-drill all the mounting holes. Only do that to the ones that are stripped out, which I think you will find to be fairly few.
kwik_wurk posted 01-30-2009 11:52 AM ET (US)
Unless you have loose hand rails and equipment, unscrewing everything sure adds a lot of work to a wax job.
However, I myself have done what you are talking about.
It takes some time. About 2-3 weekends; mainly to fill all the holes twice. (One pass to plug the very bottom of the hole, and a second to fill to flush surface. Trying to fill holes in one shot leads to the epoxy seeping into the foam and can result in 1/2" recess in the hole.)
Waxing the interior is much easier with the rails off. (I also used a high speed buffer.)
Good luck, taking the rub rail off will reveal some dirt!
thunderpaste posted 01-30-2009 08:49 PM ET (US)
I brought the boat home today and after closer inspection have decided to go ahead and remove everything. This will make it much easier to clean and polish every little detail.
If I have everything off I might as well fill the holes, or at least use some sort of loc-tite for reassembly.
DeeVee posted 01-30-2009 11:12 PM ET (US)
I bought my 1989 Outrage a few years ago right before winter. The gelcoat was in serious need of attention.
I put it in my shop and stripped all the hardware off, including the railings. I wet sanded nearly the entire topsides, and then buffed it out with Finesse-It II. Then I gave everything a sealer coat.
I believe that will be the only time I have to go to that extent. I am planning on buffing out the gelcoat again this winter (it is in the shop as I write this) and give it new coat of wax.
I will also polish up all the stainless while it is laid up . The old girl will be in nice shape when I take her out for some late winter blackmouth salmon fishing next month.
Doug
edma0012 posted 02-02-2009 05:47 PM ET (US)
I have some holes that are shot along my railing- what epoxy should I use to fill them?
seasaw posted 02-02-2009 07:53 PM ET (US)
I recently had a local fiberglass boat building shop compound the interior of my 86 Montauk. After I dropped my boat off, he remarked that it would be easier for them if they removed the rails. The boat looks super, in order to put a good buffing machine to work it was easier for them without the rails installed.
Jeff
thunderpaste posted 02-02-2009 08:13 PM ET (US)
In another thread someone recomended using marine-tex putty to fill the holes.
dino54904 posted 02-05-2009 10:57 AM ET (US)
How you fill holes depends upon what the holes are being used for and what condition they are in. If the holes are drilled into a plywood backer you need to make sure the backer board is not softened by water intrusion. If they are I have dilled them out with a 1/4 or 3/8 inch drill until I get dry wood. Then epoxy a hardwood dowel into the hole and leave the top shy of the upper surface so that I can then fill that in with Marine Tex. This gives you a very solid substrate to put your screw into for solid footing. The problem with filling screw holes with Marine Tex that I have found is that it is too thick to flow into all the groves and crannies of the old hole. Also if there is wet / soft wood on the lining of the hole the Marine Tex will not create a solid foundation for the new fastener.

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Author	Topic: Gelcoat, teak, and metal restoration.
thunderpaste	posted 01-28-2009 10:16 PM ET (US) I want to polish, buff and wax all the gelcoat on my recent Montauk purchase. It seems like the way to go is to (1)remove the rails and teak then sand, polish, and restore everything seperately. (2)Buff the gelcoat and then epoxy fill all the holes, (3)repilot drill everything, and put it all back together. Is this overkill? Everything is in pretty good shape. I just want to make this boat really nice. If anyone has done this how many hours did it take?
Ritzyrags	posted 01-28-2009 11:53 PM ET (US) No, You will not need to take the bumpers and antenna off in order to refresh your Tahoe will you now? Take it one step at a time and go by steps. First clean and scrub all staining. You will address the needs of metals next. And then you can see if your woods will need some TLC. After a thorough cleansing take a couple of steps back and scan of the state of your unit. You should see the big picture by then. If inclined to do so post some photos.
thunderpaste	posted 01-29-2009 09:56 AM ET (US) Thanks for the advice. I have a tendency to go all out on projects. I will definitely be posting some pics.
pglein	posted 01-29-2009 06:14 PM ET (US) If you want to go all-out, I don't think stripping the hull down is necessarily overkill. Clearly, it wouldn't be necessary in all cases, but if your boat is in serious need of a deep cleaning, it might be worth it. However, I wouldn't epoxy and re-drill all the mounting holes. Only do that to the ones that are stripped out, which I think you will find to be fairly few.
kwik_wurk	posted 01-30-2009 11:52 AM ET (US) Unless you have loose hand rails and equipment, unscrewing everything sure adds a lot of work to a wax job. However, I myself have done what you are talking about. It takes some time. About 2-3 weekends; mainly to fill all the holes twice. (One pass to plug the very bottom of the hole, and a second to fill to flush surface. Trying to fill holes in one shot leads to the epoxy seeping into the foam and can result in 1/2" recess in the hole.) Waxing the interior is much easier with the rails off. (I also used a high speed buffer.) Good luck, taking the rub rail off will reveal some dirt!
thunderpaste	posted 01-30-2009 08:49 PM ET (US) I brought the boat home today and after closer inspection have decided to go ahead and remove everything. This will make it much easier to clean and polish every little detail. If I have everything off I might as well fill the holes, or at least use some sort of loc-tite for reassembly.
DeeVee	posted 01-30-2009 11:12 PM ET (US) I bought my 1989 Outrage a few years ago right before winter. The gelcoat was in serious need of attention. I put it in my shop and stripped all the hardware off, including the railings. I wet sanded nearly the entire topsides, and then buffed it out with Finesse-It II. Then I gave everything a sealer coat. I believe that will be the only time I have to go to that extent. I am planning on buffing out the gelcoat again this winter (it is in the shop as I write this) and give it new coat of wax. I will also polish up all the stainless while it is laid up . The old girl will be in nice shape when I take her out for some late winter blackmouth salmon fishing next month. Doug
edma0012	posted 02-02-2009 05:47 PM ET (US) I have some holes that are shot along my railing- what epoxy should I use to fill them?
seasaw	posted 02-02-2009 07:53 PM ET (US) I recently had a local fiberglass boat building shop compound the interior of my 86 Montauk. After I dropped my boat off, he remarked that it would be easier for them if they removed the rails. The boat looks super, in order to put a good buffing machine to work it was easier for them without the rails installed. Jeff
thunderpaste	posted 02-02-2009 08:13 PM ET (US) In another thread someone recomended using marine-tex putty to fill the holes.
dino54904	posted 02-05-2009 10:57 AM ET (US) How you fill holes depends upon what the holes are being used for and what condition they are in. If the holes are drilled into a plywood backer you need to make sure the backer board is not softened by water intrusion. If they are I have dilled them out with a 1/4 or 3/8 inch drill until I get dry wood. Then epoxy a hardwood dowel into the hole and leave the top shy of the upper surface so that I can then fill that in with Marine Tex. This gives you a very solid substrate to put your screw into for solid footing. The problem with filling screw holes with Marine Tex that I have found is that it is too thick to flow into all the groves and crannies of the old hole. Also if there is wet / soft wood on the lining of the hole the Marine Tex will not create a solid foundation for the new fastener.