Any ideas? <fixing mark or wrap boat>

[MrWizard]

This spring I'd like to work on the exterior of my boat and this is one of the first projects to tackle.

Any ideas? This mark has been on the hull for who knows how long... And the hull contains numerous imperfections in the paint (like this, or faded)

I'm thinking about wrapping from the gun whale down about 3' with marine grade vinyl. Thoughts?
https://www.bestblanks.com/signvinyl.html (FDC-3700-1503)

 

[tdonoughue]

Hard to see the mark from the photo. The paint is actually gellcoat. Spectrum makes color matched gell coat, and they sell it in a paste that is perfect for cleaning up the nicks and scratches. You can buy it at iboats.com.

So, for a small (e.g. not deep) scratch you may be able to buff it out. Otherwise, you can use some of the gell coat paste on it. You will probably need to widen the scratch to get it to stick, though (scary!). If you take your time and do it right, it is very doable and you won't be able to tell it was there. Also great for the those little dings.

I have a thread around here somewhere about my first repair with it... Ah, here it is: https://jetboaters.net/threads/gelcoat-repair-question.9039/#post-155047

 

[Bennie]

@tdonoughue - I'm looking at the gel repair kits on Iboats.com, they only go to 2011. How do I go about what works on my 2015?

thanks

 

[jameskeller76]

I have to wonder if you couldn't just wet sanded and buffed? Can you get a closer pic? You'd be surprised what you do with gelcoat if there is enough left.

 

[tdonoughue]

Just call them. They have factory matched color for all Yamaha jet boats, I believe. However, some of the descriptions are incomplete or confusing. If you call them, they will set you up with the right one.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Looks like you need that foggy area wet sanded and buffed out with a wool pad and rotary buffer. Look for a local boat detailer .... you will be surprised how new that gelcoat can look after a proper buff and polish.

I would stay away from wrapping. The wrap gets messed up quicker than gelcoat.

 

[tdonoughue]

Is that thing forward of the SX logo a reflection or the 'blemish'. If that is the blemish, I completely agree. Buff that puppy out!

 

[swatski]

@tdonoughue - I'm looking at the gel repair kits on Iboats.com, they only go to 2011. How do I go about what works on my 2015?

thanks

Spectrum Color sell kits for our boats (through iBoats) that are the exact match. Call (800) 754-5516 and have your hull number and model information handy, they will give you the product number (of what you need). You need the paste repair kit for most small jobs, 2oz I think. Comes with MEKP.
Than you order online from the iBoats, it is about $30.

--

 

[COtoFLsurf]

Agree with the others, looks like most of that will come out with wet sanding and buffing. I did this before on a black boat and it was a little scary getting started, but ultimately easy and gratifying work. The only real caution is to not sand too deep so as to go thru the gelcoat, but otherwise just go for it. Guessing there is already a ton of info on sanding/buffing posted here somewhere.

 

[blacksapphirez]

learned the hard way... TRY the rotary buffer with wool pad and a one step cleaner wax. skip wet sanding unless you need to. if you wet sand, then you need to add in the compound to cut it, then wax, then polish. adds an extra step and it aint no joke lol

 

[jpass]

I agree with the buffing. Always start with the least abrasive repair. I'd try a few passes with some mild polish on that blemish. If the color doesn't come back, then maybe some compound or a more aggressive pad with the medium polish. I've seen some pretty chalky boats restored with some compounds and polish.

 

[MrWizard]

Thank you to everyone for the replies!
Very helpful information!
I've never tried buffing or wet sanding but I've talked with a friend who has and we're hoping to tackle this project when the weather turns a little bit nicer.

 

[MrWizard]

Today we went ahead with the wet sanding and buffing, followed by polishing and then adding a sealant. All day job but dang she looks good. For being 9 years old - not too shabby. Practically looking new on the outside.
I'm a happy guy with a huge weight off my shoulders!

 

[zipper]

@MrWizard In the "after" pics, I do not see a big graphic on the black section of the hull. Did you remove it? I am contemplating removing most of my boats' graphics (all dinged up from previous owners anyway) in order to properly buff/wax my hull. Yours looks great.

 

[MrWizard]

@zipper, thank you! Yes, I removed the graphics on the black section. They were really, really bad up close. I struggled with pulling them all off but in the end I'm glad I just left the top graphic. So far my friends concensus is that it looks better this way, more sleek. I like it.
I was going to order new graphics from IPDgraphics.com but now-I don't think I will.
If I were you... Take a picture of your boat and do a quick photo edit without your graphics and see if you like the look. That was what I did and I'm happy with the turnout.