Paint refresh

[Jar Jar]

I have a 1988 Regal and I gave her a good bath and tried to put a good wax job on her but the finish still seems pretty dull . I've tried Mcguire's compound that says it brings the paint back to life but to no avail... so ... am I S.O.L. or is there a product out there that will bring back the finish to a somewhat newer look?

Thanks

John

[Paulywood]

You might have to put in some serious work or pay someone. You need to get rid of the oxidation and that could require wet sanding the whole boat and then polishing it back up to a good surface. Might want to take some pictures and post them, people would be able to help you out. If it's not to bad you could use some rubbing compound and a polisher before the wax. Either way it's a multi step job and takes a lot of time.

[joelsanders]

rubbing compound then a wax should do the job,try an oscillating wheel,and a warm garage.

[Gilligan]

You might checkout Poliglow. I have had great results with it.

[N II Deep]

I use to fight the gel coat. Had the whole boat hand sanded and painted with Imron. I wax once per year wash up is really easy now.

[Fishmedic]

Shure hold Buff Magic. They have a great kit with polisher. I use it first thing in the spring then wax. Lats all year.

JB

[Play Dough]

A friend does that type of thing as a retirement "hobby" to make a little extra cash and has become quite professional at hull restoration. He uses Presta products which are professional body and marine compounds and polishes. After he polished my hull with a cleaner/polish, I went over it with Collonite paste wax. My 23 year old hull looks as good as the day it came out of the mold. I was truely impressed with the results. I have obtained a shiny surface in the past but there was always a bit of a haze in the finish. This resulted in a deep. glossy, wet look shine.

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

3M also makes a special polish just for marine hazing/old age and with the proper high/variable speed buffer, you can do it yourself for a fraction of the usual $350+ price the dealers will charge. Read directions and don't do it in the cold as someone else pointed out, over 60 degrees with no lower temps. like frost or dew. I bought mine at Port Supply/West Marine for about $100/gallon, it also comes in quarts for less. It's a paste application.

[Jar Jar]

Thanks for the input guys.. Unfortunately my boat is way too big to get into my garage so I guess I will have to wait until spring to give it a shot.

Thanks for all the info

John

[N II Deep]

I found pictures on N II Deep before and after repaint with the Imron paint.

it cost just under $5k to get this done, that was back in 2004, it still holds a shine to this day.

on the old finish the dark grey would not hold a shine for more than 2 weeks and I tried all kinds of products. it was a very common problem for this age and type of boat.

plus by doing the paint I was able to completely change the color of the boat.

Before

After