fiberglass restoration

[Ron F]

I own a 1982 Catalina 27. The deck is white with tan non-skid areas forward. The fiberglass is dull and weathered. I do not believe that the gelcoat is damaged severly because when rubbed, I do not get any white, chaulky residue. How do I clean and restore the finish? There are no stains but serveral areas have spider cracks.Thanks for any advice.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners]

spider cracks

The only way to get rid of the crazing is to fix them permanently and that's a big job. Keeping it clean and waxed should help diminish the appearance (kind of like the wrinkle cream they sell on TV!).LaDonna

 

[Steve Dion]

Look at the IG Site!

Ron:Look at the Island Girl Site. They have instructions on restoring you Gelcoat and Non-skid. There is a 'system' to doing this. I think you will be pleased with the results. When you purchase an IG kit, they come with some synthetic wool. You use this to scrub the oxidation off the boat. When you use this in conjuction with the appropriate cleanser/lotion you will have a good surface to start the next step of the restoration. The wax and sealers are just spread on. What has amazed me is how good the boat looks after several years of just washing with good ol' boat soap.

 

[Scott MacGowan]

Island Girl Products

I'm considering restoring the deck and hull of my 1986 Oday 35 with the Island Girl system. Does anyone out there have any experience with this product? It sounds to me to be like a product I used several years ago called "Fastglass". Almost like a varnish or clearcoat for your gelcoat. I'd love to hear from other people who've used this product and see if I should undertake this task.

 

[greg jones]

Try the IG system

Scott- I just finished restoring the gel coat and top sides/non skid surfaces of my 1984 O'Day 26 with the IG system of cleansers/waxes. All I can say is that the results are spectacular! I was not looking forward to compounding/buffing/waxing again this year and getting mediocre results so I tries the IG system. I followed all the directions and now have an 18 year old boat that looks like its 2-4 years old at worst. The multi-step process can get a little tedious but it is not nearly as strenuous as the electric buffing I was used to-and the results are many times better.I'm sold as you can probably tell-but I really think this system is worth it. Any questions, e-mail me @ gjones.wsja@verizon.net.good luckGreg Jones