Detailing Tips for a mid 80's bert with original gelcoat?

[incoming]

One of the items on my long list of to-do's for my new B38 is a good compound/polishing/waxing. I had the hull done while it was on the hard getting a bottom job so I "only" need to do the topsides, cockpit, etc. Searching online there seem to be as many different (and conflicting) tips on boat compounding/polishing/waxing as there are boats out there.

The gelcoat is in ok shape but it doesn't seem to have had much care in the last couple of years. I have pictures of the boat from about three years ago and it shined beautifully. So I think it's possible to bring it back. I don't really care about "boat show" quality perfection - I just want to protect the gelcoat from further degradation and get it looking reasonably nice for a 30 year old boat.

Question - how will I be able to tell if the gelcoat is just too far gone and I really need to be thinking of painting it? It's a 1985 and as far as i can tell the finish seems to be original, with the exception of the cockpit which I'm guessing has been painted (or perhaps completely replaced). Again, i don't need perfection, so I'm not worried (at this point) about a few spider cracks around rod holders, etc.

What's a good combination of compounding, polishing, and waxing products for these older boats? I assume 3-step is the way to go?

How about a buffer? Is it worth investing in a dual action buffer or just go with a variable speed buffer?

What would you guys recommend for the areas like the bow topsides, where I want to protect the finish but I don't want it slippery either? Same question for the non-skid areas. In the past I've used either starbrite non skid cleaner & wax or woody wax. Do I compound the areas and then apply the woody wax instead of polishing and waxing? Or skip the compounding and just clean the areas often with a protective non-skid cleaner like starbrite?

[Tony Meola]

I will say this, Bertram had great gel coats. Doing the job right is important and wet sanding is a last resort.

Give it a good wash. This strips everything. What I do is as follows:

1) Wash with Dawn and P21s auto wash https://www.autogeek.net/p2totautwas.html (Remember the goal is a clean hull) This strips off old wax, sealers and dirt.

2) Compound if you must but I would start out easy, I use Meguires fine cut cleaner to start. Otherwise if I am compounding I us 3M polishing compound.

3) This is what creates the shine. The Polish. I use Meguires Polish.
The Meguires Products are available from any auto store

4) This is the key to finishing it up, I have been using Big White but you can use any high quality Wax or Sealer. Big White is a Sealer and I have found to last longer for me at least. But any high quality Marine product will work.

Now for a machine, I have two that I go too depending on my needs. I have a Porter Cable DA which I use 99% of the time and then I have a Harbor Freight Rotary that I use only when I get desperate which was only once, after she sat for a year when we re-powered and she was a mess.

I also have an old Sears DA orbital which was one of those slow non adjustable speed machines. The only time that gets used is if my wife helps and she uses that one with a Micro bonnet to take off the wax.

No matter what machine you use and by the way Harbor Freight Rotory and DA will do the same job as a $200 machine. One trick with the Harbor Freight is to go online and find the you tube video on how to pack them with grease to quiet them down and make them last. Don't be surprised when you look around the boat yard at the professionals that come in, you might find a lot of them have the Harbor Freight buffers. Reason the owner will give you is that if his guys drop them in the water he doesn't care, but drop a couple of $150 Porta Cables in the water is a different story.

If you get your heart set on a name brand, sign up for a emails from a site like I have provided links for, (I also use Autopia) you will get constant sale emails and there are times you can catch a really good sale.

Now the next thing you need no matter what brand machine you buy are quality pads.I use Lake Country but their are many others. Detailing a boat is no different than a car. Take a look at the links below, they will be helpful.

Good Luck

https://www.autogeek.net/buffer-polisher.html
https://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html
https://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

[incoming]

Thank you! Just what I was looking for. Would you do that for everything but the textured non-skid areas, including the bow deck? And then for the non-skid areas just wash and a non-skid protectant like woody wax?

[Tony Meola]

Non skid, if it is rough just wash it, if it is diamond, be careful what you use. It can get slippery. I wax the top of my engine box which is diamond it really is not too bad but I am not walking around on it.

The bow deck, man if that is not non skid I would make it non skid. I bet the non skid has worn off. I would be very hesitant to wax that area. Go up there and if it is wet you might be going for a swim.

I would get some paint and roll it on and add non skid to it.

Lets see what others have to say.

[incoming]

There's no diamond or similar patterned texture anywhere. The cockpit has a light grit that I assume was painted on by a PO. There's a mild textured finish on the areas where you walk from the cockpit around the saloon up to the bow, and then a very mild texture on the bow itself. The cockpit gunnels also have a light grit texture.

Interested in any other inputs, but at this point my plan would be to wash, lightly compound, polish, and wax any smooth gelcoat surface that I don't plan to walk on (basically just the front and sides of the saloon and bridge).

Then for areas I need to walk on, use barkeepers friend or similar to remove stains, then just wash with starbrite non-skid cleaner with PTEF (similar), then maybe follow up with woody wax.

Should I consider compounding (but not polishing) the non-skid areas to remove oxidization? Will that help make future washes easier? Or is it just going to immediately reoxidize with no real protective finish?

[Tony Meola]

I believe that on all of the older Bert's they applied a grit to the gunnels and bow area. On my 31 it has basically all worn off. I just have not been able to get up the energy to take that job on.

I do not wax these areas. I found that the P21 cleans it up pretty well, but it does get dirty as the season goes on. Compounding will smooth it out but unless you wax it it is a lost cause. Not sure what you would happen even if you do compound it. Try a small area that is not too noticeable and see what you get. But I think you are chasing your tail on that one.

If I ever get up the energy I will tape off everything off and roll on a two part epoxy and apply a grit, coat or two.

I just pulled my fiberglass deck and I have a guy who is going to redo the non skid on it. He is going to spray it and have the grit mixed in the paint. I figured for me to do it would probably been about $250 to prep and paint the deck, then I would have to buy the spray equipment. So when he told me $800 I said its yours to do.

If your topsides are pretty much stress crack free I would not worry about too much.

Good luck.

[Amberjack]

I've been buffing and waxing the original gel coat topsides on Amberjack (1969 FBC) for 20 years using the same process Tony does and the results are excellent.

step 1: Tony uses Dawn, I spray on Simple Green full strength. The goal is to strip off old wax and stains.

step 2: use a light rubbing compound, in my case Dow White which is the fine stuff. Bertrams have plenty of gel coat to work with but I've never had to use heavy rubbing compound. Then give the boat a good wash to get the grit off.

step 3: once the old wax is stripped off the gel coat is open and porous so it really gobbles up wax. I use FleetWax and do two coats at once which lasts me all season.

Helpful hints:

If you do the whole boat start from the bridge deck and work down so the cleaner doesn't wash down onto your finished areas and strip off the new wax.

Buffing the wax is a lot easier if you use an orbital buffer but throw away the dinky little polishing mitts that come with it. Put a clean towel over the orbital head and hold it against the gel coat with the buffer. It takes practice but once you get it down it's a lot more efficient than the small mitts that clog with wax after the first couple square feet. The towel will keep working out from under the buffer pad but repositioning it also gives you a clean patch of towel to work with so the whole process goes really fast. Amberjack usually takes two towels per wax coat, one for the first quick buff then a clean one to polish up. One wax coat for the topsides, both sides and the transom, takes about 90 minutes.

[Joseph Fikentscher]

I used the Big White process on the hull of the 25.. Two years and it looks like I did it yesterday.

[Marlin]

Has anyone tried the wet/color sanding with the Hutchins d/ a sander with water pick up ,with 1500/2000 paper, then finish off with the Perfefect It , Finesse It products, removes the oxidation that has accumulated over the years, buff on protective wax after that process

[Tony Meola]

Has anyone tried the wet/color sanding with the Hutchins d/ a sander with water pick up ,with 1500/2000 paper, then finish off with the Perfefect It , Finesse It products, removes the oxidation that has accumulated over the years, buff on protective wax after that process

Marlin

First I have heard of it. I have only seen people wet sand by hand.

[Priceless]

I have a friend with a mid 60s thunderbird boat that was in his garage and the gelcoat looked amazing. I asked him when he repainted her and said it was original. He gave me 3 M compound and said to follow it up with Starbrite marine polish with PTEF ( 2 coats). Have a 2005 Jones brothers that was a little nasty so I started as I usually do by pressure washing and then going over all the gelcoat with ZAP Fiberglas restorer( can be found at Dollar General in the as seen on TV section). Make sure to wear rubber gloves. Let the ZAP sit for 15-20 minutes and the re pressure wash. Hit any stubborn stains with the 3M compound and finish with 2 coats of Starbrite. It looked amazing. I was asked numerous times if the boat was new. After that experience told the guys at Worton Creek Marina to do the same for my 1971 Bahia Mar. It came out spectacular and when I brought it back at the end of the season they asked me if I rewaxed it mid season because it still looked fresh. I had not. I believe this is their go to product now. If you shoot me your email I can send you some before and after photos. Good luck.

[Pete Fallon]

Faithful,
I have been using Starbrite with Teflon since 1976 works great and in Florida twice a year up North just once. Twenty 28 year old gel coat looked as new as the day it went on. The other 26 years was original Bertram gel that was crazed when I got her in 1978. I use acetone to get the heavy stuff off.
Pete Fallon

[Marlin]

Tony, the Hutchins d /a sander is a 6” Velcro pad with 6 holes in the pad. There is a blue 1/4” suction attached to the sander with a water flow control as well as a rpm control, the suction hose has a weight that rest in a bucket of water. The disc available go from 400 - 3000 grit. I’ve been using this method for prepping a repair spot of awlcraft 2000 and color sanding out the shinny area in the center of the spray pattern ,then the not so shinny adjacent area that contains over spray caused by the fogging spray and finally into the original unsprayed area to blend the total area together. I do the same with gel coat repairs. When u hit the final stage with 2000/3000 grit, it’s smooth, flat, no runs/dust and shinny, just put on a protective coat of wax of your choice. I’ve also done numerous old glass chris crafts, correct crafts, master crafts to bring them back to a near original finish. This system can make any non pro Painter look like a pro

[Tony Meola]

Marlin

Good to know. It could be very useful in the future.