Fiberglass Repair & Clear Coat
10-27-2010, 06:39 AM
#1
Registered
Thread Starter
Fiberglass Repair & Clear Coat
A Month or so ago I got a nasty little dock rash just above the rub rail... Not really big, 2 chunks out of the gel coat about the size of silver dollars (not a big deal but it needs to be fixed). I had a fiberglass guy come by and take a look. He proposed fixing these chips, along with a bunch of spider cracks around my wakeboard tower mounts and a few other chips in the gel that have been there for years. He is going to re-gel all the repair areas then he is also going to color sand the entire boat, clear coat the red, and buff out all the white. He gave me a price of $1350 which seems reasonable but I haven't gotten another quote yet so I thought I would ask you guys what you thought. The boat is a 1999 232 cobalt. He also said he would warranty the clear coat for 5 years. My boat oxidizes pretty bad. I normally have to get the buffer out at least 2 times a years and I'm sick of it. Anybody had any experience with these clear coats? What you think about the price?
Thanks, Aaron
Thanks, Aaron
10-27-2010, 09:18 AM
#2
VIP Member
price seems in line (actually seems very good), just to buff an oxidized boat that size is in the six to seven hundred dollar range and repairing a single ding the size of a silver dollar is in the four to five hundred dollar range. Additionals arent quite as bad but it does add up. Chip wise every time you point at the boat and say how bout that, add two hundred 
one thing to note though is if he is going to clear over the red gel its not a bad idea to dust on a coat of color. It may alter the cost slightly but its a bit of insurance against fading that can happen even undr the clear coat. I've seen it happen and its easily avoidable with just this simple process. In fact i wont simply clear gel because as long as its prepped for paint you might as well dust on some color and take advantage of the UV stabilization. A lot of times it is actually easier to freshen up the color with paint then buffing anyways. I have a big Mako center console in the shop right now that came in for heavily faded hull sides. Its all white and i was given pretty much free reign to do whatever to make it nice since the owner (like many) isnt looking to buy anything new for a few more years. For what its worth its easier to prep and paint then even bother with buffing it (which wont last anyway) also decided to dress up the look by doing the sides in a dark blue (or something like that) to update it a bit.
my process for hull sides is simple and very durable.
sand with 320 and mask from the hard chine to the rubrail and no paint on the transom
dust on a coat of adhesion promoter
dust on base coat color
three coats of DCU-2021 clear
buff that sucka to a nice shine
enjoy a nice shiny boat
one thing to note though is if he is going to clear over the red gel its not a bad idea to dust on a coat of color. It may alter the cost slightly but its a bit of insurance against fading that can happen even undr the clear coat. I've seen it happen and its easily avoidable with just this simple process. In fact i wont simply clear gel because as long as its prepped for paint you might as well dust on some color and take advantage of the UV stabilization. A lot of times it is actually easier to freshen up the color with paint then buffing anyways. I have a big Mako center console in the shop right now that came in for heavily faded hull sides. Its all white and i was given pretty much free reign to do whatever to make it nice since the owner (like many) isnt looking to buy anything new for a few more years. For what its worth its easier to prep and paint then even bother with buffing it (which wont last anyway) also decided to dress up the look by doing the sides in a dark blue (or something like that) to update it a bit.
my process for hull sides is simple and very durable.
sand with 320 and mask from the hard chine to the rubrail and no paint on the transom
dust on a coat of adhesion promoter
dust on base coat color
three coats of DCU-2021 clear
buff that sucka to a nice shine
enjoy a nice shiny boat
__________________
Throttles- Cleveland Construction 377 Talon
08 OPA Class 1 National Champion
08 Class 1 Geico Triple Crown Champion
08 OPA High Points Champion
10 OPA Class 1 National Champion ( happy now Ed! )
Throttles- Cleveland Construction 377 Talon
08 OPA Class 1 National Champion
08 Class 1 Geico Triple Crown Champion
08 OPA High Points Champion
10 OPA Class 1 National Champion ( happy now Ed! )
Last edited by glassdave; 10-27-2010 at 10:01 PM.
10-27-2010, 01:24 PM
#3
Registered
Thread Starter
Thanks for all the info glassdave... I think I'm going to let him have at it. I'm really sick buffing this thing out twice a year, this seems like a sensible option.
03-02-2011, 05:22 PM
#5
Registered
price seems in line (actually seems very good), just to buff an oxidized boat that size is in the six to seven hundred dollar range and repairing a single ding the size of a silver dollar is in the four to five hundred dollar range. Additionals arent quite as bad but it does add up. Chip wise every time you point at the boat and say how bout that, add two hundred
one thing to note though is if he is going to clear over the red gel its not a bad idea to dust on a coat of color. It may alter the cost slightly but its a bit of insurance against fading that can happen even undr the clear coat. I've seen it happen and its easily avoidable with just this simple process. In fact i wont simply clear gel because as long as its prepped for paint you might as well dust on some color and take advantage of the UV stabilization. A lot of times it is actually easier to freshen up the color with paint then buffing anyways. I have a big Mako center console in the shop right now that came in for heavily faded hull sides. Its all white and i was given pretty much free reign to do whatever to make it nice since the owner (like many) isnt looking to buy anything new for a few more years. For what its worth its easier to prep and paint then even bother with buffing it (which wont last anyway) also decided to dress up the look by doing the sides in a dark blue (or something like that) to update it a bit.
my process for hull sides is simple and very durable.
sand with 320 and mask from the hard chine to the rubrail and no paint on the transom
dust on a coat of adhesion promoter
dust on base coat color
three coats of DCU-2021 clear
buff that sucka to a nice shine
enjoy a nice shiny boat
one thing to note though is if he is going to clear over the red gel its not a bad idea to dust on a coat of color. It may alter the cost slightly but its a bit of insurance against fading that can happen even undr the clear coat. I've seen it happen and its easily avoidable with just this simple process. In fact i wont simply clear gel because as long as its prepped for paint you might as well dust on some color and take advantage of the UV stabilization. A lot of times it is actually easier to freshen up the color with paint then buffing anyways. I have a big Mako center console in the shop right now that came in for heavily faded hull sides. Its all white and i was given pretty much free reign to do whatever to make it nice since the owner (like many) isnt looking to buy anything new for a few more years. For what its worth its easier to prep and paint then even bother with buffing it (which wont last anyway) also decided to dress up the look by doing the sides in a dark blue (or something like that) to update it a bit.
my process for hull sides is simple and very durable.
sand with 320 and mask from the hard chine to the rubrail and no paint on the transom
dust on a coat of adhesion promoter
dust on base coat color
three coats of DCU-2021 clear
buff that sucka to a nice shine
enjoy a nice shiny boat
03-02-2011, 09:58 PM
#6
Registered
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Tonganoxie, KS
Posts: 410
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sounds like a great price, almost too good for as much work as you say he's doing. May want to check a few references if you haven't already and see his work. Not saying anything bad about him by no means, just seems pretty darn cheap. No shops around here can touch my prices and from the sounds of it I would be in the $2000 range. Like Dave said, $200 here $200 there etc... the little stuff adds up! If legit go for it!
