Help with 28 heat closed bow finish problem
 

Hi everyone,

I have a '01 28 Heat with a closed bow. We have a checker stripe on the top along with yellow and purple. The tip near the front of the black checker stripe started to fade first. It now has faded about 12" and looks terrible. It is like the finish is getting dull on the top deck.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting the finish back to the original great shine??

Any help would be appreciated.

Brad

Heat gun the sticker off.

Have you kept up with compounding the top deck every so often and a good waxing once a month (at least the top deck anyway)....is the boat covered when not in use? If it is very dull I would get a pro to wheel or wet sand the top deck if its very bad.

I didn't explain the issue very well when I posted it this AM. The stripe is in the gelcote as graphics. The black checker stripe tip has started fading to a lighter color (black gone white) you might say. Now all three stripes, are starting to lighten. The bow of the boat is looking like it is oxidizing (spelling?). I had an the first big block eliminator back in 88 it was orange and reds and held it's finish. There was no work done except waxing when being used. I hate to say we didn't wax it when it went into storage for the winter. Sold it in 01 for this boat and the Eliminators gelcote NEVER had any problems. We live in the NW (Oregon) and the boat is stored most of the year.

I am SCARED!!! To try the wet sand thing. I am not a gelcote or paint guy and I certainly don't want to make things worse.

Again, any good advice is very much appreciated.

Brad

Get a PRO involved to evaluate what needs to be done for restoration.

Agreed,
A good fiberglass shop can probably clean that up with a good high speed buffer and a mild abrasive. Then recoat with a good solar resistant wax, like Meguiars Premium Flagship.
I would wet sand only as a last resort.
My Heat is also an '01, and the sun here can be tough on gelcoat. Mine looks like new, but I have always waxed it several times a year, kept in inside and covered.
Regards,
Steve

I had the same problem starting on my '02. I used a light /mild abrasive by hand and the color came back great. I then did the complete bow and waxed it. I keep it waxed all summer and store it out of the sun in the winter. It can definatly look good again. I would agree that if its real bad let someone with the proper tools fix it.

Thanks everyone
 

Thanks for all of the input.

I called to Nordic and spoke with Lonnie. He me on the phone with his gelcote guy. I was told to go ahead with a light grit rubbing compound and a low speed circular buffer and work with the surface. Once all of the color has come back and looks to be good and shiny to wash with a good soap and then apply a good turtle wax to the boat and I should be in good shape!

Thanks again. Brad

Our Flame was entirely block sanded by hand by the previous owner (RV) after the delivery and the finish is like no other Nordic. I'm not saying this because it is mine but because it is really phenomenal :drink:
The finish that comes from Nordic is "adequate" but to get the finish to the mirror state takes a “lot” of effort. I don't mean just shiny but any orange peel at all is removed and the reflectivity is extremely high on the scale.

That being said, my buddy's Heat was getting a fade on the deck after some pre-ownership weathering. We have a mutual friend that does body work on the side so we called RV and got the recipe for the block sanding adventure and the results are stellar.

A ton of work, but extremely rewarding. It also makes wipe downs and interval waxing a breeze.

Although I didn’t physically perform this myself (Thanks RV!!), I would highly recommend this procedure if you want a finish like this...(note the reflectivity)

That is FANTASTIC!!
 

YES, YES, YES!!

So, how do we find RV and how do we get the directions on that finish!

I wouldn't feel so bad being the slowest of the bunch if WE LOOK THE BEST!!

Thanks for the post and can we find out "how IT"S done"!

Brad

He is RV here on OSO. You can PM him.
You may find him over on the Nortech section. He upgraded to a 43 Nortech (and yes he has block sanded that as well ;o)