Metalflake - No Gelcoat?

[bigredinohio]

Hi Everyone...I am new to all of this and I hope that I'm at the right place. I just bought a 1975 Checkmate V-Mate II painted a red and silver metalflake. Majority of the boat is really faded and when you run your hand over the faded areas, it's really rough, as though you are feeling the actual metalflake. Is this the case and does that mean there is no gelcoat? What would be some recommendations and/or options that would in line of restoring this boat. I will try and post pictures if I can find out how. Thank you. Mike

 

[Water Bug]

You are in the right place there is a lot of info on restoring your finish on this site. Go to the forums and look at some of the threads on restoring your finish read about Aqua Buff amazing stuff for gelcoat water sand with 1000 grit then buff and what you are felling will go slick.. I'm sure some of the guys will have some input on this subject alot of the boats here have been brought back from the dead LOL

GOOD LUCK

 

[Rob B]

Mike it's possible that you maybe able to watersand then buff the gelcoat out. I would start with 2000 grit (maybe 1000 grit depending on how bad it is), keeping water on the spot you're sanding, don't stay in one place long keep moving. The gelcoat should feel smooth to the touch, then start the buffing process.

 

[cooperider]

If your feeling the flake, and the surface is very rough, then the sun has ate away most of the clear gel coat, leaving it down to the flake layer. Time to reclear the boat.

 

[bigredinohio]

Thanks for the quick responses. I hope you guys don't mind me asking a lot of questions as that is all new for me. The feeling is like running your hand over a textured counter top. Here are some links to pictures so you can see:

 

[Lakeside Restorations]

Nice Project.. The boat is gelcoated, the flake is done and sealed in in clear gelcoat when those were built, not paint. As some one already mentioned the roughness you feel is the flake because the clear gel has broken down & eroded away. If it doesnt polish out & stay nice then you will need to redo the clear & probably the flake.. I have done many finishes on boats including the flaked ones, I can tell you from experience if you can feel the flake it most likely needs to be redone. If you feel you may need our services feel free to call me.. Jamie

BTW, Congrats on the boat. They are a cool looking ride..

.

 

[bigredinohio]

Nice Project.. The boat is gelcoated, the flake is done and sealed in in clear gelcoat when those were built, not paint. As some one already mentioned the roughness you feel is the flake because the clear gel has broken down & eroded away. If it doesnt polish out & stay nice then you will need to redo the clear & probably the flake.. I have done many finishes on boats including the flaked ones, I can tell you from experience if you can feel the flake it most likely needs to be redone. If you feel you may need our services feel free to call me.. Jamie

BTW, Congrats on the boat. They are a cool looking ride..

.

Thanks for the congrats. Is there a phone number where you can be reached so I can discuss this with you and possibly get a price for what you prescribe? Many thanks for the input.

 

[Audiguy]

I wanted to chime in on this as I have just done the same thing.


My boat was rough to the feel and sun faded very bad.


The red pigment will need to be re sprayed and if your going at it yourself no worry its not hard at all.


I took and used a burgundy base coat to liven it up but more of a translucent and color sanded to get a smooth blend into the gold(on mine)


This will not hide the flake and after you clear the top of the boat it will shine like new.


take your time and also know that auto painting supplies are the way to go.
anti fouling paint is a waste for the top side and buffing yours will not get the result your going for.

If you need any info pm me and we can chat on the phone.

 

[Lakeside Restorations]

Thanks for the congrats. Is there a phone number where you can be reached so I can discuss this with you and possibly get a price for what you prescribe? Many thanks for the input.

Absolutley.. You can reach me during the daytime @ 570-639-2628

We are also site supporters here . If you would like to see some of our other boat work you can visit my site: www.LakesideRestorations.com

Feel free to call me when you get a chance.. Jamie / Lakeside


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[bigredinohio]

I wanted to chime in on this as I have just done the same thing.


My boat was rough to the feel and sun faded very bad.


The red pigment will need to be re sprayed and if your going at it yourself no worry its not hard at all.


I took and used a burgundy base coat to liven it up but more of a translucent and color sanded to get a smooth blend into the gold(on mine)


This will not hide the flake and after you clear the top of the boat it will shine like new.


take your time and also know that auto painting supplies are the way to go.
anti fouling paint is a waste for the top side and buffing yours will not get the result your going for.

If you need any info pm me and we can chat on the phone.

Do you have any pictures that I can view? I would be very interested how it looks.

 

[Lakeside Restorations]

I wanted to chime in on this as I have just done the same thing.


My boat was rough to the feel and sun faded very bad.


The red pigment will need to be re sprayed and if your going at it yourself no worry its not hard at all.


I took and used a burgundy base coat to liven it up but more of a translucent and color sanded to get a smooth blend into the gold(on mine)


This will not hide the flake and after you clear the top of the boat it will shine like new.


take your time and also know that auto painting supplies are the way to go.
anti fouling paint is a waste for the top side and buffing yours will not get the result your going for.

If you need any info pm me and we can chat on the phone.

Antifouling paint is for bottoms, not sides or decks. Also Base coat can cover the flake. If you are talking a light hint of color in a tinting clear that is a little different, however if his flake is falling off & shot that is really not going to fix the issue either. As far as auto products there are ones that are acceptable to use & ones that arent. If one is not on top of the differences and aware of what is ok or compatable then more grief than good can be had.. Jamie / Lakeside

 

[Audiguy]

I did not take the best before picture but here are some after.
Its wet from the rain the night before,but it shine like that now all the time.

 

[bigredinohio]

Good news: Actually buffed out to a nice shine
Bad news: Red seems hazy and blochy...not a nice consistant faded color

Would this be a result of something I'm doing wrong with the Aqua-buff or do I need some other polish along with the Aqua-buff?

Will post pics tomorrow evening so you guys can see and maybe give some pointers. Thanks again for everyone's advice and input.

 

[bigredinohio]

Pictures


Middle section has not been touched...can see the difference!






You can tell how faded the red is...and also see the inconsistancy in the fading that I mentioned in the last post to the right of the bright red...can anything be done with in a reasonable (cheap) budget

 

[Lakeside Restorations]

WIthout it being here for me to see & feel, I can only go by what I see & you are telling us. From that I am making an educated guess to say that the clear gel is just to far deteriorated. Fresh clear gel over it may work, but not always. You may get cloudiness yet. It has been my experience that it is best to just start from scratch & redo it properly.. Anything less may yield less than desireable results.. I wont risk that type of work by doing a "spray of hope" , if you will in our shop.. But I do understand that everyones budget is different.. Jamie / Lakeside

 

[bigredinohio]

I guess I'll be stripping the whole boat down as it seems like the metalflake just isn't worth the aggrevation to restore. Does anyone know the steps of how I should strip this boat since it has metalflake? I really want to do this myself.

 

[cooperider]

No need to strip it, unless there is paint on it. Just prep what you have for the new gel or paint. If its not flaking off, it ain't coming off. Sand it and reshoot it. If your want to reclear it, put a light layer of red flake down first. Then clear over that.

 

[bigredinohio]

No need to strip it, unless there is paint on it. Just prep what you have for the new gel or paint. If its not flaking off, it ain't coming off. Sand it and reshoot it. If your want to reclear it, put a light layer of red flake down first. Then clear over that.

Where would I find the red flake and gel and is there a brand better then another? Also, what grit sanding do I need to do for preping?

 

[Audiguy]

Paint and resin has came a long way since our boats where made.

All the gel coat talk is garbage.

Go get some dbc500 mid coat with a red metallic to mix in as a translucent.
Blend it in to get a even red and then color sand if need be and re clear.

If your doing any below water line work and your boat sits in water then anti fouling is the way to go.

I hope this is helpful.
Not I am not a professional boat builder or even close,but I have done body work and painted cars for years from a Chevy owned body shop to my own shop for 3 years.

Fiberglass is fiberglass.
If you can spray then spend a few dollars @ your local PPG or Finishmaster and get started.

 

[aka_therebel]

Hi Everyone...I am new to all of this and I hope that I'm at the right place. I just bought a 1975 Checkmate V-Mate II painted a red and silver metalflake. Majority of the boat is really faded and when you run your hand over the faded areas, it's really rough, as though you are feeling the actual metalflake. Is this the case and does that mean there is no gelcoat? What would be some recommendations and/or options that would in line of restoring this boat. I will try and post pictures if I can find out how. Thank you. Mike

I have a 76 V-Mate 1 with the same color scheme only in silver and black. Mine is the same way and from what I have read I am going to try the wet sand and lots of elbow greese and see what happens. I see your from Dayton, where about do you go boating maybe we can hook up sometime.