Ceramic coatings again

[nzfisher]

I am in process of grinding off the oxidized finish on the hull and cabin of my R25. I am looking for advice from others that have undertaken the process. Any advice, pitfalls? What product did you use to ceramic coat the boat? Does it make sense to seal the windows as well?

The grinding process is a lot of work, ( a very sincere form of body abuse), to get through the oxidation so I would like to minimize possibility of application failure. The colored finish coat is surprisingly porous so upon working the surface, the ceramic coating seems almost a must to seal the color coat from the salt environment.

Thanks. Swims with Tuna

 

[scross]

I’m assuming that by “grinding” you’re not using a random orbital grinder to grind all the gel coat off to get down to the glass. You’ve just started sanding with 320 or 400 grit wet and dry to get the oxidation off right? If so, there’s no easy way to do that. It’s just hard work sanding at alternating 45 degree angles to the waterline until the damaged layer is removed.
For refinishing my fiberglass sailplane’s gel coat I found this sanding block to work well
https://www.amazon.com/3M-5441-Stikit-H ... ols&sr=1-8
Had both the firm and soft blocks with Stikit Sheets in the various grits.
Worked my way down from 400 grit to 1000 grit step by step using orange spray paint on the surface between each grit to ensure that there not any low spots. Then buff out the final finish with 3M® 9048 - Marine Finesse-It™ II Glazes to do the final polish before waxing.
It would be lot of work doing this to the boat hull and cabin areas but you would end up with a like new finish. We always used just a good wax as ceramic coats weren’t available back then.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

As an alternative idea, as the ceramic coating will need to be redone in a couple years, is to consider having the hull painted. This would of course be a lot more expensive initially but will last 10 plus years. The painted hull will also add to the boats value, especially when it comes to resale. Just another option.

Jim

 

[Thatguy]

I used the Mother's product - "CMX". It was relatively inexpensive, compared to some others. It sounds like you have done your homework already, so I may not be telling you anything you haven't found out already.
Prep is extremely important - sounds like you have this covered. When applying, choose a cool day, or work in the shade. The instructions on my product said to apply to cloth, and wipe on. Like so many people, I grew tired of following the instructions, and sprayed directly on the boat. This worked fine for most of it, but any place the coating dried on as a bead - it left a hard, very difficult to remove - white bump.
Use lots of towels - I had good luck with old house towels (soft ones) and microfiber. I applied two coats, it seemed to help. The second coat went on very easily.
I applied the coating to the windshield and side glass (on my truck and boat). It worked just like rain-X, and seemed to hold up very well. Again, prep is important - if you have any water spots, they will get sealed in for a very long time. I cleaned the glass with a clean applicant sponge - using the same swirl remover polish I used as a final buff on the finish. Seemed to work well, but others have balked at this method. To each his own.
I even sealed the stainless grab rails (worked well)- which leads me to my next recommendation.
Be careful which surfaces that you seal, most notably, any surface that you may step on. There were a few places on the gunnel that I wish I had not sealed.
I'll post a pic of our boat - it is a miniature of yours. I love the color, but is is prone (as you know) to oxidation!
We just put Raptor Decking on, and couldn't be happier. Spent a week on it at Lake George (Adirondaks of New York) and held up very well, feels much better under foot than the carpet.
Hope this helps, and post some pics!
Good luck with your project,
J.P.
Thatguy

Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:52 pm
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[nzfisher]

Thanks Thatguy,
Your post is what I was looking for. I guess my non idiomatic use of “grinding “ threw some people off track of what I was asking about. I am particularly concerned with the yellow reaction some people have talked about on older oxidized boats after application of ceramic material. A very careful inspection under flat light conditions using a flashlight showed me just how bad the oxidation was. On the particularly bad areas I started with 600 wet and dry then ended sanding with 1500 grit. Then buffed with Mcguires most aggressive buffing compound and a Bigger (and heavy) Milwaukee buffer. I followed up with a finer grit from same and a DA sander. A lot of work! In the process I tried to inspect the difference in surface roughness with optical magnification to see what was going on in porosity at a micro level. The best test proved to be the absorption of fine line magic markers. The finer the grit, the less absorption took place. I assumed this means less porosity and less chemical degradation from environment. Not sure how that would relate to UV. To me, filling the pores with the hardest most long lived product available makes sense. I will happily reapply in a year if it eliminates the mechanical removal of oxidized finish of color coat.
Curious about the window application. No signs of yellowing? I would hate to be forced to remove that stuff from all that glass!

Anyway. Thanks for sharing your experience and it really helps to get a sense of what is involved before the actual process.

Swims with Tuna