Scratches On Painted Hull

[mlanger]

My R-29 CB is in a charter program -- no judgements, please! -- and is often taken out by careless idiots. As a result, the hull has numerous scratches in its red paint. These same idiots (as well as me, on occasion) have left the fenders down and there are tons of tiny scratches on that same surface. I've been assured by the charter company that the scratches will "buff out." I've tried some auto cleaner/wax I had in the garage and it seems to work on the very fine scratches, but no joy on the ones in the photo.

After being milked by last year's detailer (who quoted me $900 and then tried to charge me $2500 for detailing), I'm determined to try to get the scratches out myself. Can anyone recommend a good product to do this on my boat's hull? I should note here that if any scratches won't buff out, the charter company is responsible for fixing them, but I have to give it a good try and need to address the tiny scratches anyway.

Maria

 

[scross]

First, unless your boat had its hull painted after construction, it’s not paint. It’s gelcoat. There is a difference.

Lots of prior posts on getting the oxidized finish back to near new. Removing oxidized gelcoat involves cleaning the surface, compounding with a rotary buffer and wool pad, then polishing, and finally applying wax or sealant to restore shine. For heavy oxidation like yours, wet sanding with 800, then 1000, then 1200 and finally with 1500 grit may be necessary before compounding. Regular maintenance involves washing and using a heavy-duty cleaner, followed by a UV-inhibiting wax.

There’s a whole mob of owners who swear on ceramic coating after proper prepping to keep the finish like new. The rest of us still use wax that lasts for a few months at best.

For the deep scratches in the gelcoat get a repair kit from Marine Coat One. They have the RT colors. I’d do the localized deep scratch repair before going after the whole hull oxidation.

Just guessing here but I’d expect to spend a minimum of 20-30 hours on just the hull to get the gelcoat finish scratches repaired and removing the oxidation to get the hull looking almost like new again.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I will probably continue to be taken out by "careless idiots". Live with the scratches and when you're ready to take it out of charter, fix the scratches then.