Need advice on cheap restoration.

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Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby domromer » Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:07 pm

I've got an 84 spindrift that could use a little TLC. It was set up for racing but I removed most of the old hardware. It's also got the usual stains from leaves and rust that an outside boat gets. So my question is three parts.

1. I'm looking for a paint recommendation for the cockpit and cuddy interior. Ideally something that can be picked up from the hardware store as I'd like to avoid boat store prices.

2. I was told to fill the hardware holes to use regular caulk and then sand it down. Would you guys agree? Any other recommendations?

3. For cleaning the cockpit I normally use a bleach water mix and simple green, any other recommendations?
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby GreenLake » Wed Jan 27, 2016 11:06 pm

Any cleaner is fine, since you are planning to paint. Bleach will make gelcoat surface more rough, which is bad if that's the ultimate exposed surface.

Do not use caulk to fill holes, use an epoxy paste. Marine-Tex is what people use. (sold as two tubs that are mixed 1:1 into a white paste). There are similar epoxy pastes from other makers. Unlike caulk, epoxy will harden completely. The shelf life of these epoxy paste products is decent, so you'll be able to use up the rest over time on other projects.

The cockpit may have standing water. From the marine stores, one would use a bilge paint, because that is designed to stand up to that kind of abuse. Garage floor paint or pool paint may work as well. Once you are above standing water, any outdoor paint that stands up to being walked or sat upon (scratch resistant), provided you find a primer that will work on fiberglass.

My personal take on paints is that the labor involved is the real expense. The PO of my boat painted the deck with something that's just not quitting, and it's getting on 20 years (covered, when not in use, but still). He used some marine brand paint (top of the line at the time).

The point is, you can use all sorts of paints, but if you figure your time and effort, and the materials needed for re-painting, the relatively moderate price differential between different paints pales in comparison.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby K.C. Walker » Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:43 pm

+1 for everything Greenlake said! If you plan on skimping on the prep work for painting, I would say you're better off not painting at all.
KC Walker, DS 1 #7002
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby domromer » Thu Jan 28, 2016 2:15 pm

What would be prep entail for the cockpit? My plan was to clean, and fill cracks and holes.
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby GreenLake » Thu Jan 28, 2016 4:36 pm

Cracks need to be widened with a scraper or dremel, then filled with epoxy paste. Possibly with gel-coat repair paste (the air-curing one). Then sanded. For the holes, use epoxy paste, or, alternatively, 3M High Strength Marine filler. (That's a polyester-based product, if you rather work with that - cures faster, very strong due to embedded short lengths of fiber).

You need a primer that's compatible with gel coat and the paint you want to put on it. (On another boat I had the issue that a primer I used clung terrifically to the fiberglass, but was like teflon when it came to paint over it - don't know what I did wrong).

I would definitely paint a sample area as a trial. It may take a few weeks for problems to show, best to not have done the entire boat that way. (Use a place that you step on, or that is exposed to hard wear, also standing water).

If you paint, depending on how glossy your paint is, any surface imperfection will show. But also, if your gelcoat is chalky, getting some of that outer layer removed by sanding would be good.

Oh, wash with various preparations - make sure you don't have any old oils, grease, wax or worst silicone anywhere.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby kokko » Sun Feb 14, 2016 10:07 am

I agree with Greenlake that the cracks and such should be properly filled. Somewhere in the forum I posted on using color-matched samples
of latex paint to touch-up the gouges and cracks.

I also think you can avoid painting the hull and deck by cleaning, polishing with a polishing compound, and waxing. The hull of Truelove came
back to life without repainting
DS1 Truelove
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Re: Need advice on cheap restoration.

Postby kokko » Sun Feb 14, 2016 10:16 am

I posted the previous response before seeing pics of your boat. The hull and cockpit appear to be in great shape.
Repair cracks as Greenlake suggested.

As for the stains, first trying Bar Keeper's Friend. If that doesn't work, try Soft Scrub with bleach. That will do it.

As with all these old boats, check the condition on the foam in the bilges The foam blocks become waterlogged and have to be replaced.
Ditto those in the bow flotation tank.
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