Posted by Cliveous Ogg on 06/20/09 - 7:21 PM
#4
Here is another bit of info that is interesting re. cleaning Non-Skid
CFCAJUN posted 07-19-2005 04:12 PM ET (US)
________________________________________
dnh,
Maybe I can help buy you some time and peace of mind. I have a 1971 Katama that has the spider cracks mainly on the bow inside, and in the curves and corners. I have the blue interior.
Get a good orbital sander with a wool pad. Don't use the cheap random orbital buffer, this is not as effective. Get the grinder style with a wool pad.
Wash the boat well, then when it dries use a good polishing compound on the spider cracks with the orbital sander and wool pad. Work the compound in well then buff it off with a clean pad. Following that apply 3M Finesse-It II. You can apply it by hand and then use a buffer to buff it out.
Follow this with MaGuiar's #44 Polish. End the job with MaGuir's Gold Wax. After I did this, 95% of the spider cracks became invisible. It was amazing!
pglein posted 07-19-2005 04:35 PM ET (US)
________________________________________
I agree 100% with what CFCAJUN said. Especially about the grinder/pad combo. It works much better than a random orbital buffer. It will make minor spider cracks disappear. This is actually something you should do to your boat yearly anyway.
If the spider cracks are still visible, then you may wish to repair the gel coat there. The process for doing this is actually quite easy. The most difficult part is matching the color. Fortunately, I believe that members of this site have been pretty successful at finding a gel coat color that matches the Desert Tan boats. I don't recall what it is (my boat is blue and white), but I'm sure a quick search will yield positive results. Once you find the matching gel coat, simply sand the area you are going to be patching with a moderate grit paper. I suggest 150 or 200 grit to eliminate the spider cracks, or at least get them small enough to properly clean and fill. Wash the entire area to remove any dust. Then simply apply the gel coat as directed on the can (with a putty knife), and wait for it to harden. Then, sand with progressively higher grit sand paper until it is smooth and flat (your last piece of sand paper should be 600 grit or higher). Then wash and apply a fresh coat of wax. If the color is right, then you shouldn't even be able to tell the repair was done.
I highly recommend against painting. Some members of the site think it's ok, but I most certainly do not. You paint cars and houses, not boats. At least not fiberglass one. I especially wouldn't do it when all you're doing is fixing some small spider cracks.
It's also important to note that spider cracks in gel coat are absolutely normal on older boats. Unless they're very very bad, they present no real risk to the structural integrity of the boat, and are only cosmetic. Often, the repair will look worse than the problem, so it best to just leave them alone. It can be a little disconcerting when you first see them, especially if you're not familiar with fiberglass and how it works. Fiberglass is supposed to be flexible, but gel coat isn't. It's normal for the hull of a fiberglass boat to flex a small amount. The gel coat, especially as it gets older, gets brittle, and will crack when flexed. A small crack in the gel coat is NOT an indication of cracked or broken fiberglass. Fiberglass actually tends to tear or rip when it breaks rather than crack or snap. The only structural danger that extremely bad spider cracks represent is in that it's theoretically possible for water to seep into the fiberglass. The risk here is two fold: 1, it can cause blisters in the gel coat...purely cosmetic. and 2, it can cause delamination of the fiberglass from the foam core... a serious structural problem. However, this can really only happen if the spider cracks are quite large and extensive, and if they are constantly submurged in water, especially in areas where water pressure is high (like on the keel at the bow). Spider cracks in the floor will not generally lead to water intrusion (unless a pressure washer is applied directly to them).
I see your options as this:
1. leave as is and enjoy boat regardless of minor spider cracks.
2. repair cracks by your self for under $50.
3. pay someone else to do it for you for over $500.