HOW TO SAND : GELCOAT - BOAT DETAILING TIPS

Join the Starke Education Class Series at Marine Detail Supply Company where our expert instructor, Cole Holbrook, guides you through the correct techniques of sanding gelcoat.
Dive into the world of marine detailing and learn the ins and outs of maintaining the quality and longevity of your vessel.
Don't miss out on these expert tips and tricks!
Video on How to compound and polish - • How to Buff & Compound...
PRODUCTS IN VIDEO:
MIRKA 6” VACUUM-READY ELECTRIC SANDER (5MM ORBIT) WITH CASE:
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MIRKA DUST EXTRACTOR 1230 HEPA PC 120V/:
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MIRKA TROLLEY FOR DUST EXTRACTOR:
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ABRANET SANDING PADS:
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ABRALON SANDING PADS:
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[@Spyglassdetailco]

I’m happy I’m not the only one that “damp sands” so many people say keep it drenched the hose right next to you but if it’s soaked it just doesn’t cut in like it would if it’s damp and for gel coat a little less water just makes it so much better

[@barrycowan1997]

Cant wait to see yall december . Gotta get the truck all serviced up and ready for the road trip. Gonna make it happen... zippy

[@MarineDetailSupply]

See you then

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

Pigtails are due to point loading and can be avoided by changing the pad more often or at the very least not letting any buildup occur on the pad. Typically in dry sanding applications they are more common. Wetsanding as long as you lubricate and keep it wet, you should see much less. I use Optimum No Rinse and Water at about 50:1 ish for my wetsand lube.

[@hussiG]

is there any way to avoid or minimize the sanding? As we seen lot of GC has been removed during this process in addition it takes long time to finish the part.

[@mattlord2906]

What is an interface pad?

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

what boat would ever have all that orange peel? I don't understand teaching this to detailers that don't do respraying of either gelcoat or marine paint as they will be removing way to much gelcoat when they are supposed to be detailing. Any boat that comes with peel was not done correctly. Am I missing something? As the owner of a fiberglass and gelcoat repair shop this video would be helpful maybe, however giving this much sanding to a hullsides is going to honestly ruin a boats gelcoats longevity.

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

If you are looking to just remove the top layer of gelcoat due to major oxidation, starting with 1200g 3m purple finishing discs or 1000 Abralon wet should be the MAX lowest grit needed and honestly just using Aquabuff or Starkes heaviest cut should get it to a starting point to then work through cut levels to then polish with Forced Rotation DA to polish out the swirl marks. Maybe I am misunderstanding the training of this video so im honestly looking for clarity on what you are training these guys for.

[@MarineDetailSupply]

We agree about if a boat comes that way it wasn’t done correctly. However, we have encountered many many boat manufacturers that don’t finish their boats out properly or completely. Knowing how to correct this to take a boat’s finish to where it should be is important.

[@MarineDetailSupply]

You always want to sand the with the least aggressive grit to remove oxidation. However, there are many cases, especially in FL on darker colored hulls that it takes 800 or even 600 to remove embedded oxidation. As I’m sure you know, if you don’t remove all the oxidation, it will return back rather quickly.

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

@@MarineDetailSupply I agree that some boats come with swirl marks from the mold not being polished all the way, and then the builders dont get it out, but you should be able to remove those swirls from the mold print without removing as much gelcoat as you did on that test panel. That was roughly 3 mil of gelcoat if I had to guess. That is a lot to remove. I am not at all trying to hate on you guys by any means, just giving my opinion as someone who is not a detailer but someone that does full boat gelcoat respraying out of mold and refinishing with awlgrip/awlcraft. I would say that most boats could only survive 2 (maybe 3 for some builders) sanding applications with 600 through 1500 in its lifetime before needing to be recoated with either new gelcoat or marine paint. Most boats should be able to be swirl free and glass like perfect with 1200 then heavy cut, medium cut, then polished out. Great video production too by the way!

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

@@MarineDetailSupply I am in Florida and I agree dark colors like black and dark blue with Bad oxidation are sometimes candidates for sanding but, I have never seen one that needed 600 in my opinion. Part of the real issue lies in how poly resins work especially when exposed to UV rays. Sanding it from 600 to mirror shine and coating it with polymers or wax will still cause it to re oxidize faster than when it was new due to porosity and other things and just the way the resin is. Gelcoat is just poly resin with pigments and a few other additives. the pigments in the darker colors combined with the sun just don't mesh well. My main point I was trying to make is just to say that removing that much gelcoat is counter productive in my opinion.