Wet sanding question

[spenclo123]

Hey folks, I was looking at a 1990 Ski Nautique that looks to be in pretty good shape all things considered. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice as to if they think a good wet sanding and buffing would make this boat look like new? It looks to have some oxidation, but i don't have any experience buying old boats, so wanted to get some feedback on if I took it to a professional/marine detail shop, if you think it would come out like new? I plan to put all new decals on it and it should be a nice little, old boat. Thanks

[ScooterMcgavin]

Yes absolutely, a good shop can make her look brand new. Especially if you plan to remove decals and install new ones. The boat can look fantastic.

[bturner]

Really good absolutely, new..... well that depends. Really good is a fairly safe statement to make. New is much more difficult due to the subjective nature of the statement. A lot will depend on how bad the gel coat is, how much material is left to work with and what you're expectation of new is on a 30 year old boat.

The challenge on this boat will be all the decals. I've done my fair share of gel coat restoration and ghosting can be a real challenge especially in areas of high sunlight or in situations where the PO may have not have covered the boat. Areas of concern on this boat are all those triangle and rectangle stickers that someone decided to paste everywhere. Those areas are protected from UV and will actually be higher than the surrounding gel coat and much more difficult to blend in than bringing back the faded areas.

To be truthful on this boat in the condition it's being shown the gel coat would be the least of my concerns. This is a pre 93 boat so if my understanding of Correct Crafts is true this is going to be a boat that has wood stringers and floors. IMO that's where my concerns would be focused. Worst case you could always spot repair gel coat, stringers are a whole other animal.

[spenclo123]

Thanks guys. That’s super helpful feedback. Especially about the stringers/floor as I thought I was in the clear with a 90 model, so I’ll do my diligence.