Help!!! <how to fix scratch?>

[Shane Trierweiler]

I scratched my boat! It barley catches my finger nail! Can I wet sand and buff it? What should I do? Please help me asap!!!! Thank you!

 

[swatski]

I scratched my boat! It barley catches my finger nail! Can I wet sand and buff it? What should I do? Please help me asap!!!! Thank you!

Not the best picture, but yes, this should sand and buff out. It is white, too, which makes it easier.
Make sure you use a sanding block, start with a 400 or better 600 and then 800 wet/dry sandpaper. Finish with a high speed buffer.

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[jpass]

Before you go hitting anything with wet sandpaper, try some polish or rubbing compound and a high speed buffer. Check the results and re-assess. If the scratch is still noticeable, you can either hit it again with another pass of compound or you can go ahead and wet sand and then buff again. Most boaters I know use the 3M line of compounds and polishes ( Perfect-it & Finesse-it).

Pic is bad, but the majority of those "grey" scuffs will come off pretty easily.

 

[blacksapphirez]

scratches are inevitable.

Stay Calm and Boat

 

[Shane Trierweiler]

Thank you so much guys! N yea I know I got a few scratches but not this bad I was working on hooking up my wataboard to it n didn't notice I was scratching it!

 

[jcyamaharider]

I would call the insurance company....I am sure it is totaled!

Seriously it should just sand and buff out. Sit back and grab a beer after you are finished.

 

[Shane Trierweiler]

Haha alright! Has anyone tried flyboarding? Thts what I did when it happened I just drank a few lol

 

[MrMoose]

Just cover the scratches with a Jetboaters.net sticker.

 

[Shane Trierweiler]

Just cover the scratches with a Jetboaters.net sticker.

I was accully thinking about it! I need to get me one!

 

[Shane Trierweiler]

Okay guys I wet sanded it and buffed it it looks great there is one spot where there's little tiny dots.. did I go to far? I really don't mind them you can barley see them I would just like to know if I went to far?

 

[tdonoughue]

I like my toys as much as the next person, but I agree you should not fret too much. You will dock up and there will be some screw head right where your fender ain't... Or something else. If you get too tweaked over that stuff, you wind up having the boat be less fun and more frustration with each nick. I have really messed up my boat, relative to what you have there. Really. If you have that down to a couple of dots, you call that a complete win and move on. You will soon forget it is there and no visitor on your boat will ever see them.

Go enjoy your boat.

 

[swatski]

Okay guys I wet sanded it and buffed it it looks great there is one spot where there's little tiny dots.. did I go to far? I really don't mind them you can barley see them I would just like to know if I went to far?

Sounds like it is time to put some wax on her and go boating.
I have recently switched to Klasse all-in-one, and will never go back.

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[Shane Trierweiler]

Alright! I'll have to try it!


Has anyone tried a wataboard? I just got it and I cannot wait to try it out! I am looking for some pointers.

 

[jpass]

The small dots could be whats called "micro pores" and it is a product of the off gassing of the gelcoat as it is curing. This is more common in corners and creases as the gel usually gets a bit thicker in these spots as its applied in the mold. The darker the gelcoat, the more noticeable it is. There is no fix other than re-gelcoating. We have some of this in various spots on our black gelcoat.

Think of like a block of swiss cheese. On the outer edges it's smooth, but once you cut into it you expose the holes in the cheese. Same with the gelcoat. The more you sand and attack the surface, the more likely you are to expose these micro pores. Not much you can do, but move on.

As for waxing the boat, I highly recommend Collinite Marine Wax. Best stuff I've ever used. Easy on, easy off.

https://www.amazon.com/Collinite-Liquid-Fiberglass-Boat-925/dp/B000E48H9I/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1484307311&sr=8-12&keywords=collinite

 

[swatski]

The small dots could be whats called "micro pores" and it is a product of the off gassing of the gelcoat as it is curing. This is more common in corners and creases as the gel usually gets a bit thicker in these spots as its applied in the mold. The darker the gelcoat, the more noticeable it is. There is no fix other than re-gelcoating. We have some of this in various spots on our black gelcoat.

Think of like a block of swiss cheese. On the outer edges it's smooth, but once you cut into it you expose the holes in the cheese. Same with the gelcoat. The more you sand and attack the surface, the more likely you are to expose these micro pores. Not much you can do, but move on.

As for waxing the boat, I highly recommend Collinite Marine Wax. Best stuff I've ever used. Easy on, easy off.

https://www.amazon.com/Collinite-Liquid-Fiberglass-Boat-925/dp/B000E48H9I/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1484307311&sr=8-12&keywords=collinite

@jpass I'm always a sucker for good wax/polish intel. Wonder if you tried or have an opinion about Klasse all in one. We had a little thread going on it somewhere here. I ended up trying it out of pure curiosity - and will never go back, honestly beats anything I've ever tried. Mostly because of how easy it is to use, with minimal effort, and how forgiving it is on trim, plastic, and glass. And -- it lasts.

I also used my unsuspecting son to do a little fun comparison between Klasse and Flagship (the latter used to be my go-to wax). We could not readily tell a difference in the amount of shine when finished. However, both he and I felt the Klasse was MUCH, MUCH easier to work with.

My own half season experience is that in the shine-to-effort category, it is probably not possible to outshine Klasse. I've never used Collinite, so I'm curious.

And just to be clear: I am NOT an expert/maniac/nuanced detailer, I just go for simple shine, I don't worry about swirls and some such.

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[Julian]

I modified the thread title to make thread list easier to read

 

[BigAbe75]

@jpass
And just to be clear: I am NOT an expert/maniac/nuanced detailer, I just go for simple shine, I don't worry about swirls and some such.

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Glad you clarified... in just a few short months I've been around here, you certainly appear to be an expert and/or maniac in some areas.

 

[jpass]

@jpass I'm always a sucker for good wax/polish intel. Wonder if you tried or have an opinion about Klasse all in one. We had a little thread going on it somewhere here. I ended up trying it out of pure curiosity - and will never go back, honestly beats anything I've ever tried. Mostly because of how easy it is to use, with minimal effort, and how forgiving it is on trim, plastic, and glass. And -- it lasts.

I also used my unsuspecting son to do a little fun comparison between Klasse and Flagship (the latter used to be my go-to wax). We could not readily tell a difference in the amount of shine when finished. However, both he and I felt the Klasse was MUCH, MUCH easier to work with.

My own half season experience is that in the shine-to-effort category, it is probably not possible to outshine Klasse. I've never used Collinite, so I'm curious.

And just to be clear: I am NOT an expert/maniac/nuanced detailer, I just go for simple shine, I don't worry about swirls and some such.--

Never used the Klasse, so I cannot speak of it's quality or ease of use. I have used several different types of waxes and was introduced to Collinite by some friends on another forum I frequent (Nautique/Correctcraft site). These guys have used anything and everything and swear by the Collinite. I picked up a bottle earlier this year and used it to do up the whole boat after a light polishing. Wax went on great and beads up like a beast. Boat is barely dirty when I taker out because her hull is so slick from the wax.

I'd say give it a whirl and see how you like. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

In the future use a diversionary tactic when you get a scratch.
Using a hammer beat the gelcoat vigorously about 6 inches away from the scratch, just like magic no one will ever notice the scratch.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

ALL kidding aside, buy yourself some 3m super duty rubbing compound, put some on an old towel or wash cloth swirl it over the spot by hand and it will usually do the trick on that type of scratch, you can also finish it with some wheel mark eliminator or polish the same way.
Never jump right to wet sanding as you are taking off material that may not be necessary. A good idea is to start off with that and if it is not quite fixed try the slow buffer with a good wool pad but take your time because once you go too far you just made it worse. And more costly to fix. Usually if you can't fix it with the first method pay someone who does it for a living to fix it and be done with it. Also avoid any regular rubbing compound if it is not for finishes it will damage the material usually those are way too course. You can usually find the correct materials and some advise on how to use that material if you go to a automotive finish supply outlet that supply the professionals with paint and other products.