cleaning exterior of neglected c-dory

W

wanna-be

New member
:roll: acquired c-dory which has been parked in trees for 5 or more years with mold etc. would someone out there please inform me of the best way to refurbish the fiberglass without harming the finish thankyou very much gaffer :smileo
 
I purchased a 1993 22' Cruiser in February that was severely oxidized and faded due to a life in the desert. I used 3M restorer and wax and it worked like a charm:

http://www.shop3m.com/60980106938.html? ... storer-Wax

After 6 months, I am due for another waxing. Since the Blue trim is once again faded.

I also bought an orbital polisher, which made the process a breeze.

Good luck!

Tim
C-Pelican
 
Welcome aboard! It's sad that folks park boats under trees and leave them. First off remove anything loose and all gear out. The bilge under the fuel tanks will be full of crud so if you can get the panels off in front of them to clean that would be good. I have used vim household cleaner in warm water as a mild interior cleaner Great success on first cleaning can be had with bilge cleaner and warm water or just good household detergents. Once as clean as you can get it, may take several try's. A lot of us use Colinite waxes and polishes. You will maybe need a fairly aggressive cut polish and a power polisher. Check forums under wax or cleaning. Lots of good info. A one step restorer and wax may not be enough. 3m finessit is really nice for a last step buff. She will look a lot better after your first clean up. Just don't go too aggressive at first see how she comes up after a clean and first color restorer. Many good products out there by 3m and Meguires and Colinite. Enjoy your new boat. George
 
My new to me C-Dory 16 was a bit weathered when I bought her. Oxidized and dirty. I've tried many products On my boats from 3-M, Meguiars, Mothers, Griots etc, and IMO the best by far is Colinite. I used the 920 cleaner followed by the Heavy Duty Marine Paste Wax.

Robbi
 
On the gelcoat: Faded/chalky gelcoat is generally oxidized. It's not shiny, may feel rough, and if it's a color it will look lighter than it should. To bring it back to shiny gelcoat, you generally* need to remove this top oxidized layer (and you have to have enough gelcoat left beneath it so you can expose a fresh layer without going through to the underlying fiberglass).

The variable is what you use to remove the layer, and how aggressive it is. Some "light" methods are a combined cleaner/wax type thing, or a very light-duty compound, or a fine-grit wetsanding paper (1000).

Medium methods are typically more aggressive compounds and/or more aggressive grit paper (600). Then there are really aggressive compounds and successively rougher grit papers.

All of the above are made by numerous companies. 3M, Meguiars, etc.

A plain wax is mostly just a protective layer (not that there's anything wrong with that - UV protection especially is good), so I think of it as something I put on after I have the boat looking how I want it - not as something that will "bring back" a finish.

So... I would start with a less-aggressive method and see how that goes, and then progressively move to the more aggressive ones until you find the one that works. Then step back down "through the grits," so to speak, polishing it ever finer, until you are back to where you want it, then wax.

(This assumes you've started with a clean boat.)

Sunbeam

*There are other/new methods that, as I understand them, sort of "fill in the rough surfaces" to make them look shinier (Poliglo, floor wax, etc.). I'm not experienced with those.
 
my new to me dory had been dry storage for 14 years without any kind of upkeep. I used the whole line up of woodys wax.

the better option would of been to wet sand or use an abrasive 3m product first but there were some "thin" spots in the jell coat and didn't want to eat through it. in the end i was happy with there product and there spray on deck wax is a great thin coat re apply that takes no time to apply.

all in all for me it took a few weeks of pressure washing buffing and final wax and overall I clocked around 26 hours on the buff wheel. but it looks way better than it did..

also i pulled all the teak wood off and restored then re installed with a good bed of 3M 4000.
 
:lol: everyone that responded regarding cleaning a neglected boat I thankyou for sharing now does anyone want to help a 65 year old grami hee hee :roll:
 
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