Fiberglass Repair to Hardtop

[Grey56]

Fellow Captains -

Good afternoon to you all - once again I'd like some advice. I've seen @Hookup1 give notes on his repair (beautiful) - but wanted his or anyone else who would be willing to chime in on how to best repair the Hardtop. I truly want to get rid of the mold/mildew & get a teal color coat on the underside. With the Tuna Tower on top - I'm afraid of the task; but am willing to listen to good advice.

Thanks to all of you as ever!

 

[Fishtales]

I'd get a gallon of 30 second second outdoor cleaner from HD and mix 50/50 with water in a spray bottle. Wet the top side of the hardtop first. Let it sit a minute or two and hose it off. Then do the same for the underside. It is mostly bleach, but the stuff really works well. I use it on the hardtop and in the bilge areas while the plug is out and boat is in layup and they all come out clean as a whistle.
You can try it on the sides as well where you have mold and streaks and see if it helps. Once you get it clean, you can assess what to do next.

 

[Fishtales]

Stepped away for a min...
Once clean, if you want to paint it, there are the standard marine paints you can use. I'm going to recommend something I just used on my plastic/composite headliner that was recommended to me by a local painter. The product is called Insl-X STIX. It is a two-step paint for plastic, gelcoat and other hard non-porous surfaces. Apply the waterborne primer first, 2 coats and let dry well (I was told 72H). I picked out all the paint chips that possibly could match and picked the closest match of the bunch for my headliner. Had the paint tinted and applied a couple of coats of the STIX paint over the primer and feathered in to blend with the cheap one time use brush (used to be called a chippy brush). Could not be happier with the match and ease of install. Painter said he used it on his counter of his paint store for years, not a chip or wear spot and there were a lot of cans of paint tossed on it over the years. I'm sure a good marine paint would work as well.

 

[Hookup1]

There a lot of factors to consider and I'm fine helping you navigate. First two questions - 1.) What level of finish do you want? 2.) Are you doing the work yourself.

I started out trying to find someone to refinish the hardtop. No one wanted a "small" job. Others told me to just replace it - it would be cheaper than refinishing. Eventually I decided to do it myself (with no previous experience doing this type of work AKA How hard can it be?). I'll include some before and after pictures.




After 25 years of sun the gelcoat is dried out and chalking. The way GW makes these hardtops water hangs on the bottom edge and pops the gelcoat off in large chips. The substrate the tops are made of is difficult to bond to making polyester materials or gelcoat a poor choice for repairs.

I had cracks in the hardtop where the rigger mounts were. The hardtop is cored with a honeycomb material and should be reinforced. That was another project (installed Coosa board composite) and had plates welded into the tower. Make sure you have no cracking issues with your tuna tower mounts.



I preferred to use AwlGrip's AwlFair epoxy fairing compound. Great to work with (it the pink you see). I sprayed AwlCraft 2000 primer and top coat and did the non-skid on the hardtop this way. There are other paint products you can use that can be rolled with great results.

Another thing to consider is the top and underside have textured finishes. You will loose that and the repair will be obvious. You will have to completely sand them out (not that difficult with old gelcoat).

Best of luck! And shoot any questions you have over.

 

[seasick]

In addition to Awlgrip, Total Boat has some choices in primers for fiberglass and top coats. The top coats have a few color options. As alluded to by Hookup, there may be a need for fiberglass/gelcoat repairs before any priming and painting.

 

[Hookup1]

Obviously the hardtop will have to come off the boat to work on it. I used threaded eyebolts with a strap to lift off and on with the help of a friend's forklift. All the old caulk has to be cleaned off. Nothing will stick to the old silicone. That was an aggressive sanding operation. Then you need to use fairing compound where you sanded and do other repairs.

I have heard good things about AlexSeal paint as well. Works well rolling it out. Apparently there are others.

The underside of the hardtop doesn't have to be car hood shiny unless you want that look. Factory top has a stippled paint roller finish now. Factory top topside is non-skid. That isn't that hard to do either. Tape out, roll paint, evenly sprinkle out non-skid material and let dry for an hour. Blow off loose material and roll out seal coat. Pull tape and roll out finish coat.

Advantage of textured finish is that it doesn't have to be perfect! Gloss finish was a pain to do. It has to be dead flat and smooth across the whole surface or you will see it.

The hardtop is what started my makeover project. The hardtop looked like crap. Then I looked at the aluminum tower and it looked like crap too. Couldn't find a good way to refinish the tower. Sent out for sandblasting and painted it when it came back. Working on the hardtop I decided that I wanted a fancy underside that would match the future color of the boat hull. Then before I could re-install the tower I had to paint the console bubble. Before I could do that I had to remove the two front windows, windshield wipers and horn then fiberglass everything up. Everything went back together with new stainless.

I see a number of inquires on GreatGrady for used hardtops. Unlikely they will find one and if they do it probably not in the condition they want. Building new is cheaper than paying someone to refinish the old one. But if you can do most of the work yourself it's not that expensive or difficult - just a lot of time.

 

[Fishtales]

In addition to Awlgrip, Total Boat has some choices in primers for fiberglass and top coats. The top coats have a few color options. As alluded to by Hookup, there may be a need for fiberglass/gelcoat repairs before any priming and painting.

I've used their glass and resin and inflatable bottom paint as well. They make decent stuff that is very price competitive. Would use again for sure.

 

[Grey56]

Stepped away for a min...
Once clean, if you want to paint it, there are the standard marine paints you can use. I'm going to recommend something I just used on my plastic/composite headliner that was recommended to me by a local painter. The product is called Insl-X STIX. It is a two-step paint for plastic, gelcoat and other hard non-porous surfaces. Apply the waterborne primer first, 2 coats and let dry well (I was told 72H). I picked out all the paint chips that possibly could match and picked the closest match of the bunch for my headliner. Had the paint tinted and applied a couple of coats of the STIX paint over the primer and feathered in to blend with the cheap one time use brush (used to be called a chippy brush). Could not be happier with the match and ease of install. Painter said he used it on his counter of his paint store for years, not a chip or wear spot and there were a lot of cans of paint tossed on it over the years. I'm sure a good marine paint would work as well.

@seasick Sorry it took me all week to come back & reply: life of the weekend warrior.

That said: going to try the 30 Second Cleaner. Graciously - we have the boat in dry dock in a marina where I can pull it around & hose it off for free.

As to the paint: I do already have some EXT paint from HD - but not the brand you suggested. I'm waffling just sanding/re-painting the original Grady off-white. But - @Hookup1 has me falling in love with the idea of painting the underside a Teal to match the decals. Likewise though - as he also made mention of - he had to get the threaded eyebolts & have a fork lift it off. While I am sure I could get the LA County Marina & Harbor fellows to lift it off for me - I'm afraid I just don't have time barring taking a week off to see it all done.

I have the tools: rotary sander, random orbital, power-buffer, angle grinder, dremel kit & materials (west marine is literally across the street from the harbor). Question is time. Just want everyone to be honest with me: if I'm working 10-12 hours a day - is this something I can tackle or should I just quote it & see if the local marina will do it for around $3K?

 

[Grey56]

Obviously the hardtop will have to come off the boat to work on it. I used threaded eyebolts with a strap to lift off and on with the help of a friend's forklift. All the old caulk has to be cleaned off. Nothing will stick to the old silicone. That was an aggressive sanding operation. Then you need to use fairing compound where you sanded and do other repairs.

I have heard good things about AlexSeal paint as well. Works well rolling it out. Apparently there are others.

The underside of the hardtop doesn't have to be car hood shiny unless you want that look. Factory top has a stippled paint roller finish now. Factory top topside is non-skid. That isn't that hard to do either. Tape out, roll paint, evenly sprinkle out non-skid material and let dry for an hour. Blow off loose material and roll out seal coat. Pull tape and roll out finish coat.

Advantage of textured finish is that it doesn't have to be perfect! Gloss finish was a pain to do. It has to be dead flat and smooth across the whole surface or you will see it.

The hardtop is what started my makeover project. The hardtop looked like crap. Then I looked at the aluminum tower and it looked like crap too. Couldn't find a good way to refinish the tower. Sent out for sandblasting and painted it when it came back. Working on the hardtop I decided that I wanted a fancy underside that would match the future color of the boat hull. Then before I could re-install the tower I had to paint the console bubble. Before I could do that I had to remove the two front windows, windshield wipers and horn then fiberglass everything up. Everything went back together with new stainless.

I see a number of inquires on GreatGrady for used hardtops. Unlikely they will find one and if they do it probably not in the condition they want. Building new is cheaper than paying someone to refinish the old one. But if you can do most of the work yourself it's not that expensive or difficult - just a lot of time.

One other question I meant to ask: did you wear a bunny suit while doing any of it? Did some work on fiberglass boats & installed fiberglass insulation as a younger guy - and I have zero interest in re-living that horror.

 

[Hookup1]

One other question I meant to ask: did you wear a bunny suit while doing any of it? Did some work on fiberglass boats & installed fiberglass insulation as a younger guy - and I have zero interest in re-living that horror.

I'm not sure what you are talking about.

After this I started wearing a sock. Painting was messy. Glass work wasn't too bad.

 

[Fishtales]

Shouldn't need much protective gear if you are careful. I used gloves and safety glasses and covered sleeves and legs, no equipment just clothes.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Read through this
https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/hardtop-paint-265express.33928/
https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/hardtop-paint-265express.33928/

 

[Grey56]

I'm not sure what you are talking about.
View attachment 33925
After this I started wearing a sock. Painting was messy. Glass work wasn't too bad.

Some people pay a lot of money to get that punk rock.

Appreciate the tip!

 

[Grey56]

@Fishtales - thank you for the input: glad I wasn't crazy for wanting to be sure! PS: I tried the 30 Second cleaner - and you weren't wrong in that the bleach really helped knock off the dingy color! Thank you!

@SkunkBoat do you think having the forklift would have helped? It looks as if both you @Hookup1 have some space to work with. While I do have the marina yard (and electrical thank golly) - what I don't have is lots of spare time. All in all - about how long did it take to do the repair & were you happy with it? Frankly - I can't believe how good Hookup1's looks: it's humbling to see the work of my fellow Captains.

 

[SkunkBoat]

@Fishtales - thank you for the input: glad I wasn't crazy for wanting to be sure! PS: I tried the 30 Second cleaner - and you weren't wrong in that the bleach really helped knock off the dingy color! Thank you!

@SkunkBoat do you think having the forklift would have helped? It looks as if both you @Hookup1 have some space to work with. While I do have the marina yard (and electrical thank golly) - what I don't have is lots of spare time. All in all - about how long did it take to do the repair & were you happy with it? Frankly - I can't believe how good Hookup1's looks: it's humbling to see the work of my fellow Captains.

I would not have been able to do it without a garage to keep it in between working on it and when drying paint.
The paint took forever to dry, even with heaters inside the garage.
I would imagine a forklift would have helped if it was tall enough.. The 265 top is larger and heavier than the Islander top.
I am very happy with doing WHITE on top. Don't have to try to match. And yellow underneath along with the white canvas just really looks great.

One mistake we made. When manhandling the top, we rested it on the finished front edge for a bit. I am seeing some spider cracks thru the paint there now.

 

[Hookup1]

@Fishtales - thank you for the input: glad I wasn't crazy for wanting to be sure! PS: I tried the 30 Second cleaner - and you weren't wrong in that the bleach really helped knock off the dingy color! Thank you!

@SkunkBoat do you think having the forklift would have helped? It looks as if both you @Hookup1 have some space to work with. While I do have the marina yard (and electrical thank golly) - what I don't have is lots of spare time. All in all - about how long did it take to do the repair & were you happy with it? Frankly - I can't believe how good Hookup1's looks: it's humbling to see the work of my fellow Captains.

I own a self storage facility in Cape May area. Even though I have 200 units I don't even have single garage for my truck! All work was done outside. It was a total PITA because every morning everything was wet. Building up the edges and flattening all the glass work was a little bit every day. You can't sand until the next day and it depends on the heat. Painting difficult too with wind and bugs. I have never done this much glass or paint work (never painted before). Watching Frankie Bushong YouTube videos gave me a confidence to try it. It's not perfect - what I call a 20/20 finish - 20 feet or 20 knots. But I couldn't be happier with how it turned.

Because I'm here at storage all summer I can do a little bit each day. It's a low impact business. Not everyone can get setup this way.

SkunkBoat removed his top with some help. It's around 100lbs. You have to be careful not to drop it. If you have a tree or something up over 16' you can lift it off. The forklift (at a storage place around the corner) was clearly the way to take it off and put back on.

SkunkBoat took a different approach and used rollable paints. These pains are amazing and produce excellent results.

You don't have to go to the extreme level that I did and still have great results. You have to take the top off though, clean up the caulk and refinish from there.

I wouldn't take it to a marina - but get a quote - may be too expensive. Best bet is a smaller glass/paint guy/shop.

 

[Grey56]

I own a self storage facility in Cape May area. Even though I have 200 units I don't even have single garage for my truck! All work was done outside. It was a total PITA because every morning everything was wet. Building up the edges and flattening all the glass work was a little bit every day. You can't sand until the next day and it depends on the heat. Painting difficult too with wind and bugs. I have never done this much glass or paint work (never painted before). Watching Frankie Bushong YouTube videos gave me a confidence to try it. It's not perfect - what I call a 20/20 finish - 20 feet or 20 knots. But I couldn't be happier with how it turned.

Because I'm here at storage all summer I can do a little bit each day. It's a low impact business. Not everyone can get setup this way.

SkunkBoat removed his top with some help. It's around 100lbs. You have to be careful not to drop it. If you have a tree or something up over 16' you can lift it off. The forklift (at a storage place around the corner) was clearly the way to take it off and put back on.

SkunkBoat took a different approach and used rollable paints. These pains are amazing and produce excellent results.

You don't have to go to the extreme level that I did and still have great results. You have to take the top off though, clean up the caulk and refinish from there.

I wouldn't take it to a marina - but get a quote - may be too expensive. Best bet is a smaller glass/paint guy/shop.

This is all good context & damn good advice: many, many thanks. Will take some pictures regardless as to what I end up doing!