Mystery Part & Stainless Cleaning

[Grey56]

Good evening all -

Tonight I come to you with two separate parts questions.

First - have been trying like the devil to clean off the stainless bars all around the boat but have yet to find something that works well. Have tried my angle grinder & rotary sander (with several grit sizes & some degree of success) & Flitz polish. But not to the desired end state. If you look closely you can see where I've had a little success cleaning off the launcher to the far right.




For the second one - we found that this mystery part DOES have a wire coming down from it on the inside tube on the port side. Only thing is: we have no idea what it's for!



As always - the community expertise is a life saver. Night all.

 

[Hookup1]

I'm assuming you are talking about the aluminum 1/2 tower and rocket launchers. I went thru this last year. I took the hardtop off for repair. Then decided to tackle the pitting of the aluminum. In the end I wound up sandblasting and painting it.

Look at some of the suggestions in this thread. https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/gemlux-deluxe-outrigger-bases.34551/page-2



The mystery part on the hardtop is some kind of antenna. Maybe your GPS. What type of electronics do you have? Looks like Raymarine.

 

[wspitler]

GPS Antenna. Rod holders are aluminum.

 

[SkunkBoat]

The anodized aluminum can be cleaned up a little, but it will never look like new anodized aluminum again.
I've seen it stripped of the anodized surface and then polished. Then you have to polish it relentlessly.
Strip & paint is another option.

That looks like a gps puck. Could even be a really old one that is just the antenna. Does it have a coax cable with a BNC connector?
Its probably junk compared to a new one.
New GPS "antennas" are actually the entire gps receiver and connect thru NMEA2k to the rest of your electronics.

 

[DennisG01]

Antenna... are you saying the wire is not connected to anything? If so, it is likely (as noted above) an old GPS antenna that is no longer used. It looks like a Raymarine to me, as well.

Aluminum... don't use the grinder/sandpaper! You'll sand away any protective anodizing you have left and also make the surface very uneven looking. Try the Flitz again - or a product called Woody Wax (or Collinite metal polish). But this time use BRONZE wool to apply/rub it. You have keep rubbing... and rubbing and rubbing. And then rub some more... and more. This is going to be a very labor intensive job... got any kids around that want to make a few bucks? This method will work - but it takes effort.

After you get it to the look you want, keep up on the waxing/protecting on a very regular basis to keep it from dulling out again.

 

[seasick]

The Woody wax is worth a shot if the meatal is lighted pitted. I have applied Woody Wax and let it sit overnight. It helps somewhat.
Woody Wax is also a great product for decks. Easy to apply and buff. Read and follow the instructions and be aware that while it is drying, it can be incredibly slippery.

 

[Grey56]

I'm assuming you are talking about the aluminum 1/2 tower and rocket launchers. I went thru this last year. I took the hardtop off for repair. Then decided to tackle the pitting of the aluminum. In the end I wound up sandblasting and painting it.

Look at some of the suggestions in this thread. https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/gemlux-deluxe-outrigger-bases.34551/page-2

View attachment 28475

The mystery part on the hardtop is some kind of antenna. Maybe your GPS. What type of electronics do you have? Looks like Raymarine.

This looks damn fine; wish I had the money to do it - did you restore the hardtop all by yourself?

 

[Fishtales]

You can try Noxon and Never Dull but it will not come back to the state you want. Def a Raymarine GPS receiver from the 1990s early 2000s.

 

[Hookup1]

This looks damn fine; wish I had the money to do it - did you restore the hardtop all by yourself?

Yes. Older Grady White hardtops and hatches have problems with chipping gelcoat. Potato chip size chips! I did the work myself. Repaired rigger base cracks, added reinforcement, refinished including non-skid. The 1/2 tower was sanded, then sandblasted, aluminum primer, primer and 4 coats of white top coat. All AwlGrip. I also painted the hull and console bubble. I couldn't get anyone to do the work so I learned to paint. Used 3M PPS 2.0 spray system. It was a lot of work. I'm also doing this all outside without a roof. PITA. But it looks awesome!

 

[Grey56]

Yes. Older Grady White hardtops and hatches have problems with chipping gelcoat. Potato chip size chips! I did the work myself. Repaired rigger base cracks, added reinforcement, refinished including non-skid. The 1/2 tower was sanded, then sandblasted, aluminum primer, primer and 4 coats of white top coat. All AwlGrip. I also painted the hull and console bubble. I couldn't get anyone to do the work so I learned to paint. Used 3M PPS 2.0 spray system. It was a lot of work. I'm also doing this all outside without a roof. PITA. But it looks awesome!

I have a tuna tower on top of mine currently - with throttle controls. If it was just the tower - I think we could get away with it. As it stands - I am looking at repairing it without removing it. I myself don't have a garage or covered area to work (but it is SoCal thankfully) - so I feel your pain(t).

Like you - I had been considering putting either a different color paint - or marine mat on the roof above the helm to create a color dynamic. Like the blue you used!

 

[Grey56]

The anodized aluminum can be cleaned up a little, but it will never look like new anodized aluminum again.
I've seen it stripped of the anodized surface and then polished. Then you have to polish it relentlessly.
Strip & paint is another option.

That looks like a gps puck. Could even be a really old one that is just the antenna. Does it have a coax cable with a BNC connector?
Its probably junk compared to a new one.
New GPS "antennas" are actually the entire gps receiver and connect thru NMEA2k to the rest of your electronics.

The wife & I actually discussed the "puck/antenna" - and leaving it there since it was already acting as a guide wire if we ever wanted to put something back on the roof. We installed a Garmin EchoMap 94sv recently - but I didn't know if there would be anything we could add to it to "boost" it's capabilities or simply use that old puck location for something new IE spotlight.

 

[SkunkBoat]

There has been an evolution in gps "antennas". Long ago they were just the "antenna" that connected to a gps receiver. Then they got the receiver circuit inside of them. First that used NMEA01983 to connect the position data to other electronics. Then it went to NMEA2K. MUCH better. Then they started improving the receiver that is built in. Faster updates and more satelites. Now most MFDs (multifunction displays) and Combination Chartplotter/Fishfinders(like your Echo94) have a really good gps built into the unit. However, you could make an NMEA2k network on your boat and connect a new N2k GPS "puck" up there as a backup. Garmin's latest is a GPS24xd that includes a heading sensor. A heading sensor will show your bow direction on your Echo94 even when you are not moving. That has advantages.
They seem to improve them every other year...

certainly leave it there to cover the hole until you need to put something else there

 

[Grey56]

There has been an evolution in gps "antennas". Long ago they were just the "antenna" that connected to a gps receiver. Then they got the receiver circuit inside of them. First that used NMEA01983 to connect the position data to other electronics. Then it went to NMEA2K. MUCH better. Then they started improving the receiver that is built in. Faster updates and more satelites. Now most MFDs (multifunction displays) and Combination Chartplotter/Fishfinders(like your Echo94) have a really good gps built into the unit. However, you could make an NMEA2k network on your boat and connect a new N2k GPS "puck" up there as a backup. Garmin's latest is a GPS24xd that includes a heading sensor. A heading sensor will show your bow direction on your Echo94 even when you are not moving. That has advantages.
They seem to improve them every other year...

certainly leave it there to cover the hole until you need to put something else there

All good background info - thank you. It's honestly amazing how much I learn here every time I post. It feels like I take in more from the replies here than I do with literal hours of watching YT.

And all good suggestions, btw - thank you for them all! Since you seem to be familiar - do you think there is an advantage to having a Radar in addition to the chart plotter?

 

[SkunkBoat]

I have a tuna tower on top of mine currently - with throttle controls. If it was just the tower - I think we could get away with it. As it stands - I am looking at repairing it without removing it. I myself don't have a garage or covered area to work (but it is SoCal thankfully) - so I feel your pain(t).

Like you - I had been considering putting either a different color paint - or marine mat on the roof above the helm to create a color dynamic. Like the blue you used!

Just did mine.
https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/hardtop-paint-265express.33928/post-237282

 

[Grey56]

Just did mine.
https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/hardtop-paint-265express.33928/post-237282

Honestly - it looks brand new; you did an excellent job with it!