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Restoring the color.
#1
Yesterday I was given grandpa's late 50's or early 60's 17' fiberglass boat, Johnson outboard and trailer. To a few of us in the family its a family treasure and the first boat we got to go riding and fishing in. Each time grandpa pulled back in the driveway we kids spent an hour cleaning and shining it up before it was tarped and rolled back into the garage after a trip in it. Well Sadly it wasnt given to one of us that would have respected grandpa's wishes where the boat is concerned and it was allow to set out in the open uncovered for years after his death. Now its in my hands and I want to restore it (inside and out) back to its once grand glory.. Its a classic and should remain that way.. My question is, is there anything I can use to remove the oxidation and restore is back to the bright red and white it used to be..

Thanks
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#2
Congrats on the heirloom. One of my favorite things about fishing is reminiscing about my fishing trips with Grandpa.

I once had an old boat myself, and spent countless hours washing and waxing it. It looked good for about a week after that, but then it went right back to the chalky finish. I finally gave up and painted it with rustoleum. It worked pretty well, but the Wagner power painter left something to be desired.

I hope somebody can help you with some information to get your boat back up to snuff.
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#3
There are alot ot tricks to getting that shine back, one trick I use is Vinegar, put it in a spray bottle and spray it on your boat and use a clean rag to clean it, it will take away that shodow look in the color areas, and it is great on the widshield most of that is caused by hard water, it may take some elbow grease but it does work. I then use the Maguire three step wash and wax it really helps, its time consuming as hell but it works and then thru the year it doesnt take as long to get it back up to its luster with just a quick wash and wax.

There are a few products on the market to clean your boat, one for the out drive to make it shiny and black again, but I think the main ingredient in it is just acid, it smells alot like lime away, so I have used lime away also, but be careful with that stuff on your clear coat, it will damage it. but it cleans the out drive up really nice. there are a few products you can find at marine dealers and outlets that will remove the oxidation and return your boat to the factory finish with just washing it, but use caution and wear rubber gloves most of it contains a weak acid but enough exposure to it will burn your skin.

Hope this helps you...
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#4
Thanks mateo. When G-pa died I got most of his fishing gear minus a couple poles. Having his boat now makes it more complete.. I've considered buffing it down then shooting a glass clear coat on it of some sorts but would rather not..

I recall in the old days that often G-pa would hand us a rag with 3in1 oil on it and we'd have to rub the complete boat down. I tried a small area on its deck yesterday using 3in1 oil in a light coat. The color popped right back. After the oil stood there for 3 hours I washed the area clean and so far the color has remained.
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#5
Thanks Icehole69 for the ideas and warnings.. I'll certainly give them thought. Lots of elbow grease is something I have plenty of so thats no problem and I know the wife has some vinegar around here somewhere!

As far as the acid's, or clear coating, it might be something I'll have to consider because this thing is so oxidized I barely recognized it when I saw it again for the first time in ten years a couple days ago..

Thanks again for you advice..
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