Laser Hull Gloss

Gmac7

New Member
How do you bring back the gloss shine finish after sanding a laser hull?

I used 600 grade wet & dry and I was wondering how to bring back the shine as the sanding has left the area a dull mat finish. Should I simply use 1200 grade sandpaper or is there a compound to buy for the job like t-cut or something?

Also, on a separate topic my daggerboard moves side to side and hums when sailing off wind, any suggestions or recommendations very welcome.

Thanks!
 
You basically stopped a bit early. You need to work your way through a few more grades of paper yet: 800, 1200 and 2000. Sand diagonally on both sides of the centreline, alternating diagonals with each grade of paper. Dishwashing liquid in the water will help the paper to slip more easily. After that you'll need to use a cutting compound which you apply with a buffing tool or a pad on a drill bit. Lastly I used Finesse It II by 3M to give a gloss. It's a lot of elbow grease but worth it. My 1985 laser gets comments all the time about the finish of the bottom.

AFA the centreboard goes, humming is fairly common. Have a look at the trailing edge for any bumps or rough bits and fair them off with some sandpaper on a block.
 
why did you sand the hull that just makes it really hard to repair at a later date and achieves nothing as far as I can see. oh and never use car products on gel coat they have a chemical in them that oxidises gel coat but is good for car paintwork oh and after the cutting compound you need polish and wax sealer and I wouldn't really go for a brand like rooster use farecla or 3m or star brite or international
oh and you need to jap tape your centreboard slot https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=j...LK0AWnv4HwDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAw&biw=1680&bih=902
 
keep going switching to 800, then 1200 or higher, then wax and polish, the starbrite PTEF works pretty well

The hull should look glossy when wet by now, then after you finish it will look glossy wet/dry

if you're sailing in salt water be sure to rinse the hull in fresh water after you sail
 
starbright.jpg

Yes to Starbrite!
 
A shiny, polished hull isn't necessarily fast. However, it definitely will have a gleam when it reflects the sunlight. The guy watching the starting line is SURE to see you over early.

But I'm probably going to use some Starbrite on my boat anyway.
 
pretty much all boats are shiny while sailing. Your starting line concerns are way more than that which is appropriate for reality.

besides, the RC won't see ypou over unless you are over and if you are over and the great sport we all would all love to believe you are, you WANT the RC to see you when you are over early so you won't accidentally win with an unfair head start..

Which gives me an idea.

Suppose we changed the bolack flag rule to include a Throw out that Black flag race option.

The key to being allowed to do so would be to carry a colored flashing light on the bow running full time from warning signal to finish for the remainder of the regatta.

Animated-police-cherries-lit-up-flashing-lights.gif
 
A shiny, polished hull isn't necessarily fast. However, it definitely will have a gleam when it reflects the sunlight. The guy watching the starting line is SURE to see you over early.

But I'm probably going to use some Starbrite on my boat anyway.
I still say the biggest advantage for the average club racer about polishing the bottom comes from actually turning your boat over and spotting any cracks that might let in water, loose bailer that not functioning properly, or something else that needs repairing. The actual speed advantage is easily lost by a single bad tack on the course, having a polished bottom might be meaningful at the elite level, but not the rest of us.
 
Sorry to dig this up, shoot me if you like...... Don't polish/wax the daggerboard.
A polished hull is a bugger to recover from inversion.
Which is really the only time you will truly get to show it off. The rib crew will probably comment on how pretty and shiny your hull is as they help you right her.

100% disagree about 'never paint a grp boat'.
When its done right, with patience, methodically...it not only improves the boat (depends on the colour) but offers protection.
How can a hull with severe beach rash be considered worth more than one that has been filled faired and properly painted ?
A scratch in the gelcoat is a way in for the saltwater, which obviously in time causes issues.
A filled scratch closes that door.
I've recently painted mine, primarily because Northampton couldn't tell me the ral code for the gel and mixing my own ' until I got it just right' would've been a frikin nightmare. A few millilitres out either way and she would have highly noticeable stripes all over.
It was easier and for better overall effect to fill, fair, undercoat, topcoat.
Took about 18 man hours, used international perfections with rollers, wet sanded probably 95% of what I put on back off at every layer /coat. (Three under, four over). The paint forms it own gloss, no need to polish or buff. Looks wicked, apparently. Only about 30 times better than beach rash white though...
 
i really like, and seem to have goodvresults with, McLube's Hullcoat Speed Polish. Anyone else have good experiencevwith it? Or is it myimagination and the boat just 'seems' faster because I know it's there.
 
My two cents,
Painting the boat is a cosmetic fix, and although it does add sealing properties to the hull, it also adds unnecessary weight. With small boats like Lasers weight is a pretty big factor. Voodoo, it also sounds like you maybe inadvertantly did some hull fairing here, which is class illegal. Again, just my thoughts, sail on guys
 
Hello Charlie,
appreciate your comment !
Before I began to actually paint I considered the stigmas attached to 'a painted hull'. I've been a buyer, accompanied a bundle of buyers to check out prospective purchases and the school of thought of beware the paint job may be hiding something is always at the forefront.
I've just stripped the perfection way back and redone her with Toplac, just last week btw.
The weight consideration ? Well, the amount of paint left behind after wet sanding is probably less than the depth of a lightweight flag paper ..... I used 120ml per coat x 3 coats..that's only just over half of a small bottle of mineral water, then that was sanded back to almost nothing each time....I reckon there's about 150ml of actual paint left on the boat !
Check out the attached pic - can you see how thin it actually is ?
I reckon there's more to consider re weight on board whether you piss enough before you go afloat !
Regarding fairing, again I understand your opinion but all I've done is filled the scratches and wet sanded them flush with the surrounding area.
Apologies if I'm coming across defensive, don't mean to....just trying to clarify.
image.jpg



She looks a darn sight better than if she were left a scratched up tramp Charlie, it had to be done.
 
It sounds and looks like you've done a much better job than most people with painting! In the Thistle Class sailboats around here, if a boat is painted we almost never even consider buying it as it is almost always done by a body shop, and results in the boat being up to 30lbs overweight (boat is 500lbs all up), and looks like a mountain range on the bottom when they're done.
 
Thanks Charlie.
The orange peel height varies according to a bunch of factors all determined by the sprayer on the day apparently - too much air pressure, too slow a stroke, drying too quick..
The wet sanding involved to flatten the paint is a labour of love that body shops will only undertake for serious dollars, no one wants to do it, I didn't even want to do my own ! But I had to .. So worth it.
 
I had a painted Laser for a few years. It certainly was not slow and regularly gave the 'shiny new boats' a run for their money.

If done properly (the Laser I had was painted be a reputable boat builder) it will add a little weight but the finish may more than make up for that.
 

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