I’m working on restoring a pretty beat-up Eddlyine.
I assume the coaming on an Eddlyine is NOT made of thermoform, correct?
How would you remove severe scratches from the coaming? If I wet sand them, what’s the best polish to restore the shine?
Also, after sanding out scratches on the thermoformed hull, what’s the best polish for restoring the finish? Will 303 Protectant do the job?
I’ve already read the Eddyline website’s instructions for scratches, etc. Just wondering about the above two details. The website refers to “wax” but doesn’t recommend a type or brand.
Thanks!
I think the coaming is the same material
If the kayak is thermoform, every Eddyline boat I have seen has the coaming made from the same material.
wonder if that kit that’s used
to clear up fogged plastic headlamp covers might work?
Clear Acrylic Paint
As stated by Eddyline.
JimZ
Scratch repair
Keep in mind that the only way to truly remove a scratch is to sand the surrounding area down to the same level as the deepest part of the scratch. Besides being a lot of work, this can eventually weaken the material …
Often, you may be better off simply cleaning and polishing/waxing the entire boat to make the scratches less obvious. I like the Mequires RV/Marine line of waxes and polishes.
Of course, if a scratch or gouge is deep enough, it may call for a proper repair involving grinding out and adding new material (poly, ABS, gelcoat, etc.).
Here’s some info on general kayak care:
http://www.aquadynology.com/maintenance1.html
Good luck!
Delphinus
Deep scratches
Yes, I agree, I don’t want to do excessive sanding on deep scratches. I know from experience with a previous Eddyline that this is a difficult job. As per the Eddyline website, I’ll look into filling in the deeper scratches rather than sanding them, and of course will try the least invasive procedures first. If I can improve the appearance by 50% I’ll be happy.
Thanks for the referral to Mequires RV/Marine.
Coaming
The coaming seems much more rigid that the rest of the boat.
Maybe it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of plastic it is. Sanding is going to dull the finish, so I’d like to find a way to restore some of the shine.
MicroMesh
If you sand plastic with anything other than extremely fine grades, you’ll get a dull patch that you can’t get rid of. Which is why they invented MicroMesh:
http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=273_193&products_id=88
The pads are very fine. With the larger grades, you will remove most small marks and scratches (not big ones), then you move to progressively finer grades until the dullness is gone. Note: These are for wet sanding, not dry sanding. I’ve used these to produce the so-called “dipped in glass” finish on musical instruments with nitrocellulose lacquer. On plastic, you’ll want to finish with a good polish, such as Meguiars.
Thank you!
With my previous polishing I learned the hard way about dulling the finish. Do you recommend the Regular, AO, or MX Micromesh package?
Do you think this will work on the coaming as well?
What about using a rubbing compound? I had some success with this previously but I think I should have bought a finer grade.
What about the hatch covers?
They too are all scratched up and dulled.
nix its
its comparable to tire repair/wear
a gouge maybe but not a scratch…
your boat is a tool, use it!
More on MicroMesh
The regular MicroMesh set looks like the right one as it lists “plastic” as one of its applications. I have a more complete kit that I bought a few years ago for woodworking that includes paper as well as the pads, but I’ve used the pads on my Eddyline to get out marks and scratches that various cleaners were unable to remove.
The very fine grades are so fine you’ll barely feel them on your fingers, but they get the job done. Start with a very light grade and go easy (remember, this is wet sanding, so keep the pad and the boat surface wet), and only apply a little more strength, or go to a heavier grade, if needed to get the job done. Then go back and finish with the lighter grades to eliminate any dull patches the heavier grades may have left. I finished with 3M Marine Restorer and followed that with Serious Shine (available from the Eddlyine website, but you might find it locally). I’ve also used 303, but I recall that left things a little dull and oily. Maybe I just needed more elbow grease.
If it sounds like a lot of work, it can be if you’re OCD about these things, but it was my first year with the boat. I suspect at the end of this season I won’t be quite so determined to remove all signs of actual use.
As for rubbing compounds, I use pumice and rottenstone on wood finishes, but I haven’t tried it on plastic – you might want to try it on an obscure area (especially if it’s black, like the coaming) before committing to a visible section.
The Hatch Covers
The inside of the hatch covers would be the perfect place to experiment with these techniques! If you screw it up and leave it dull and scratched, no harm done.
Very helpful!
Thanks very much!