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Cutting and Buffing fiberglass

Joined
Feb 14, 2020
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Location
Goshen CT
I picked up this bathtub of a canoe free on Craigslist. An Old Town 12’ Katahdin. Lord and my wife knows I don’t need another canoe, but I just bought a truck full of cedar for future canoe projects and I figured I could fix this up and pass it along to offset the cost. It needs a new seat and a crack repaired, but the time consuming task was the outside. It had been sitting at a NY reservoir for a long time and the outside reflected that.
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I figured a paint job was in order, but after several washes and scrubbing with DougD’s patented vinegar and Dawn concoction, I thought I might get the finish back.

I was tempted to wet sand this first, but I was afraid to go too deep. I opted for cutting and polishing compound, followed by paste wax.
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I usually like to use a microfiber towel when waxing, but it was not replaced when I threw it out last time. I did have these wipes for car painting prep that worked just as well.
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Not perfect results, but I’m glad I didn’t have to paint it and I can keep the original decals.
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I could have probably got some more shine out of it by finishing with foam pads on my high speed buffer, but I’m out of fine pads and I don’t want too many hours in this.

I’ll may post some more pics when it’s complete. If anyone should be in the market for an inexpensive fiberglass canoe that probably goes just as fast sideways, feel free to message me. I promise to keep your name anonymous.

Bob
 
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