Strip removal

I removed the stripe on my white hobie 18 and I am struggling to buff out the oxidation to match the gelcoat from underneath the stripe. I have a buffer and have used some heavy cut rubbing compound. I have also tried to apply wax but the stripe is still extremely visible. I know its nearly impossible to get them to match, but I would like to get it as good as I can.

Do you think it is worth it to buy a professional grade buffer. I have a cheap one which i dont think is doing as good of a job, but I dont want to shell out 100 bucks if I wont get any better results.

You're not going to get the "shadow lines" from the old stripes to disappear. The UV damage goes deep into the gel coat.

The easiest way to deal with it (if it really bothers you) is to replace the stripe.

That is what I have come to agreement with. Do you think a season out in the sun will help fade the distinct line a bit? My only concern with replacing the strip is not being able to match the shadow lines perfectly.

Sun exposure is not going to make them go away.

The nice thing about the shadow lines is that they're a great guide to putting on a new stripe.

you don't say how old the boat is and if it is the OEM stripe.

I removed the OEM stripe from my '88 after 22 years on the boat. What I found was the gelcoat under the stripe was RAISED above the rest of the hull. It also had the original gloss finish. The same was true for the hull under the registration numbers. I imagine the gel wears away over time.

But as said, it did help me put the new stripe on correctly.

_________________
Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

You could just sand the whole boat with wet/dry 2400 and say its suede finished. Rough out is faster than polished gloss anyway, ask any surfer

I had the same issue on an early 80's boat. I removed the old peeling stripe only to find a really nice finish under the stripe. I wet sanded from 800-1800 with no real great results. I buffed with 3M heavy duty rubbing compound and finished it with 3M wax. Bottom line, the sun can do some damage and I could still see the lines.

I ordered new graphics and installed new stripes on the boat. I first put down a stripe of blue painters tape as a guide so the new stripe would "butt" up against it. The edge of the tape I used was thick enough to provide a nice even guide line.

Good luck.