How to remove clear coat

[stonegully]

I have a 2000 Intrigue. The clear coat is flaking off and this model/
year they did not paint first, only the stripes

Loose comes off easily with the pressure washer. Has anyone suggestions on how to remove what remains? I prefer not to sand and was thinking of using a chemical stripper but was not sure of how it may damage the fiberglass. I plan to use a non wax polymer product called PoliGlow when I am done instead of painting.

Thanks

[mike brez]

I can't help but I have used poly glo and red max pro on my old pace arrow.
I know it's going to cost a bit but if you are going to strip the whole thing I would get it re shot with clear coat.

I remember reading many years ago that someone sued or tried to sue CC for advertising full body paint when it was just as you described clear coat over fiberglass. Not sure on the outcome of it.

[Crop Duster]

Originally Posted by stonegully

I have a 2000 Intrigue. The clear coat is flaking off and this model/
year they did not paint first, only the stripes

Loose comes off easily with the pressure washer. Has anyone suggestions on how to remove what remains? I prefer not to sand and was thinking of using a chemical stripper but was not sure of how it may damage the fiberglass. I plan to use a non wax polymer product called PoliGlow when I am done instead of painting.

Thanks

Don’t use stripper. You’re pretty much going to have to sand it. I’m not familiar with Poliglow. How does it work?

[dons2346]

Originally Posted by mike brez

.....................
I remember reading many years ago that someone sued or tried to sue CC for advertising full body paint when it was just as you described clear coat over fiberglass. Not sure on the outcome of it.

Back in about '03 to '04 a guy was trying to get a class action suit against CC. The claim against CC was that CC claimed full body paint on all coaches. This guy found that some coaches were clear coat over gel coat and that clear was not paint because of no pigment. CC said yes, clear is paint. It went to court with a full boat load of lawyers on the CC side and none on the guys side so he gave up.

[450Donn]

Originally Posted by Crop Duster

Don’t use stripper. You’re pretty much going to have to sand it. I’m not familiar with Poliglow. How does it work?

Polyglow is a product used by lots of people to make a boat look good to sell fast. I fell for their line years ago. That mistake cost me countless hours trying to strip the crud off so I could get rif of the oxidation on the surface that happened after I applied the stuff. Redmax pro and Zep floor finishnis the same basic stuff. Works good to polish vinyl floors in a public building, but does not stop or inhibit oxidation.
For the OP your best bet is find a good truck paint shop and pay them to fix the mess for you. Anything you try unless your extremely knowledgable will only lead to a further mess.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by stonegully

I have a 2000 Intrigue. The clear coat is flaking off and this model/
year they did not paint first, only the stripes

Loose comes off easily with the pressure washer. Has anyone suggestions on how to remove what remains? I prefer not to sand and was thinking of using a chemical stripper but was not sure of how it may damage the fiberglass. I plan to use a non wax polymer product called PoliGlow when I am done instead of painting.

Thanks

Look these options over - https://www.google.com/search?ei=qgq...71.ppqvmlip1Ys

Google sometimes has the answer...

[deandec]

With the exception of the nose of our rig, I have stripped all the Clear Coat applied by CC over Gel Coat. (And also much of the Clear Coat I applied...)

(Clear Coat applied over Base Coat Paint is a different subject which I have no successful experience to share.)

I gently used a razor blade scraper (common variety) to remove the Clear Coat.

Doing so I could remove a sheet of Clear Coat that was as much as 24" x 24" but often smaller. I found it easier to abandon the process on a windy day.

It is a slow process (Passenger side took one day) and can leave razor scratches in the Gel Coat. The scratches were easily removed with Bar Keeper's Friend.




Where the Base Coat color met the peeling clear coat, I would gently press the scraper to the edge of the color/gel coat from the Clear Coat side. The Clear Coat at that juncture would normally break off cleanly with little effort and no damage to the Clear Coated Base Color area.

[Ljwt330]

My understanding of clear coats, and it's just from reading on the subject, is that unless it is applied within a certain time and upon a base coat, it will fail early. It is designed as a two part paint process with the base coat and the bonding between the two is dependent on application over a properly sprayed and partially dried base. Applying clear coat over gel coat will not bond the same way and the adhesion is solely dependent on the clear coat which, eventually, weakens due to exposure. The painted stripes were likely a base coat and that's why the clear is still robust.


Removing the clear from a gel coat and respraying will only lead to another failure in the future, though the coach may not be yours by then and it will look good in the meantime.

[Burfman]

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

My understanding of clear coats, and it's just from reading on the subject, is that unless it is applied within a certain time and upon a base coat, it will fail early. It is designed as a two part paint process with the base coat and the bonding between the two is dependent on application over a properly sprayed and partially dried base. Applying clear coat over gel coat will not bond the same way and the adhesion is solely dependent on the clear coat which, eventually, weakens due to exposure. The painted stripes were likely a base coat and that's why the clear is still robust.


Removing the clear from a gel coat and respraying will only lead to another failure in the future, though the coach may not be yours by then and it will look good in the meantime.

Larry is spot on. I just had our rig repainted only on the painted stripes as that was where the clear coat was peeling. Looks good and should last until I can't drive anymore. I talked to a painter friend and he stated the same as you did about the clear must be applied in a short time after the final color coat as the two bond together.
He said that if I tried to apply clear over the old paint probably wouldn't last 6 months before peeling off.

I just keep mine polished and the old gal looks pretty darn good for a 20 year old

[deandec]

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

My understanding of clear coats, and it's just from reading on the subject, is that unless it is applied within a certain time and upon a base coat, it will fail early. It is designed as a two part paint process with the base coat and the bonding between the two is dependent on application over a properly sprayed and partially dried base. Applying clear coat over gel coat will not bond the same way and the adhesion is solely dependent on the clear coat which, eventually, weakens due to exposure. The painted stripes were likely a base coat and that's why the clear is still robust.


Removing the clear from a gel coat and respraying will only lead to another failure in the future, though the coach may not be yours by then and it will look good in the meantime.

I understand this theory also, from reading web forums about painting.

But....I experienced about 15 years of Success from the Original Country Coach Clear Coat application to Gelcoat.

That is better success than many newer full base coated rigs have achieved. I just do not know how Country Coach got it done!

Of course, the OP was merely asking about how to remove Clear Coat, not what to apply next.

[dons2346]

Dean, my clear has lasted for almost 18 years. All of a sudden, it is coming off gangbusters but only in the plain gel coat areas. The painted bay doors still look great. Going to bite the bullet and get things done in October when I have some down time.

[deandec]

Don

The first Clear Coat peeling on Gel Coat occurred when the coach was 9 years old and it was on the white brow above the Windshield.

I was more of a rookie in 2004 and smartly took the rig to a Truck Painter in Sacramento.

They removed the clear coat to behind the air horns. Base coated the area to match the Clear Coated gel coat colors and then sprayed some clear coat.

Today, the brow shows no peeling of the clear coat.

So, it seems that the longer term repair is applying base coat and then clear coat as suggested above. My experiment with amateur applied clear coat on gel coat got a similar result to that of the boaters who do the same thing. A very short life of the Clear Coat.

Due to the cost of that painting repair, I have elected to use the Zep floor wax on my gel coat areas because it almost perfectly mimics the Clear Coat shine.

A $25 gallon bottle of Zep lasted about 3 years for my rig.

I can afford the 25 bucks but have problems reaching the higher part of the sidewall. So the future may be hiring someone to do the wax one time per year.

[Burfman]

Interesting issues that differ on the paint problems with our older coaches.
My front cap peeled the clear off about 10 years ago when the coach was 10/11 yrs old. I had it repainted at the same time I had the areas below the rub rail painted due to scratches on some of the doors. Today all looks good.

On the body of the coach the painter told me the it was just Gel-Coat without any clear but the stripes were paint (Sikkins) with clear and that was the only place that I had the dreaded cracking and clear peeling. He sanded the strips and repainted and added the clear coat. On the Gel-Coat he just used a machine glaze, 1200 grit with power buffer and it looks great.

I post this because others have said that their Gel-Coat is painted with clear coat but mine according to the paint shop is not.

I'm too old to be this confused