Using Clear coat over Yamaha 4D and 8D Factory Engine paint

[Soundear]

I’m restoring a 1998 Yamaha 115 I was told to use 8d on the lower unit and mid section / and 4D on the cowl. I also have all new decals I’d like to really make it look good can I use clear coat over that factory paint the parts department guy told me it’s single stage paint it may bubble does anybody have any experience with it?

[walleye1]

U can use clear over any paint, got to make sure it is clean and dry.

[Soundear]

Thanks Walleye1.........
I do realize there is one type of clear coat available for metals & one type for Plastics / Fiberglass. I can't seem to find any information on the Yamaha factory paint can - or the Yamaha site - to indicate how long I should wait in between coats of paint, and then before applying the clear coat. I can obviously feel if the paint is dry, but my understanding is it's important to also allow the paint to cure prior to sealing it with clear coat. Might you have any idea
of a safe time frame to wait?
Thanks

[boscoe99]

https://www.colorrite.com/bulletins/...structions.pdf

https://www.colorrite.com/content/bulletins-instructions-1010.cfm

[dray0151]

I used coloreiteto redo my 2004 F115. The color coats were about 30 minutes between coats and the clear was done within about an hour of course waiting per coloreitea instructions between the two clearcoat spays. I’ll post pics tomorrow to late to mess with it now

[dray0151]

Here is the 2004 F115 upper cowling I painted using Colorrite spay can paint and their clear coat

[walleye1]

looks great, good job.

[pstephens46]

Here is the 2004 F115 upper cowling I painted using Colorrite spay can paint and their clear coat

Can I send my cowling for a paint job? How much were the decals?

[dray0151]

Bought the decals off Ebay for 70.00. The swoosh ones were just a bit long so i trimmed them appropriately to fit as the old ones did. They would cost much more on here! That was about a weeks work between getting old stickers and paint off, I went all the way to the gel/fiberglass. Even had a small crack/chipped place on the stern end upper portion I patched. Primer was several hours and then sanding to remove any blemishes. Color coat tool about three hours with dry time between coats then clear coat about the same for two coats. Wet sanding the next day for the shine and rubbing compound. I now understand why the pros make so much, it is a lot of work!

[Soundear]

Thanks for all the responses as to how to correctly handle the clear coat paint layers. It actually came out better than I expected!
Dray0151’s cowl looks really clean ! Great job!
Can anybody suggest an approach to appying decals on my restored cowl? I purchased the Yamaha OEM decals.!I didn’t realize there were a few 3rd party Companies manufacturing them. I paid $125 for all decals for my 1998 C115TLRW. You’d think Yamaha would offer some basic direction applying them! Instead, I have 7 individually bagged decals with no guidence whatsoever. Surprisingly, after searching the net, I couldnt find any official Yamaha suggestion. It seems people who applyed decals use a variety of solutions from soapy water, Windex, and alcohol: Others use no solution at all!!

My questions:
* Does anybody have experience using Yamaha OEM stickers?
* If it’s suggested for me to use a solution, which is best?
* My cowl is freshly painted.... do ai need to prep the clear coat surfaces before applying decals?
* Upon completion, is it advisable To wax the cowl with the new decals on it to elongate their life in the sun?

Sorry to ask so many detailed questions. It makes no sense for me to search the net for my answers when the expertise of the senior members on this forum obviously have valuable experience to share!

[DennisG01]

Stickers are sticker are stickers. Searching and googling is, indeed, a good thing to do as you are then able to find the information for yourself. The more you search, the more you learn. But take everything with a grain of salt and think it through - just use common sense - just because it's out there in Google-Land, doesn't mean it's correct. But the same goes for any forum - just because it's on a forum, doesn't mean it's right. Heck, I could be giving you bad information!

One of the reasons that there are no directions is that it's a simple process and if someone is doing it, they shouldn't need directions. I have a feeling you're just over thinking it. It's best to let the paint fully cure for a week - not "100% necessary", but if you can wait it's better. Windex or slightly soapy water for the application so you can adjust the position - I've never heard of using alcohol as it seems that would degrade the sticky stuff. Just clean the surface with windex before applying to get any fresh contaminants off. Yes, wax afterwords - wax the WHOLE cowl. But you need to wait for the stickers to fully dry - a day in the sun will do it.

[dray0151]

Did you wet sand the orange peel effect out of the clearcoat yet? If not you should do that first. I think I waited about 5 days to wet sand the clear coat using 2000 wet/dry paper so I didnt mess anything up. After wet sanding you need to go over with rubbing compound then polishing compound. Wash that off after you are satisfied having reduced the orange peel and any swirl marks and have a nice shine. My decals I just put on dry. I had read on another set of decals to use liquid if you felt more comfortable I think that allows you to move them a bit if not just right. Did you take measurements of where the old ones were placed? Forgot to mention that ClorRtie said to wait 3 to 5 weeks to wax.

[dray0151]

Here is a second lonk if you need it on wet sanding etc.

[Soundear]

Thanks again for the guidance. True, it’s just a sticker, but putting it in without thought looks ghetto..... I’m a bit OC when it comes to things being just right!
i appreciate the video and the wet sanding proceedure to put that extra sparkle to it! I did a lot of work to my boat and this motor over the winter, launched it yesterday and it started and ran smooth. I just want it to look as it runs! Thanks again for the great detailed advice!

[DennisG01]

What I meant by "a sticker is a sticker is a sticker", is simply that you don't need to worry about the "brand" of sticker. The application is the same, regardless. So any "sound" advice you find will apply to your situation. If you want, use masking tape as a guide (a few pieces to make a partial "outline" of your sticker) - measure and move pieces of masking tape around - being sure the measurements are the same from one side to the other - sort a makeshift template. Then use the windex to apply to the stickers inside the tape. But don't go too crazy with the tape - just a few pieces are enough - you absolutely don't need to surround the entire sticker - just a few key areas. After you apply the stickers, gently BLOT the stickers dry (do not WIPE) and use a credit card to squeegee out extra windex.