Faded Gelcoat

[Gabby]

My boat is white on top with a blue section about 6 inches above and below the rub rail where the decks meet. Below that the hull is all white.(except for the A-F paint which I would LOVE to remove) The white looks fairly good, no chalk, etc. The blue has faded pretty dramatically in a few spots. I have tried fiberglass rubbing compound and polish afterwards, followed by wax, but the fading returns in the blue rather quickly.
I've read other posts and am wondering, if I used a block and wet sanded, what schedule should I attempt, (i.e. 400 600 1000) or should I start higher. Once I wet sand it what recommended speed orbital sander do I need and should I only polish it or should I polish and wax, or is there a sealer as well?
I know mechanical and electrical maintenance but I am by no means a body guy. Therefore, any advice will be most appreciated.
Thanks
Gabby

 

[Gabby]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Forgot to add a picture. You can see the fading in this photo.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Dear Gabby..

get a 7" sander polisher like this one ..

http://www.tools-plus.com/makita-9227c-x3.html

dont spend the bucks on this makita..but same style from harbor freight for 40 bucks will do...( though I have a 350.00 Mac )

get a quart of 3M " super duty rubbing compound " .. the brown stuff and a pad ( you can get a 3M double buff pad which will require a 3M adaptor for your 5/8 arbor on your machine..or simply put a 5/8 nut on your machine b4 your pad so your arbor doesnt protrude past the pad..or you can get a velcro backing pad and a velcro rubbing pad though more expensive ) then rub basically as hard as you want to get your lustor back.

if you want to shine it up more..get some 3m perfect-it 3000 polishing compound...clean your pad with soap and water...rebuff without as much pressure..

YD

PS. there is a definate technique to rubbing and poilishing...experiment with different pressure and angle of the polisher and speeds

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Gabby this worked for me:
gelcoat restore
I removed my A-F paint, you can try this,
removing bottom paint

 

[stevieray]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Gabby - depending on how old your boat is, you may want to look at a product like Vertglas or Poli-Glow. As it ages, gelcoat starts to deteriorate & no matter how much sanding, rubbing & buffing you do, it will look great for a few weeks, but will start to dull out pretty quick.

Try googling either product - there are pics & testimonials & technical info on their websites.

I have used both - Vertglas gives a little higher initial shine but Poli-Glow lasts longer. Both are a LOT less work than the compound & wax route.

 

[Gabby]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Thanks for the advice guys. I actually tried the poli glow last season but I obviously didn't get the blue part of the hull clean enough of polished enough prior to applying. I'm going to strip that off in a few days and start over.
Not sure If I'll re-apply or not.

Nova, your hull came out looking outstanding. If I could get that kind of result I would be satisfied.

All good advice, and I may use a combination approach of the three. As fate would have it I love about 3 miles from Harbor Freight...

Thanks for the advice.

Gabby

 

[Gabby]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Uh, correction, "live" about 3 miles....

 

[missouri champion]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

My bass boat was severely oxidized and I was able to bring back the shine by wet sanding. I tried polish first but that just wouldnt cut deep enough. I then started with about a 600 grit. you might try higher in a spot and work your way up to see if it works for you. i went 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, Meguiars oxidation remover, high gloss polish, wax. then more wax. then more wax. the finish is outstanding. One thing to remember is that once you sand, or even polish, there is little or no wax left on the surface to protect it from oxidation. the wax is what will help protect it from the sun. this is a lot of work but it did work for me.

 

[missouri champion]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

My bass boat was severely oxidized and I was able to bring back the shine by wet sanding. I tried polish first but that just wouldnt cut deep enough. I then started with about a 600 grit. you might try higher in a spot and work your way up to see if it works for you. i went 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, Meguiars oxidation remover, high gloss polish, wax. then more wax. then more wax. the finish is outstanding. One thing to remember is that once you sand, or even polish, there is little or no wax left on the surface to protect it from oxidation. the wax is what will help protect it from the sun. this is a lot of work but it did work for me.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Wet sanding works best IMHO and it doesn't take much effort. Don't remove too much gelcoat. Use a block. I stapled some styrofoam packing sheet to a piece of 2x4..worked great. Get a spray bottle with water. Keep it the paper clean and wet, let the paper do the work, force is not necessary. But definately do polish and wax for protection.
We wanna see before and after pics....ddd

 

[Gabby]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

Thanks for the advice. I'm still learning the forums but I'll take B/A pix on the off chance my addled brain can figure out how to load them. Only 5 more shopping days till Spring!!!

 

[robfad]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

3 out of your 4 posts say the same thing and it is real close to spamming.
You have been warned.

 

[Randy803]

Re: Faded Gelcoat

This is a topic I can add something to as i havent seen it mentioned. There is a product called "Penetrol" that will bring out the shine on that blue like it is brand new and keep it there for a season or two. You can get it from HomeDepot or Lowes and you simply clean the boat then apply a thin even layer with a sponge and let cure/dry overnight. It works very very well on darker colors like blue and such. My results using it have been nothing short of a miracle on some boats and people cannot believe it. If you want more detail as to its proper use let me know.....


Randy