White gelcoat restoration

[dfrants]

I'm looking at buying a mostly white fiberglass bass boat. The top side looks kinda sunbaked and dull, (no clear coat) looks more matte than glossy. Is there a product/method to shine up white gelcoat? make it look glossy and shine?

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Wet sand 1000/1200/1500, then buff all the scratches out.

 

[Chris1956]

White gelcoat usually holds up well. The darker colors are the ones that get chalky. Also, gelcoat doesn't have a clear coat over it.

Maybe it is paint?

 

[Scott Danforth]

All gel coat oxidizes. There may be a lot of traffic and use scuffs

Mike posted the process, just add the elbow grease . Depending on how dull or deep the scratches, you may need to start at 600 grit, then go up

 

[tpenfield]

There is a product called Re-Gel, which I believe is a 2-part product that cures like gelcoat. Basically a clear coat.

There are some lesser products such as PoliGlow, which I have used in the past, but they are more temporary solutions that need re-application.

All of these approaches require a cleaned and somewhat sanded/compounded surface as their preparation step.

 

[crazy charlie]

I'm looking at buying a mostly white fiberglass bass boat. The top side looks kinda sunbaked and dull, (no clear coat) looks more matte than glossy. Is there a product/method to shine up white gelcoat? make it look glossy and shine?

I have had several white gelcoat boats and have got them polished up extremely well. Post a pic if you can because a lot depends on what shape the gelcoat is in. If you are lucky, the previous owner just put layers of "miracle cures" onto the gelcoat and never actually tried to polish it.Thas a best case scenario because you can tropically get that kind of job done extremely well. Get a polishing wheel rotary and try some polishing compound 1st (not rubbing compound) followed up by a polish for gelcoat and finish with wax.The stern is usually a good place to test.see what it looks like from there. DONT WET SAND ANYTHING UNTIL YOU TRY THIS EASIER METHOD. Most dont need any wet sanding....Thats extreme so not where you want to begin. White almost NEVER requires wet sanding where colored gelcoat almost always requires it. Charlie