clearcoat or gel on faded top of boat

[petersfield]

Just wondering my top of the boat is faded in spots and I have wet sanded lightly and polished the heck out of it. now some people say you can use a clear on the top of a boat or you can re gel? what's better? Mark if you read this do you know where the do gel coat's in Winnipeg?

 

[Mark]

Bimini Boat Works at Oak Bank! Not too far from you actually. This is where the local marinas send their boats for repair. A re-gel is far superior to an automotive clearcoating.
However, I would be suprized if your deck is too far gone to buff it out. My Starliner had been outside for 20 years in the Florida sun and it came back. Aqua-buff with a high speed buffer is the ticket. If you want, PM me your phone number and I'll give you a call and give you the full perscription.

 

[Mark]

Okay, people have been asking, so here is the run down for restoring a faded gelcoat. The fading is a result of oxidation right in the gelcoat. Waxing or polishing will not cure the problem. The oxidation has to be removed completely or it will return in short order. Checkmate uses a fairly thick 20-22 mil clear gel as the finish coat. As long as that has not oxidized completely off the finish can be restored. However, it does mean cutting right into the finish to remove it. This is a little scary for most of us. Wet sanding with 800, 1000 and 1500 is one way of doing it, and is good if you have orangepeeling as well. I have found that Aqua-Buff will restore most gelcoats W/O sanding.
First, use Aqua-buff 1000 with a high-speed buffer and a lambs wool pad. It must be rotary, not orbital, and turn more than 2500 RPM. IT WILL NOT WORK AT A LOWER SPEED, SO DON"T EVEN BOTHER TRYING! I did mine at 3000 RPM. You spread on the AQ and then mist with water and then buff it off. It is actually just a suspended silica sand. Repeat this step until the oxidation is removed, being careful not to burn thru the gelcoat. It will not be really shiny yet. You then use the finer Aqua-buff 2000. This should restore the shine. I have also used Meguiars Heavy Duty Oxdation Remover as well if I still have some dull spots. This product contains some moisturizers that help.
I then use a finishing compund (Race Glaze Leveling Compound but any one will be fine). Finally, I use Race Glaze Polish. These final steps are done at a slower speed, 1200-1500 RPM. Any of these polymer polishes will seal the finish much longer than wax. Do not use polishes that contain silicon. Silicon looks great at first and then will actually attract dirt. (Some of those metal polishes guys use on their hulls contain silicon)
Here is where you can get AQ on-line. They also have application links and tips.
http://www.aqua-buff.com/
In Canada you can get it from these guys in Edmonton.
http://www.vikingplastics.ca/mainpage.htm
Hope that helps guys, happy buffing!

 

[Boston Predictor]

Good Info
Do you think it's okay to just use the Aqua Buff 2000 if its bearly oxidised, and then polish it?

 

[cooperider]

Mark is right high speed, and let the buffer do the work. 1000 grit is all the farther I needed to sand.

 

[Mark]

Geoff
Judging from your avatar, your Sportfire gelcoat looks pretty good. Aqua-buff 1000 is probably more than you need. A-B 2000 is not much different from 3M Finesse it or other finishing compounds. Just try some of the easily attainable products first.

 

[Boston Predictor]

I use 3M products on my car they are great. Can I use 3m Auto wax on the gelcoat, or do i need a marine product?
Also I noticed that the silver flake is slightly turning to gold. Can It be polished back to silver? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do it right the first time.

 

[cooperider]

I think your clear is turning yellow. Get out some sandpaper and have at it.

 

[Mark]

I would not use automtive products on a boat. Gelcoat is actually way more porous than paint and the products are specially formulated for it. Guys who use automotive polishes on their boats are the ones who you hear saying their shine only lasts a couple of weeks. One exception is Race Glaze which is formulated for both.
Like I said avoid anything with silicon or teflon. Also there are re-finishes out there like Vert-glas which are acrylic coatings like nail polish (or Future floor polish). They mask the problem temporarily and then start to peel and you will have a nightmare trying to get it off. The best approach is to do it properly, trying the more conservative approach first and then kick it up a notch if that doesn't work.
For 20 year old boats you are going to have to do some work every year, but the shine will actually look better and better every year, with less work.
The metal flakes have changed from silver to gold by the sun. We have discussed that here before and some think you can buff it out. I don't agree, the flakes are under the clear gel and you just need to learn to like them, maybe even prefer them!

 

[Mark]

Yes, Coop is right if it is the clear. On my Diplomat it is actually the flakes.

 

[cooperider]

Your right, if you can't sand and polish it out of the clear then it would be the actual flakes that have faded.

 

[petersfield]

Mark, in parts of the boat while my uncle owned it he used that vertiglass but the top would shine after polish and 1hr in the water it was dull and water spotted again. maybe that's due to the silicone like Iyou stated! I was useing megiures marine polish. that's why I think the clear is gone? you mentioned to PM you how do that in this site?

 

[petersfield]

I would love to do what you did with your starliner Mark. I want to go through the boat from head to toe and restore anything that needs fixing If I can get the paint awsone I will put new decals the interior looks mint I am not sure about under the carpet? and then I would love to put a Jack plate. Hopefully after they dropped the motor at the end of the year It will ride without sprey out the sides. Man I wish it was summer!

 

[Mark]

I doubt your clear gel is gone. It is that dreaded Vert-glas that is giving you grief. You've got to get the right solvent and remove it before you do anything else. I'll PM you my phone number and you can call me if you want.

 

[samjr]

ok...I have a question. My issues is slight fading too but the more annoying this is the chalkish white oxidation on the sides of the boat. My boat is dark Blue but it is milky on the sides. The gel coat is very smooth and it doesn't look damaged. I have tried all kinds of waxes, de-oxidizers, solvents to try and get it to have any gloss at all. I haven't tried wet sanding but I guess thats next. Any ideas what this could be? Can I fix it without re-gelling? TIA

 

[bdusted440]

The only way toget rid of the chalk is to wet sand and buff.start with 600 grit and work up to 1200-1500.Then buff it in three stages 3m products seem to work good in my experiance. Then seal wax it with 3m pure wax.two coats. then wax twice a year to keep it protected.Ive got a little exp in ambassadors.And your'es looks good.

 

[petersfield]

I found a remover for the vertglas so in summer I will buy some and then I can wetsand or aquabuff and polish hopefully get the color back