Gelcoat hull polish/sand/buff/wax how far to go?

[muncedog]

So my hull has a faded/chalky appearance and a few stains (nothing large). The majority of the hull is white gelcoat and so doesn't look faded but just a little chalky. For this reason is much polishing etc needed or would a waxing bring back the shiny coating?

As for the faded light blue areas - is it the waxing that brings the shine as I have tried polish and its a more even colour but not 'shiny' as such...

Guess its a case of try and see but these polish /buffer /wax etc are pricey for a try and see approach!

 

[ondarvr]

There is no way of saying what the best method will be for a particular boat, it can vary a great deal even if they look similar to start with.

All you can do is start with the easiest and least aggressive method and work your way up to what yields the results you desire.

Start with a 1'X1' area see what works, once you get the look you want you'll know what needs to be done. Sometimes it's as easy a little wax, other times sanding buffing won't bring back a good finish.

 

[Grub54891]

Some need wet sanding,buffing,then wax..

 

[muncedog]

Cool - thanks for the answers - seems like try it and see

Guess my main question was if the colour is ok (e.g. white sections) is there any need to sand/polish before waxing?

 

[Grub54891]

If it don't wax up and stay shiny,then yes,wet sand, compound,buff and wax. If it's bad enough the gel get's thin,so there is a chance of blowing right through. Only seen that once on a 40 year old boat though,and it was neglected for many years.

 

[shrew]

Think of it like the grit in sandpaper. Everything your discussing has a certain amount of a cutting agent in it. The question is the amount.

Wet sanding -> Compounding -> Oxidation removers -> Clean and wax -> Waxing. The variety of brands have products with even more intermediary steps. The depth of the oxidation is going to dictate which is the best method. You're going to need to get through all the oxidation and down to good gelcoat. The deeper the oxidation the further up the ladder you go. wet sanding is a good way to get through heavy oxidation quickly. You'd have to go over the same area several times with rubbing compound to get the same effect as a single round of wet sanding. Wet sanding typically requires you go over it products with lighter and lighter cutting agents. Much like sanding a fine piece of furniture with higher and higher grit sandpaper. This is to take out the swirling from the wet sanding.

You could go over it 20 times with a cleaner and wax if you prefer. You might have very light oxidation and a cleaner and wax is sufficient.

 

[moosehead]

Generally, wax only highlights the condition of the surface, so if the Gel is oxidized or stained, it needs something more aggressive to get the Gel in proper condition. Wax then highlights and protects.

+1, start with the least abrasive and get more aggressive depending on how it goes. I've stopped short of wet sanding and been able to get most oxidation and docking marks out of black Gel with milder polishes and compounds and a rotary buffer. YMMV.

 

[muncedog]

Cheers guys - Makes sense the comparison with sand paper.
So other than appearance, is there any reason to remove oxidisation? I realise the wax is perhaps important for protecting from UV damage etc, but the polishing etc is only to improve appearance?