Bayliner Blue Sunfade & Other Newbie Questions Re Gelcoat, Wax, etc

Hi Everyone,

I'm new hear. As my dad gets older the maintenance and and upkeep of an early 2000s Bayliner 2050 capri has fallen to me.

In the past we've been somewhat diligent with washing the exterior. The boat is in freshwater and an aluminum lift that keeps most of the boat above the water so bottom scum etc is not a big problem. We have applied wax at most once or twice over the last few years and the exterior is starting to look a bit jaded.

So a few questions. I've searched around the internet a bit and haven't found too much information and would like to get some opinions and individual care regimens. I also looked to bayliner but their instructions are pretty vague.



1. What's your pick for an overall cleanser? What about wax??

2. The bayliner blue stripe area around the boat has become rather faded in some areas. It's to the point that if you wet it, however, it kinda comes back to life. Is this sort of fading possible to eliminate with wax or do I need to gel coat over everything?

3. What's the difference between a gel coat and a patch paste? Is a gel coat colored?

4. What's the difference between buying gel coat and applying additional gel coat versus cutting down the existing gel coat with compound? Is buying gel coat only for patch areas?

If there's a good reference to this that someone can link me to I'll gladly read it. Not trying to be lazy just trying to understand all of this.

Thanks

Mike

Re: Bayliner Blue Sunfade & Other Newbie Questions Re Gelcoat, Wax, etc

Welcome to the iboats fleet! Sorry to hear you are having problems... but in this particular forum, we're not here for any other reason! Anyways... It sounds to me that you are just looking at some oxidation of the gelcoat. This is typical in vessels left out in the sun for extended periods of time. It is common for water to make the exterior look new, as it covers the oxidation and fading and just magnifies the color itself. You can find a lot of products at Wal Mart, West Marine, or any marine/department store close by. The products will all explain what type of uses they are made for, such as oxidation or waxing/buffing.
I'm not going to blow smoke up your tail pipe and say that I know exactly how to describe gelcoat, but I do know that it is more of a roll-on type application where the paste is more of a thicker texture and typically requires a spreader/putty knife to apply. The patch paste is typically for adding thickness whereas the gelcoat is thinner. That is pretty much all I feel comfortable saying about that. Sorry I can't be much more help, but trust me... the experts are here and will be along to help shortly. Hope the best for you and best of luck to your boat!

Re: Bayliner Blue Sunfade & Other Newbie Questions Re Gelcoat, Wax, etc

Gelcoat is usually just polyester resin with several additives. Such as color pigments, UV inhibiters and thixotropic agents. There are other additives that each manufacturer uses so he can say that their gelcoat is the "best". Often you can get back the original color by buffing or wet sanding and buffing. Using a good grade of boat or car wax with UV protectant in it often will make the gelcoat stay looking good much longer. Though other things can degrade the gelcoat finish such as acid rain usually it the sun and its UV radiation that is the worst culprit.

Re: Bayliner Blue Sunfade & Other Newbie Questions Re Gelcoat, Wax, etc

Welcome to iBoats!

This would be a good read for you...
http://www.fiberglassics.com/restoration/restoring-gel-coat

This is a good guide for what to use and what to do...

Time to wax and polish your boat!


Step 1 Compounding
If your topsides are really faded, you should go with the Imperial Compound 3M-06044. This stuff is great at bringing back the original color and knocking out the ugly, faded look. It is applied with a polisher and a pad.


Step 2 Finishing
The next step is to follow the Compounding with a Finishing Material boat polish in order to get a glossy, bright finish. Use Finesse-It II 3M-09048. Again, you apply this with a polisher and a pad.


Step 3 Waxing
After the boat polish is applied, the final step is to protect your finish with a wax. Use 3M-09030 Marine Ultra Performance Wax. It's important that you seal and protect the finish with a good wax to maintain the gloss that you just acquired. You can use any old rag to apply it but the rag will become clogged with the wax and eventually become pretty ineffective.
Believe it or not, you can get technical about Buffing pads, in that there are pads with varying levels of aggressiveness for the compounding and finishing steps. However, generally you can get away with just using the Superbuff Pad 3M-05700 for boat compound and polish applications. You can use both sides of it--one for compounding and one for finishing, if you like. It requires the 3M-05710 Mandrel Adapter.
The 3M High Performance Cloth (3M-67408) is textured in a way that somehow doesn't absorb the wax so that it brings out a great finish. Once you use one-you'll never go back.

You can by a variable speed polisher at Harbor Freight with Pads for under $50 bucks that's not a bad unit.

A "Short Cut" might be to use the Polisher and this...

[h=1]3M Marine "One Step" Fiberglass Restorer and Wax[/h]You can buy it right here on iBoats.