Gelcoat restoration

[stinger222]

I tried 3M compound last yr and it did not work. Do I wetsand or this too far gone and needs a repaint?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

It depends on how much time and effort you want to put in, etc.

you could try PoliGlow instead of wet sanding. Your choice

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

I tried 3M compound last yr and it did not work. Do I wetsand or this too far gone and needs a repaint?

Spray it again w/ gelcoat? Paint over the gelcoat? Re-paint over existing paint?

It looks like gelcoat, which is not paint.

 

[Levinz11]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

That's nothing a lil' Vaseline won't fix!!

 

[stinger222]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

Spray it again w/ gelcoat? Paint over the gelcoat? Re-paint over existing paint?

It looks like gelcoat, which is not paint.

I know its gelcoat, I meant sand it down and then paint over with Imron or something...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

That's nothing a lil' Vaseline won't fix!!

Cover, make appear better, shine.. maybe

Fix? I don't think so.....

Temp fix: It may or may not work, may or may not last more then 30 days, may or may not require frequent re-application

Most importantly, in my mind, as a petroleum based product, it may inhibit adhesion of gel or paint if it is deemed too temporary a 'cover-up' on oxidized gelcoat.

Will it make oxidized gelcoat appear in better condition then it really is? Depends on many factors outside the scope of 1 pix, with somewhat limited information about where & how the boat will be used & stored (covered? garaged?). In warmer, sunnier locations, the results may be more temporary then in cooler, less sunny locations. And if the gel is extremely faded, and overworked w/ buffing compound, the results may not be as expected..

But that's just IMHO,

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

I know its gelcoat, I meant sand it down and then paint over with Imron or something...

I figured, but more info is always good. Besides, many don't.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

If you want to try and FIX the gelcoat you will prolly need to wet sand and polish. If you don't sand thru the gelcoat you'll prolly be successful. If you DO sand through then you'll need to re-gelcoat or do the Paint thing. Your Choice.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

Buff it .. Wheel it again .. buff it.

Looks like someone put mop'n glow on there . .. get that off and just rub it out if you can.

YD.

 

[Three08]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

It almost looks like it still has buffing compound on it? Anyway I wouldn't go straight to re-coating without trying to wet sand and buff a small section first, if you're happy with the results do the whole thing, if it doesn't work you can decide where to go from there. Make sure if you do decide to wet sand a small section, pick the worst spot you can find.

 

[stinger222]

Re: Gelcoat restoration



Yesterday I hit a small section the lighter blue with 1000 grit wetsand and then 3m rubbing compound...came out pretty good...still have to polish and then wax, but looks like I know what I need to do on the rest. I guess I need to wax it every 2mos to keep it good. Never had this prob with my old boat because previous owner painted whole thing Imron red. Just polished/waxed it every Spring with Meguiars (same that I used on the cars), had it for 10 yrs, looked as good the day I sold as when I bought it. Gelcoat is a real pain (I guess older gelcoat)

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

The damage done in the 1st 5 yrs, of the boats service life due to lack of protection, maintenance & cleaning, makes it all the more difficult now... When you sold the Imron painted boat, after owning it for 10yrs, how old was the paint? Clearly, you'd been taking care of the red paint. The prior owner(s) of the current boat may not have been anywhere near as diligent.

CC254 had a good writeup on bringing back old gelcoat, but his was where he'd removed anti-fouling paint. He was very happy w/ some film disk sand paper on his RA sander, thru 2000 grit I think....1990 254 Sea Hawk Near the end, mixed in w/ all the lights he was mounting...

 

[stinger222]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

The damage done in the 1st 5 yrs, of the boats service life due to lack of protection, maintenance & cleaning, makes it all the more difficult now... When you sold the Imron painted boat, after owning it for 10yrs, how old was the paint? Clearly, you'd been taking care of the red paint. The prior owner(s) of the current boat may not have been anywhere near as diligent.

CC254 had a good writeup on bringing back old gelcoat, but his was where he'd removed anti-fouling paint. He was very happy w/ some film disk sand paper on his RA sander, thru 2000 grit I think....1990 254 Sea Hawk Near the end, mixed in w/ all the lights he was mounting...

The Imron boat was painted 2 yrs before I bought it...The guy I bought it from was the most meticulous guy I've ever seen, which is why I bought the bought from him, in fact I am in line to buy his current boat whenever he sells it because I had a great experience with the last boat from him.

 

[stinger222]

Re: Gelcoat restoration



previous red boat

blue chaparral 5 yrs ago when I bought it, gelcoat was somewhat glossy, but 5 yrs in Tx sun has hurt it.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

View attachment 176404

Yesterday I hit a small section the lighter blue with 1000 grit wetsand and then 3m rubbing compound...came out pretty good...still have to polish and then wax, but looks like I know what I need to do on the rest. I guess I need to wax it every 2mos to keep it good. Never had this prob with my old boat because previous owner painted whole thing Imron red. Just polished/waxed it every Spring with Meguiars (same that I used on the cars), had it for 10 yrs, looked as good the day I sold as when I bought it. Gelcoat is a real pain (I guess older gelcoat)

Might be better to use a sealer instead of a wax. Gel is kinda porous for wax.

Awl Care or I think even Miguires sells a synthetic "x" something sealer that works wonders after the gel has been buffed out proper.

YD.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Gelcoat restoration

Red sure looks nice when it's done well, but trying to buff a red anything out can be one tough job. I'm not aware of any other color that is more difficult to get looking showroom new. I had all kinds of fade and color blending issues with red colored boats and kind of vowed to never have another. But they sure do catch the eye when done right!!