Dull gel coat. Which wax?

[wakeflip]

05 Outback V. Gel coat is pretty dull all the way around. I tried some attawood boat polish but I think it actually made it worse and more dull. Im a pretty picky person and want to see my boat shine the way its supposed to. Any recommendations on what to use and where to get it?

[jmvotto]

Maybe some light polishing compound to bring back the shine. Then some maguires marine wax or leverage.

[wakeflip]

Its ice blue and white. The blue isnt really that faded, its mainly just the white. I tried turtle wax polishing compound but it didnt really help at all either. Anybody have any luck with this stuff? http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+M4965 Will it actually bring the shine back out if I do the three step process?

[ian ashton]

Soak it down with white vinegar first, that will get the oxidization off, then wax it.

[Razzman]

What you've got is chalking of the gel coat more than likely caused by sitting unprotected in the sun. Millions and billions of little pits in the gel reflect light giving it that look, wax will not fix it and i seriously doubt any of the quick fixes will fare much better.

The only correct way to fix it is to buff it smooth with a cutting agent. Years ago I picked up a boat for a quick flip, stole it for $6700. It looked terrible, all chalky and filthy but I saw the potential. Used 3M Diamond Cut with a buffer followed by MeGuiars Swirl Remover and MeGuiars Flagship wax. Liked it so much I kept it a couple years and then sold it for $13,000! Check it out ... It's easy to do and takes a day or so but it's worth it. In the first pic if you look you can see the red stripe looks pink and the white has no sheen.

[NCSUmoomba]

I use that mequiars stuf and it works great. They also have one called "color restorer" that I use on the colored parts of the boat. One question though. What do you mean by the white "fading"? When I think of a color fading, it is headed towards turning more white, so I don't really understand the "white fading" thing.

[Razzman]

I use that mequiars stuf and it works great. They also have one called "color restorer" that I use on the colored parts of the boat. One question though. What do you mean by the white "fading"? When I think of a color fading, it is headed towards turning more white, so I don't really understand the "white fading" thing.

He's probably referring to what i mentioned, the dull chalky look which does resemble fading.

[wakeflip]

He's probably referring to what i mentioned, the dull chalky look which does resemble fading.

Exactly what I meant. Its just very dull and chalky. The boat only has 180 hours on it so it sat outside most of its life. And the only cover that was put on it was a snap on cover. So its had years worth of sun beating down on the white. So if I get the 3m diamond cut, thats obviously going to require a high speed buffer correct? If thats the case I might just pay somebody to do it. Ive buffed quite a few cars, but a gel coat on a boat is going to be much more sensitive than a fresh painted clear coat on a car. If I burned through it and had to have the boat re gel coated id never forgive myself :( If its something I can do by hand then Im not afraid to throw in a little bit of elbow grease and tackle it in a weekend.

[Razzman]

Sorry for the delay, just saw this. Yeah you'll need a buffer to do this set on medium to high in a random pattern. If you've done auto buffing you can do this, it's not hard at all. The key is not to hold it in one place and to keep light pressure. You might be able to do it by hand but you wouldn't get the same results.

[wakeflip]

Well thanks for all the info. Ive always been a DIY kinda guy so I guess I'll give it a shot. Just another thing to add to my LONG to do list until my knee heals. lol

[wakeflip]

So im fixing to try and buff out the gel coat on my boat. But this is the only bufer I have http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TTN-22707/ Its only 1000-3000 rpm. Is this going to be enough for the 3M diamond cut? Also, when I use the swirl remover, do I need to use that on the high speed buffer as well, or is that by hand? And about what speed should I use the buffer on for the diamond cut?

[Razzman]

So im fixing to try and buff out the gel coat on my boat. But this is the only bufer I have http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TTN-22707/ Its only 1000-3000 rpm. Is this going to be enough for the 3M diamond cut? Also, when I use the swirl remover, do I need to use that on the high speed buffer as well, or is that by hand? And about what speed should I use the buffer on for the diamond cut?

That'll work, same type I have. I vary the speed and pattern with light pressure. Usually no more than medium speed though, don't need the high speed to get the job done. For the swirl remover i use a higher speed as it's not as much a cutting agent as a polish. High speed for your final wax though. Biggest thing I can't say enough ... random pattern and move continuously!

[kaneboats]

Usually if the tool says "sander" it will work for any rubbing or polishing type compound-- these usually use a 7" pad. If it only says "buffer" or "polisher", then it is going to be light duty and only works for waxes-- these usually have 10 or 12" pads. That one should be fine.

[wakeflip]

Awsome. And last question I have. What kind of pad do I need to use for all three? wool, terry?

[wakeflip]

oh, and this is what I picked up for the diamond cut
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MEG-M-8532/ and this for the polisher
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MEG-M-0916/

These should work follwed by the flagship wax right? Or is that diamond too heavy of a cut?

[kaneboats]

Definitely keep it moving. Med speed is good. Too high and stuff flies everywhere. It can be messy. I have used a wool pad with good results and washed it in the washing machine before applying wax.

[bbuhtz]

you not only have stuff going everywhere with high speed, but you also increase the amount of heat which can also leave a foggy haze look because the chemical properties of the wax are dmg'd. i'd recommend slow to med, but thats me. no reason to try and rush, grab a half rack at the store and plan on spending sometime shinning her up. throw up some pictures of before and after

[Razzman]

I use the foam pad for cutting and wool for everything else. Pressure is the key to keeping the heat down, too much and it will heat up.

[wakeflip]

Thanks so much for all the help guys. I just snapped some before pictures. Gonna be workin on it all night and will wax it tomorrow with some follow up pics. I'll post them up as soon as im happy with the outcome :D

[tnbrooks01]

05 Outback V. Gel coat is pretty dull all the way around. I tried some attawood boat polish but I think it actually made it worse and more dull. Im a pretty picky person and want to see my boat shine the way its supposed to. Any recommendations on what to use and where to get it?

http://clearkote.com/index.php/compounds/blue-moose-cutting-cream

Blue moose cutting creme to cut out imperfections

http://clearkote.com/index.php/waxes/moose-wax

The Moose wax IMO is the absolute best all around cleaner wax out there. Use it on the glass to keep from spotting, clean the vinyll with it too.
Also the Red Moose machine glaze is really good for dark colors and metallics.

[bbuhtz]

i just got done doing mine... i had a little bit of oxidation on the blue from the previous owner... so i polished and waxed her, now shes all good. almost looks brand new, ;-)

[Razzman]

I buff mine out at the start of every season with swirl remover and wax to get it looking new again. Takes all of a couple hours and keeps it shiny.

[wakeflip]

So, the boat is in my garage and the door is shut so theres not much light. But, I wanted to hit it with the buffer in one spot just to see the results I would get. I did a small part of the nose where it was the dullest with the diamond cut, then a polish. Havent even applied the flagship wax since it wont come in until tomorrow. I must say, I am absolutely stoked at the results I got. It went from looking like a white chalk board, back to a mirror shine. I cant wait to get it out of the garage in the light and do the rest. Once I get the wax on and buff it with an orbital buffer its gonna look like I new boat. Will def post pics later tomorrow when I get it all done. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE HELP!!! Dont know what id do with out ya guys.