Gel Coat Restore

[bkearney]

Just purchased my first Moomba, a 2003 LSV. The is some clouding in the blue gel coat which I would like to restore. I have heard from many folks that using a buffer is the way to go. I have also heard that you can burn through real quickly if you do that.

Attached is a picture of the worst part, in the rear of the boat. Would folks recommend a noob trying to do this with a buffer? If so, any suggestions on good tutorials?

Are there folks who do this for a fee?

Thanks in advance!

[dru1974]

I dont think it's hat hard by by the looks you need to give that moomba some lomg overdue love and attention

[bkearney]

Thanks.. we got a decent deal on it and figured some elbow grease should spruce it right up. Any ideas on good tutorials. How tos seem to be a dime a dozen.

[maxpower220]

Do a search for "wet sanding" or "buffing" and you should get several threads.

Start with the easiest and least abrasive and then move up until you get the result you want. The gel coat is thick, so you can do a lot of sanding and have it look brand new.

[hgvandy]

That is exactly what I did by starting with the least abrasive. I used a porter cable orbital polisher and started with a MaGuire's polish that brought out the shine, but did not do much for scratches. I moved on to 3M rubbing compound that did an amazing job. Follow up with 3M Finesse IT and a glaze. As long as you are using an orbital polisher, it is hard to burn through the gel coat. I would suggest spending a little extra to get an adjustable speed polisher. There are a lot of good threads that helped me get through the process. Good luck!

[kaneboats]

I would start with wetsanding looking at that surface. Then rubbing compund, then polishing compound. Lots of good stuff on here.

[mnpracing]

I've used this website quite a bit for advice and tutorials on car detailing. Near the bottom of the home page is the "ask a pro blog", which has a ton of articles on various aspects of detailing. I've used my Porter Cable and car polishing products and interior detailing products on my boat as well with good results. Start with least aggressive and move to more aggressive if needed.

www.detailedimage.com

[kaneboats]

Check this out:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/m...21/282492.html