Restoring faded colored gelcoat; best fast option

Capt Robbie · Apr 22, 2017

Don't used poly glow !!!
It is almost impossible to remove.

Just spent three days stripping it off my friends boat.
Used mineral spirits, acetone, pressure washer.
Nothing removed it. Only thing that seamed to work was floor stripper and rubbing compound. Poly glow looked good for the first season then started to yellow.

Captain Larry-DH · Apr 23, 2017

Brian S said:
One thing I learned from Maine Sail's buff wax article is that you need to use progressively finer abrasion to get good shine. Wet sand off oxidized, then compound, then finer compound, then maybe polish with foam pad. This is because any scratches left in the gelcoat will catch and scatter UV, causing quicker breakdown of the shine. Although the boat might look shiny after compound, it still needs at least another polish with finer compound like the Presta Ultra Cutting Creme or 3M Finesse-it, to take out those fine scratches left by the compound.

I had followed Mainsail's process EXACTLY. Same products, including wash and pads. You're wrong to assume that all gelcoat is the same. The shine doesn't last if the gelcoat is old and porous.
One year I wet sanded a test area before going through the full annual compounding process, and it didn't make a difference in longevity.... Still turning chalky by August. Paint was the best solution for my boat. It was expensive, but it's been 4 years and the paint still looks nearly new (with minimal work).
I have ~240 feet of topsides (3x40 ft. hulls) Instead of 5 days of compounding and waxing, I spend about 5 hours total, washing with Imar soap followed by a coat of Awlcare (simply wipe on wipe off).

Brian S · Apr 23, 2017

Capt Robbie said:
Don't used poly glow !!!
It is almost impossible to remove.

Just spent three days stripping it off my friends boat.
Used mineral spirits, acetone, pressure washer.
Nothing removed it. Only thing that seamed to work was floor stripper and rubbing compound. Poly glow looked good for the first season then started to yellow.

That's because Polyglow/New Glass 2 are acrylic based. Straight ammonia probably would have taken it off.

I remember the dingy kitchen floor of a rented apartment years and years ago. I thought it had a "walnut" fake floor. I spent a whole weekend scrubbing it with straight ammonia to discover that it really had fake oak parquet flooring. That's how dark it looked after years of grime and grease and layers of no-wax floor shine. Sealed it up with acrylic floor "wax," which was probably Future brand at the time.

agprice22 · Apr 23, 2017

Brian S said:
That's because Polyglow/New Glass 2 are acrylic based. Straight ammonia probably would have taken it off.

I remember the dingy kitchen floor of a rented apartment years and years ago. I thought it had a "walnut" fake floor. I spent a whole weekend scrubbing it with straight ammonia to discover that it really had fake oak parquet flooring. That's how dark it looked after years of grime and grease and layers of no-wax floor shine. Sealed it up with acrylic floor "wax," which was probably Future brand at the time.

Yes. I have removed acrylic before. A friend applied acrylic to my cockpit and deck without wiping it down first. He trapped dirt in the acrylic! Ugh. I wiped it down with the polish remover the next day, and it was fine.

Pat · Apr 29, 2017

We've never been successful getting the poly glow off our 272 LE...big mistake...the only product that has worked at all is commercial floor wax stripper....using poly glow was our biggest mistake. Your Beneteau looks great !!!!.. Patrick

Ned Ludd · Apr 29, 2017

Glad you went with the buff magic option too. I think she looks great, an old boat is not supposed to shine like a new Mercedes in my opinion.

agprice22 · Apr 29, 2017

Nice! Good job! Now you can just sail.

Captain Larry-DH · Apr 29, 2017

Jackdaw said:
Update: I ended up going with Shurhold BuffMagic and the their wax. While a mixup with a crew member having the wrong polisher (not a DA VS unit) might have cost us some, we are very happy with results, both in the deepening of the color, and the shine. This kinda captures it.

View attachment 135874

On the water
View attachment 135875

Nice color. Now let's see if it lasts.

agprice22 · Apr 29, 2017

Got your new VC17m Extra on there too!

Gunni · May 1, 2017

That looks pretty good! You get another shot at it next spring. In fact working up the shine over several spring commissionings will show improving results, and get progressively easier.

Justin_NSA · May 1, 2017

Gunni said:
That looks pretty good! You get another shot at it next spring. In fact working up the shine over several spring commissionings will show improving results, and get progressively easier.

I agree. After following Main's recipe last year, this Spring prep was a breeze!

pateco · May 1, 2017

Jackdaw said:
Update: I ended up going with Shurhold BuffMagic and the their wax. While a mixup with a crew member having the wrong polisher (not a DA VS unit) might have cost us some, we are very happy with results, both in the deepening of the color, and the shine.

How did you like the Buff Magic? I am considering for my next haul out.

Gunni · May 1, 2017

This year I didn't even break out the Presta Gelcoat Compound, just the Cutting Creme which is much easier to work. Next year I will likely just buff some Ultra Polish and finish with Collinite insulator wax - man that stuff goes on easy and sinks in.

Justin_NSA · May 1, 2017

Gunni said:
This year I didn't even break out the Presta Gelcoat Compound, just the Cutting Creme which is much easier to work. Next year I will likely just buff some Ultra Polish and finish with Collinite insulator wax - man that stuff goes on easy and sinks in.

Likewise. Just the cutting creme and 2 coats of Collinite. Particularly focusing on the waterline

Brian S · May 1, 2017

Gunni said:
This year I didn't even break out the Presta Gelcoat Compound, just the Cutting Creme which is much easier to work. Next year I will likely just buff some Ultra Polish and finish with Collinite insulator wax - man that stuff goes on easy and sinks in.

After my first full on buff with Maine Sail's instructions, I have been able to use the Cutting Creme to get the bit of oxidation off. This year I didn't have enough, but I did have a full bottle of 3M Finesse-It, which has done a very good job.

I saw a "how to" for Jamestown Distributor's Total Boat brand polish, where they painted the polish right on the hull with a chip brush, then hit it with the polisher. Since the Finesse-It is more like thin mayonnaise consistency, I tried that, rather than before of having to put the Cutting Creme on the polisher. I think the Finessse-It did a great job with painting it on. I think the Total Boat product is runnier like the Finesse-It.

NotCook · May 1, 2017

CloudDiver said:
Capt Don swears by Poli-Glow

We use PolyGlow as well. It goes on VERY easy - you just wipe it on with the chamois-covered applicator. After the second coat it is hard to tell where is the wet part you just wiped on ends and the dry coat begins. The essential part is having the surface clean. As they say, PolyGlow will make dirt shiny! Our dark green Awlgrip looks very dull and cloudy, but is dark and shiny with the first coat of PolyGlow. I haven't waxed or buffed for the past 8 years since starting to use PolyGlow.

NotCook · May 1, 2017

agprice22 said:
Then I apply with a sponge that is just damp

This is where the PolyGlow applicator works well. Even if you don't use their product, I'd get their applicator. With it, even the first coat has no streaks.