Can I wet sand gelcoat?

[Guest]

Some rough spots on hull difficult to get out with compound. Can I use wet sand. If so what grit and how to do?ThanksDan GroszAquila '92 33.5

 

[Barry]

Yes!

I wet sanded my h34 twice with 600 grit. Used 400 on a few spots. Mine has good gelcoat thickness and I never got through it. Be careful and work slowly. Finish off with compound and wax.good luck,Barry

 

[Ken Palmer]

1200 wet-dry

A friend of mine uses 1200 wet dry available from West Marine to clean over-sparay of paint on his gelcoat.Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty

 

[dan grosz]

I did it!

OK I tried it and it was successful. Some thoughts on what works well:1. Get a good sanding block (I got one at Pep Boys)2. Try sanding with the highest grit first. I found that 1200 actually got nome of the scratches out without needing courser sandpaper. (I used 240, 400, 600, 1000 & 1200)3. Keep hosing the area down while sanding. Also I used a little setergent in a bucket to keep the sandpaper clean.)4. Use only a little pressure and don't sand too long. The gelcoat smooths out quickly.5. I used 3M super duty rubbing compund to get the shine back.6. I bought a gelcoat repair kit from West Marine to fix a few dents. I was able to get a good color match by putting just a tiny bit of yellow into white. I am very pleased with the results. Thanks for the advise.DanAquila '92 H33.5