Spring Gelcoat Maintenance Revisited

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Ducati

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Nov 19, 2008
380
Boatless Boatless Annapolis
Maine Sail offered some really great info on bringing heavily oxidized gelcoat back to life. My time is limited and the gelcoat on our boat is virtually new looking. It has been suggested that with our boat I just use a West Marine "all in one" (cleaner, compound, polish) and then follow up with a good quality wax. (Wax on/wax off).

If I go this way, what products should I consider?

Any comments?
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,756
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Ducati said:
Maine Sail offered some really great info on bringing heavily oxidized gelcoat back to life. My time is limited and the gelcoat on our boat is virtually new looking. It has been suggested that with our boat I just use a West Marine "all in one" (cleaner, compound, polish) and then follow up with a good quality wax. (Wax on/wax off).

If I go this way, what products should I consider?

Any comments?
Click to expand
I would not use a low quality "all in one" product when you're still doing two steps. Use the easily available Finesse It II and a yellow wool pad then follow up with Collinite #885. "All in one products" are a "you get what you pay for" quality level and barely worth the bottle they ship in. I have yet to see a decent one.
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Does using a "polish" first lessen the adhesion/effectiveness of any wax that would be applied second?
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,756
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Ron20324 said:
Does using a "polish" first lessen the adhesion/effectiveness of any wax that would be applied second?
Click to expand
Not if it is a "quality" body shop safe polish like Presta or 3M Finesse It II Glaze.. If it's a do it all "one step" product then it certainly does affect the wax layer. Most all "one steps" are loaded with silicone as a key ingredient. The silicone is added so novices can get a boat "shiny" except the shine is often premature, fake and not caused by actual polishing of the gelcoat. The "shine" is caused by applying "essential oils" to the surface which brings up a premature, false shine causing you to stop polishing far to early and before you actually have any real gelcoat shine.

Try getting anything to stick to silicone....:doh: You'd be wasting good money on good wax to put a carnuba over a "one step" product. I have tried many, 3M, WM, Meguiars, Starbrite etc. etc. and they are short lived, fake shines that don't last.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,308
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Another way to look at the "all-in-one" things is that you are using a mix of compounding (which "scrtaches" stuff off" mixed with wax (which is supposed to provide the shine). Essentially you are mixing in the dirt (which you want to get rid of) with the shiny part (which you want to keep). Makes no sense.

My boatyard uses the WM "all-in-one" and i always have to go back and decide to do either the two step or just Collinite #885 over it.

How do I know?

'Cuz the bow mustache comes right back with the "all-in-one" and it takes a year to appear with the 885.
 
philwsailz

philwsailz

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Dec 11, 2008
1,338
catalina C27 stillwater
I have started polishing my C27. Toi "see what it looked like" I laid on some cleaner/wax all-in-one product, (I didn;t buy it, it came with the boat) on an area after having compounded and polished.. It dulled it. Lesson learned... Stay away from the all-in-one product unless you want a lazy man's mediocre shine...
 
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