Three years ago, I bought a 1986 Baja 220 Sport with grandiose visions of restoring it. I saw through the oxidized gelcoat and pictured the gleaming three-color classic graphics glistening in the sun. I watched YouTube videos on buffing and wet-sanding, then gave it my best effort. When the hull sides were still wet, they looked great with deep luster and shine. When dry, they looked only a little better.
If the previous owner had put in the time and effort to maintain the gelcoat, I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this predicament. Keeping a boat looking good is key to preserving its appearance, longevity and resale value. Regular cleaning with the right products can prevent damage, and applying UV protection helps guard against the sun’s relentless rays. Be sure to address scratches as they happen to keep the boat looking good, and keep up with seasonal applications of wax and other protectants. Whenever possible, use eco-friendly soap to wash the boat to help safeguard marine ecosystems.
In the case of my boat, I had dropped it off at a friend’s shop to get a new cockpit cover. He buys and sells boats and knows how important the exterior finish is to make a good first impression. He used some heavy-duty compound and a commercial-grade Snap-On buffing machine and revived the darkest color on the hull in about five minutes. It turns out that I just didn’t have a powerful enough buffer when I tried the same thing. I’ll be making that investment between now and next spring.
Know What You’re Working With
The majority of recreational pleasureboats are finished with gelcoat as opposed to conventional paint. In simplest terms, boats are made from the outside in. Think of baking a cake and starting with the frosting. The gelcoat is sprayed into a mold and is followed by the layers of fiberglass, core and resin. Most gelcoat is sprayed into the mold pretty thick, which means you’re not going to hurt it with a buffing wheel or even wet-sanding.
“Depending on the age of the boat, say a 2000 model year, the best product to use for any white gelcoat is 3M Heavy Duty rubbing compound,” said Victor Espino, service manager at The Boat Yard in Marina del Rey, Calif. “That is going get rid of all the dead chalky stuff.”
Once the compound brings the gelcoat back to life, Espino uses Four Seasons paste wax applied by hand. “I like to keep a nice thick coat of wax on there,” he said. On newer boats with clear coat and a fresh gelcoat, he will use Meguiar’s ceramic coatings.
Espino recommends re-applying wax twice a year. “Do it every six months and you’ll keep a good-looking hull,” he says. For DIYers whose gelcoat still looks good, applying the wax and buffing by hand will work fine. Those who are facing a bigger challenge who want to use a power buffer will want to experiment with the speed settings to prevent swirl marks, especially with dark colors like red, blue or black.
Derek New, the vice president at Basin Marine in Newport Beach, Calif., says the UV rays are the biggest threat to dark, bolder colors. “For colored hulls, I try to push those guys to apply wax every month,” he said. He explains that the goal is to be able to wax before having to “cut” the gelcoat with compound. Cutting means that you’re removing a layer of gelcoat to get to the darker color underneath. Do this often enough and you’re going to run out of gelcoat. That’s an extreme situation, but it has happened.
“If you try to let it sit a year or two between coming to the shipyard, you’re going to blow through that gelcoat and paint finish,” said New.
He said that his yard has worked with ceramics, but that is something that New would leave to professionals. “If you put the wrong guy on it, that ceramic’s gone,” said New.
He also stressed that the same approach rarely works for two different boats. “My guys are chemists,” he said. “There’s never one solution that works for each boat.”
If compounding is necessary on a boat, New prefers 3M’s Heavy-Duty compound as well and for a wax, the crew at Basin Marine likes the Big White Paste from Finish Kare products in South El Monte, Calif. The Big White system also includes a rubbing compound and a sealant. New said that Big White Paste wax applies easily with a foam pad.
Speed
For badly oxidized hulls or to remove scratches, New and his technicians turn to wet-sanding. When wet-sanding, a boat owner needs to practice on a small section until they find the right combination of sandpaper grit and sanding machine speed. Popular grits for wet-sanding gelcoat range from 600 for serious oxidation to 1000 and 2000 for finishing.
“The speed is critical on going too fast or too slow,” said New. “Doing it at the right temperature is critical, too. Don’t try to cut a dark color in the sun.”
When working with dark colors, Espino prefers Presta Marine products. He’s found they provide the best UV protection.
For deeper scratches, he uses a die-grinder to open the gash. Then, he packs it with filler and fares it to level with the surface. West Marine sells pre-made gelcoat repair kits. When you first brush it on, the repair will look like crud with thick stroke marks. Let it cure for a day and then sand with 1000-grit wet-dry sandpaper until it’s smooth. Follow this with 2000-grit paper to get the finish you’re looking for. Then apply polish and buff to match the area around the repair.
Many Southern California boaters like to head out to the Colorado River or Lake Mead or Havasu where they can encounter hard water that leaves spots on a boat’s finish. New says that Hot Sauce spray from Boat Bling Products gets rid of the spots easily. Espino likes Muriatic Acid mixed with water at a 10:1 ratio. You can also buy a pre-mixed product called On and Off, but be aware that muriatic acid will remove wax, so you’ll have to re-apply once the surface is clean.
A boater wondering about what maintaining his or her gelcoat will cost, Espino and New said it’s nearly impossible to give a rough guess without seeing the boat. Espino did say that if a total bill on a boat is $2,000, about $300 of that is for materials.
