My boat sits in the sun all the time, it's a 2000 model walkaround cuddy, 26'.
I have been polishing/waxing a couple times a year but it ain't enough. The gelcoat still stays in sad shape on the top side. I've experimented a lot with different methods of trying to get the original finish back on her and have come up with a fairly simple and least labor way of doing it.
After reading a lot about what polishes and waxes and restorers are made for and why, here's what I've come up with that works. When the sun hits the boat all the time, the top side and the side facing the south take the brunt. What actually happens is the sun dries out the gel coat.
Gel coat is actually a form of plastic and it's the oils in the gelcoat that keep it looking new. That is why Meguiar's and others say to polish before waxing because the polish has oils in it that replenish the gel coat just like oil does for wood.
Well, after removing the oxidation with Aurora boat scrub, I picked a 3 foot spot on the topside and kept putting polish on it and buffing, 10 coats later it looked a lot better but still not like original. In the past, I've tried rubbing compounds thinking if I took off enough old oxidized gel coat, one coat of polish and then wax would do it, wrong answer. So after 10 coats of polish, It got me to thinking, there just isn't enough oil in this polish to get it back to where it needs to be, at least I'm not going to put 10 or more coats of polish on anything in this world!! So, I got out some Liquid Gold Wood restorer in a spray can and sprayed it on. LG is a combination of mineral spirits and organic oils, mostly oils. Sprayed it on, smeared it around with my hand but then with a rag once I decided to do the whole boat. Let is sit overnight.
Next day, skip the boat polish and go straight to the carnauba wax, which also has polymers in it. Put that on overtop the oil, let it dry and then buffed.
Voila, a much shinier newer looking finish.
So the secret is in replenishing the oils in the gel coat after getting the oxidation off. Incidentally, Boat Scrub is really handy for remvoing oxidation. You apply it with a wet wrag just like washing the boat, but rubbing more, then just rinse it off, works great and you don't end up buffing oxidation back into the gel coat like with oridinary oxidation removers. It also has a stain remover that works better then anything else I've tried. It gets out the stains that old leaves leave behind and that's hard to do.
Also, ever notice how runny color restorer is, that's because it has beaucoup oil in it. So I just cut to the chase and go with straight oil like liquid gold. It's a helluva lot easier to apply then the color restorer, that's for sure.
Anyhow, hope this helps someone, it sure is a relief to me, finally figuring this out because I've tried all kinds of polishes, waxes and combinations of things. This method works best and is easiest, give it a shot!!
One other thing, I know folks with bass boats that do a quick shine with pledge after washing and that works well for them and is actually what gave me the idea about the liquid gold, pledge will work well too but I think the carnauba wax is still needed to seal the surface afterwards and block the uv.
I have been polishing/waxing a couple times a year but it ain't enough. The gelcoat still stays in sad shape on the top side. I've experimented a lot with different methods of trying to get the original finish back on her and have come up with a fairly simple and least labor way of doing it.
After reading a lot about what polishes and waxes and restorers are made for and why, here's what I've come up with that works. When the sun hits the boat all the time, the top side and the side facing the south take the brunt. What actually happens is the sun dries out the gel coat.
Gel coat is actually a form of plastic and it's the oils in the gelcoat that keep it looking new. That is why Meguiar's and others say to polish before waxing because the polish has oils in it that replenish the gel coat just like oil does for wood.
Well, after removing the oxidation with Aurora boat scrub, I picked a 3 foot spot on the topside and kept putting polish on it and buffing, 10 coats later it looked a lot better but still not like original. In the past, I've tried rubbing compounds thinking if I took off enough old oxidized gel coat, one coat of polish and then wax would do it, wrong answer. So after 10 coats of polish, It got me to thinking, there just isn't enough oil in this polish to get it back to where it needs to be, at least I'm not going to put 10 or more coats of polish on anything in this world!! So, I got out some Liquid Gold Wood restorer in a spray can and sprayed it on. LG is a combination of mineral spirits and organic oils, mostly oils. Sprayed it on, smeared it around with my hand but then with a rag once I decided to do the whole boat. Let is sit overnight.
Next day, skip the boat polish and go straight to the carnauba wax, which also has polymers in it. Put that on overtop the oil, let it dry and then buffed.
Voila, a much shinier newer looking finish.
So the secret is in replenishing the oils in the gel coat after getting the oxidation off. Incidentally, Boat Scrub is really handy for remvoing oxidation. You apply it with a wet wrag just like washing the boat, but rubbing more, then just rinse it off, works great and you don't end up buffing oxidation back into the gel coat like with oridinary oxidation removers. It also has a stain remover that works better then anything else I've tried. It gets out the stains that old leaves leave behind and that's hard to do.
Also, ever notice how runny color restorer is, that's because it has beaucoup oil in it. So I just cut to the chase and go with straight oil like liquid gold. It's a helluva lot easier to apply then the color restorer, that's for sure.
Anyhow, hope this helps someone, it sure is a relief to me, finally figuring this out because I've tried all kinds of polishes, waxes and combinations of things. This method works best and is easiest, give it a shot!!
One other thing, I know folks with bass boats that do a quick shine with pledge after washing and that works well for them and is actually what gave me the idea about the liquid gold, pledge will work well too but I think the carnauba wax is still needed to seal the surface afterwards and block the uv.
