Restoring Gel Coat

May 6, 2005 8:42 AM

I am prepping my old 18' catamaran for the summer and I would really like to restore the gelcoat finish on the fiberglass to a bright sheen. Can I use a regular buffing wheel, rubbing compound and wax that I would use on my car?

The hulls are your regular fiberglass hulls with an orange gel coat finish. The orange has faded, has dirt and water lines on it and I would like to try and clean it up. Does anyone have a suggestion on working with gelcoat finishes?

posted by monsta coty scott to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

Any of the 3M products will do the job. I think I've used muriatic acid as a "first" wash to lift out the oxidation. You can buff with a soft cotton pad, but be sure that the hull is very clean.
posted by Heatwole at 8:52 AM on May 6, 2005

Best answer: check out this discussion regarding restoring gelcoat on the Boston Whaler discussion board.
posted by HuronBob at 9:48 AM on May 6, 2005

Gel-Gloss It's also available as an aerosol (but is more expensive that way), and at hardware stores. This stuff works really well on formica, too.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:36 AM on May 7, 2005