Comments on: Restoring Gel Coat

Question: Restoring Gel Coat

monsta coty scott — Fri, 06 May 2005 08:42:39 -0800

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?

By: Heatwole

Heatwole — Fri, 06 May 2005 08:52:55 -0800

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.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:48:48 -0800

check out this discussion regarding restoring gelcoat on the Boston Whaler discussion board.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Sat, 07 May 2005 05:36:28 -0800

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.