Rich?s Tip for Gel Coat

[Rich Bellefeuille]

All,

If you have gray haze in your gel coat, read on!

Ok, here goes. I have read all the posts and done all the research. I tried the Maguiers boat stuff which is OK but a lot of work and it does not last. I still think there is a better product made for boats, but it’s expensive and I haven’t tried it yet.

So…I was thinking that the best results I have so far are from liquid waxes that seem to have an oily filler to them. So after spending about 1.5 hours and being very unhappy with the results, I got frustrated and rummaged around the cleaning closet and came up with a yellow spray can of “End Dust”. I tried it and it worked GREAT!!

Now, it has a nice finish and looks great and it lasts about as long as the other stuff (about 2-3 days depending on weather), but it takes about 15 minutes and I barely work up a sweat! I’m still looking at other products, but this is not bad! Try it! And PLEASE let me know if you come up with any other products that you like.

Rich

RichBelfay40042.8272800926

[Larry Murphy]

 Rich, Thanks for the tip,can’t wait to try it.I have been frustrated that I can get good gloss with any number of waxpolishcleaner products as long as I am sighting down the side of the car or looking across the hood but the shine seems to go flat when viewed directly. From a distance it looks  flat even when just polished.I have wondered if this is a gelcoat characteristic and had even purchased some 2000 grit wet sand paper but have been putting all my time and effort toward the BCW which has  nice paint which has a great shine and it is about as red as red can be.I sure can’t go anywhere that I don’t want to be seen but I do have to be careful so as not to get run over while the other drivers have their heads turned. I also like your springtime picture,it seems more fitting especially with the top down.

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Larry,

Give it a try. Not perfect results, but also minimum elbow grease!

Rich

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Larry,

Oh yeah, Thank James for the Springtime conversion on my Atavar!

Rich

RichBelfay40042.8262962963

[Dan Rosa]

Rich I finally got it down. wax and cleaners do not work. I have tried them all with Bass pro shop store only a few miles down the road I have spent my allowance more than once trying to keep the white haze away… wet sanding a fender at a time is the only thing that works A lot of work !! DuPont 7 with a high speed buffer after sanding ,than by hand in the hard to reach places , than white diamond polish with a low speed elliptical orbiter . justa lot of time but worth it !!

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Dan,

I haven’t gone the route of wet sanding yet, but I have tried some very aggressive compound with an orbital buffer with so-so results.

My limited understanding of the Gel Coat problem is that what we seeing as gray/white haze is actually porosity (holes) in the finish. So the choices (other than Paint) are to either remove the pores (your method does that) or fill them in (my End Dust method does that, but only temporarily). There are other products that do this fill “permanently” by doing a thorough surface prep and applying an Acrylic material that fills and hardens. This is the one that is the most attractive to me, but I’m too cheap to pay the $80 price tag.

If I do finally throw my money on the table, I’ll be sure to post the results (good or bad)

Rich

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[Rob Baker]

Rich,

I’ve used pledge on my Kayak the below is from the Old Town website.

How do I clean my Old Town canoe or kayak?

HULL EXTERIOR: Wash with mild soap and water. You can also use Murphy’s Oil Soap. To beautify, we suggest a vinyl protectant product such as Armor All^?, 303 Products or Pledge. These are safe for use on any of our PolyLink3?, Oltonar/Royalex^?, CrossLink, SuperLink3? and Fiberglass canoes or kayaks.

We do not recommend waxing your hull with a paste wax, such as most car waxes. The wax fills in any scratches or gouges, then dries to a white color, making the damage more apparent.

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Rob,

Thanks, that confirms my findings. I’m going to stick with End Dust for now because it seems to have a little less oil in it. Sure makes a quick detail easy and painless!

Rich

[billnparts]

The quickest thing I’ve found to work I learned from an old Auto Detailer. Put some automatic transmission fluid on a rag and wipe away. Wipe off the excess and there you have it. Glossy again. Keep in mind that this is only temporary and the dullness will return unless wiped down again. There is no miracle cure for the deterioration of the gel coat.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Bill,

Might be a little oily and “smelly” but it’s the same concept. The fluid is temporarily filling the “pores” in the Gel Coat.

I may have to try it though. Heck all I have to do is leave a rag under my wife’s transmission!

Rich

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