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April 2017
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Q
uestions
from our
readers:
Dr Gel,
I compound the boat and a short while later in the season
it goes right back to dull again. What can I do to keep the
shine?” Ed B. Poughkeepsie, NY
The dullness in the gelcoat goes beyond the surface.
Gelcoat is porous and the fade is imbedded in the pores of
the gelcoat. When the boat was new it had a sealer glaze
that filled the porosity in the gelcoat. It’s likely after years of
washing the boat especially if harsh chemicals and or dish
washing liquids were used the sealer glaze has gone away.
Now that the protective glaze and wax is gone the UV sun
rays are penetrating the porosity in the gelcoat.
Degrees of fading will vary depending on color; darker
colors, e.g.; red, maroon, green, dk. blue all have large
amounts of pigment and will fade faster than lighter colors.
“In most cases gelcoat shine and color can be
restored!”
If you are not aggressive enough when you compound
you are shining only the surface. You need to take the top
layer of gelcoat off to get to good gelcoat. It is possible
that the right compound materials and technique will fix
your problem.
Get good gelcoat compounds. There is a difference
between compounds for cars and boats. Generally
gelcoat compound is more aggressive than automotive
compound. I use the following * TR products - there
are others available but I like these. TR-311 is a coarse
compound - TR 308 eliminates swirl marks and minor
Email us your questions!
boat repai
r@aol.com