Boat/ gellcoat cleaning?

Question

I have a 1992 ski nautique that is kept in a fresh water lake all summer, now winter has come, its out of the water, its looking very faded and is stained a yellow/green below the waterline. The coloured area on the side of the boat is very faded and i have tried polishing, waxing, and buffing, none of wich seem to work, they make it nice and smooth, but none actually make the cloudy look go away?? When i put water onto the surface it looks like new. Does anyone know what i can put onto the coloured area to bring it back to a good colour?

Answer 1

3m restorer and wax,it has a mild abrasive and works great for oxidation such as you describe,you can find it at walmart or almost any marine supply

Answer 2

Best is to power wash the algae off the bottom, and if the paint is too fainted apply a couple of layers of gelcoat. You need to put anti-fouling paint under the waterline. That way it will look new, and it will protect he fiberglass from osmosis.

The temperatures have to be right for this job. Depending on where you are, it may have to be done inside.

Answer 3

So far, you've wasted your time.

Set it upside down on a rack or some other sturdy work stand.

Steel-wool the surface until it's as smooth as glass.

Buy spray cans of Passono Paint or Krylon (I prefer Passano) and spray the hull that way - and don't listen to anyone who tells you to paint it any other way.

Painting with a paint sprayer takes much longer and costs far

more than using the easy to handle spray cans.

I have a full chapter on this subject in my:

FRP - Fiberglass Reinforced Plastics Manual, which has been used as class study book in two international universities.

I made one of, if not the first FRP boats in 1950 and have worked innovatively wth that material for years.

Answer 4

use muratic acid.  Buy a sprayer and a gallon of muratic acid mix it half water half acid and spray it directly on the side of the boat.  Stay away from your decals though it may harm them.  When you spray it on remember that it is an acid you want to be outside and try not to breath in the fumes.  Have a hose or a powerwasher ready to clean off the acid after it has set for a few minutes. then copletly clean the outside of the boat with dawn soap and water and wax the boat

Answer 5

quotidian01 is right, my boat is kept in salt water year round and i had the same problem,  i used on off and it removes all stains, but it does leave the gelcoat looking dull, but you can fix that with a wax or poli-glow.

i used poli-glow and it really brought the shine back to my boat

check it out here

www.poliglowproducts.com

Answer 6

I have had good luck using the MaryKate product called On-Off.  It is very strong and caustic so you need to wear gloves at a minimum when using it.  They make a liquid version and a gel version of this product.  I would use the gel version if you do not want this stuff running down on to your hull bottom paint.  I was amazed at how much Hudson River mustache I was able get off my boat this Fall using this product.  I was using the liquid version and some drips did flow down over my bottom paint and discolored that.  I was planning on another coat of bottom paint in the Spring so no big deal.

Answer 7

the best stuff we have ever used. A little pricy, but you get what you pay for..