Faded Gel coat lines (boot-top?)

[mobeydick]

I have looked at a boat with two 'style lines' along the topsides that are in the gelcoat. (Not sure they are called boot-top lines if they are well above the waterline, but I am sure you know what I mean). Blue lines on white hull. They are quite faded, and I was wondering about the best way to restore. This is on a 8 year old boat (ish)

1) Would a good polish (light abrasion) restore the lines, or would the blue part of the gelcoat be too thin?
2) If 1) would not work, would paint or vinyl transfer work, and be a great solution? Or would it need re-doing every year or so?

Opinions welcomed.

Thanks
MD

 

[rob2]

You may as well try T-Cut first, but don't go too far as the colour is likely to rub through quite quickly! Even if it doesn't work to your satisfaction you won't have lost anything. I guess vinyl transfers would do the job, after all many if not most of us use them to put the name on the transom, but they don't usually get immersed on a regular basis, so that might affect their longevity - but it would be a fairly quick fix. Painting over would probably be my choice using an acrylic car paint. The difficult bit is getting the masking just right, but then you can roller or foam brush on a couple of coats which should last a decade at least.

Rob.

 

[pvb]

My last boat, HR352, had blue gelcoat lines in the topsides. The boat had been in Spain for the first 5 years of its life, before I bought it. By the time it was 10 years old, the blue stripes were looking rather tired and faded. With careful polishing and waxing, the colour and finish could be restored and would last for about 6 months before it needed doing again. In the end, with a view to selling the boat, I had the stripes professionally resprayed with Awlgrip.

 

[mobeydick]

Thanks for replies.