Faded Gel Coat

msimms

msimms

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Boat: Chichester Marina
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Looked at a 2001 boat today as we're considering going larger. Interior and cockpit were fine, almost unused. However, externally it doesn't look as if it's seen a polishing cloth in a long while, possibly never.

Though I'm sure a good compound and wax would revive the finish and probably bring it back to near show room condition, would this only be short lived? Assuming regular maintenance, is a previously neglected gel coat able to hold as good a finish as one that has been maintained from day one?

Cheers

Mark
 
You can catch back old GRP using Wessex chemical gear (no i have no connexion) two part GRP restorer. This is quite amazing but costs £100 quid for the pack, so it should be.

It was developed recently for a boat manufactuer who had a load of yellowish hulls due to their release agent,and wessex sorted the gear (well invented i spose) for them.

I used it on our boat 5 years old and it looks fab. Loads better than when some goon in the uk attempted to "cut" it with a machine but which didn't do very much really.

Follow the instructions and wham it on witha brush and rinse. The two parts are diluted as per instructions.

I volunteered to write up about it for MBY but for starters they said they'd pay £50 quid for a halfpage article when the gear itself costs £100, hm, i sed well ok i'm using the stuff anyway. Then the fri er excellent editor says he wants "before" and "after" photos rather than use the manufactuers pack shot. Erm but i'm now in the uk, and the boat is clean, so i can't get a "before" pic can i? Ever. Anyways it would just be a murky boat and then a clean one, so bit boring. So i didn't bother with the article and no MBY article.

After using the chemical you can "fine flat " the surface with a polishing machine if you want, i used yellow paste from Greygate chemicals in leics. Then ornery polish and all lovely.

Oh, and some peeps wll tell youto use Y10, which is oksih, but infact merely dilute/gel oxalic acid. This wessex restoers is mils bettr and based on their teak cleaner. If you do use the teak restorer on the teak it is fairly mental - brings it back like bang newly cut wood.
 
I was looking at a 12 year old mobo in St Kats recently that looked like it was brand new. The owner told me that he had had it 'A-Glazed' (they exhibit at the LBS). I have nothing whatsoever to do with A Glaze, but I have to say it looked superb and apparently stays in the same condition without further polishing! Cheap it ain't! Cost him £1500 for the full treatment to be done (I think this included all labour costs) but given what you can spend on materials and effort over time it did set me thinking. Nothing more depressing than spending hours and hours polishing when it only lasts a few weeks at best.
The site is at
http://www.marineaglaze.com/aglaze_marine.asp

I've not tried it myself yet.
nick
 
Hi and thanks for the reply.

Do Wessex have a web presence that you know of? Google isn't helping.

Out of interest how bad was your hull pre-application - had it got to the point of appearing to have an oxidised layer. Something like the cloudy appearance you often see on the aft quarter of boats with coloured gel coat.

Cheers

Mark
 
I bought my current boat a 2003 Cranchi this time last year and was told by previous owner that it had been A glazed. I used their shampoo wash this year and the boat has remained sparkling and has repelled the water and dullness brilliantly. All i need to do now for next season is polish gently with their preparation polish and reseal with sealant liquid and she will last all next season. In fact i understand from A Glaze that they warranty their finish for 12 months.
It really does work and without the need for compound and mechanical polishing.
 
You are right in that A-Glaze provide a 12 month manufacturers warranty however, it is rare that we apply A-Glaze without compounding the GRP first. Your boat was fairly new so may not have required a compound, but as boats get older a compound prior to A-Glaze treatment ensures a first class finish.

Great to hear you were pleased with the results though and you have also made the point that the products are availble for DIY application.

Will
 
absolutly right Will. I think on a new boat or an older boat that has had a compund once treated the A Glaze system really does protect the gelcoat and therefore the ammount of any future cutting back is reduced considerably.
 
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