FADED GEL COAT

[Guest]

CAN ANYONE RECOMEND ASOMETHING TO RESTORE MY GRP HULL THE COLOUR IS VERY VERY FADED

 

[Guest]

If its that bad, don't waste your money on so-called restorers - paint it. I did and it was not difficult and lasted well. Find a handy booklet printed by International Paints for easy instructions.Rab.

 

[Guest]

First wash to remove dirt salt etc. Then use a fibre glass rubbing compound, there are several on the market, on a compounding mop fitted to a polishing machine or an electric drill running at slow speed. Keep it moist, I keep a wshing up liquid bottle full of water handy and work on a small section at a time. If the gell coat is very bad then start with a heavy duty compound. Allow to dry and remove with a soft dry cloth, or clean off wih a wet sponge. Then go over the whole thing again with a good quality fibre glass polish and a polishing mop on the machine. You should be able to get the compouding mop from a car paint suppliers. Reckon to spend at least 2 days hard work on a 20 footer. If you repeat the process but more quickly every few years and you can keep a boat looking smart and put off the day when you have to resort to painting for a good while. Mine is red and is just about to be lauched for the 24th season looking almost as good as new. There is an article in a recent PBO but using a slightly different technique, but the above is based on article in PBO about 15 years ago.

 

[Guest]

I agree with the suggestion to polish. A painted hull is always at a disadvantage to the original. Cutting and polishing well is V hard work though. Try an area and if you feel it is too much work or the colour is not coming back then paint!

 

[Guest]

thanks

 

[Guest]

Farecla no 10 has worked extremely well for me - I have used it most years and still have over half a bottle left. Costs about £12 from good car accessory shops. I still consider the best polish I have used to be Mer, again about £10 or so for a litre. Using a sponge attachment for the Farecla on an electric drill at low speed I have completed the whole process on a 22' hull in an afternoon. The key is to keep the sponge attachment very damp. I then used a lambswool bonnet again on an electric drill to polish the hull. Make sure the bonnet does not become clogged with dust. This is one of the most satisfying jobs i have done on my old boat as you can see the improvement in looks almost immediately and for very little cost - i reckon the actual materials used each time cost less than a fiver! My gel coat went from looking like a very white cloudy blue sky to almost clear blue after the first effort and actually looked even better each time I carried out this process.