New guy here- Whats the best wax to bring the gel coat back

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mattzo21

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Hi there,

New guy here, Just purchased my first boat. As its my first I bought 2nd hand its only 13 ft with a 25hp outboard. Anyhow its slightly dull and needs a good polish,

Can anyone advise what the best wax/polish is for this.

Cheers
 
There is a choice of polishes for GRP in chandlers. Take your pick.

OTOH, "Mer" car polish seems pretty effective and bound to be cheaper. It is generally advised that silicone polishes are avoided as it can make repairs difficult.

If its really dull or faded then you may have to restore it first with a fibreglass rubbing compound.
 
I use only car products as they're much cheaper, and the results are 2nd to none (but then again I do it every year at start of season)

3M Finesse-It finishing compound with compounding pad
then Mer's car polish (blue bottle) with polishing pad
Buff it up when dry

I don't bother waxing (too tired after above steps) but a wax will help to keep it looking good for longer
 
Not sure if you have it in the Old World, but Mequires makes a series of products for professional finishing of auto finishes. What I use is their "Swirl Remover", which is the last step in a producing a mirror finish. It removes oxidation and if followed with a decent wax really does the job. I've also used a product called SeaPower, which has a similar effect.
 
mattzo21 said:
Hi there,

New guy here, Just purchased my first boat. As its my first I bought 2nd hand its only 13 ft with a 25hp outboard. Anyhow its slightly dull and needs a good polish,

Can anyone advise what the best wax/polish is for this.

Cheers
Click to expand...
You need something a little abrasive to polish it..
3m is top product, but Autoglym resin polish is cheaper. Its the polish that brings up the shine, the wax is more or less a protective finish. If you dont have a polisher, Macguires flagship wax is expensive, but easy to use by hand. and a bottle should last you at least a season, maybe two.
 
I would be aware with car polishes as most of them bring oxidation to the gel coat in later times.

I suggest 3M Marine (impressive) line, Starbrite, and MacGuires.
UK Farecla has also a marine line up which is also good, and I have used in the past. Altough it is a bit dusty.
 
I've been very happy with 3M products. They have a wide range of products for cutting and polishing and i've found them easy to apply.

I've used perfect it followed by finesse it.
 
I use 3M and always had good results, be carefull of t-cut, it can stain old gel coat a browny colour. I like the 3M performance ultra wax, smells nice :-) and stays shiny.
 
Well, if it's for a boat, and since you're a first time owner, I suggest you use Shine On kit. It's what our local marina recommended to us, and I also recommend this product if you want your boat to look like it's brand new.
 
another 3M fan

If its all a bit faded and dull try the 3M restore and wax product
brings gel coat back to life beautifully. then wax a month or so later with your prefered wax polish

I found the farecla stuff not great on oxidised gel coat, however once you have got it shiny again with 3M the farecla gets a really deep shine (on my neighbours boat anyway, I'm not that energetic...)
 
Meguiars do a 3 pack with de-oxidiser, polish and wax for boats. Have tried others and used this for the last 2 or 3 years and very happy with the result.
 
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