"To buy or not to buy..... that is the question"

by the Harbormaster

ou emerge from the boat show with a fist full of brochures, and what could only be called "sticker stroke" ("sticker shock" on steroids). The bank has just approved your home equity loan and all that is left is the final negotiations and that new beauty is all yours. That and the 180 monthly payments.

On the way back home you stop and uncover the back quarter of the your present boat. She's been branded by the dealer as "it isn't worth the bother to trade in". Sitting down next to the helm you mutter something like "She's in better shape than I had remembered..... maybe I'll just clean her up a little and use her again this summer.

Back into the car and heading for home, you tuck the brochures into the glove compartment and you remember last August having just cruised into Willsboro Bay for a get together with your cruzin' friends. Out come the fenders (bumpers?) & dock lines and you tie up along side the raft. Making sure the swim ladder is set, you take quick dip to cool off. As you slowly swim away form the raft you notice the only real difference between your boat and the other new ones is the "shine of the hull", and of course that second mortgage. Pulling into the driveway lined with three feet of snow you decide to "spruce up the old boat for one more season!"

Gardner's Guide to Gelcoat Glisten......

"To shine or not to shine?...... that is the question."

elcoat is not a paint. It is essentially a colored plastic resin that is part of the hull of most fiberglass boats. It is very durable, easy to repair and relatively low maintenance. Its nemesis is sunlight. If your boat is new..... wax it twice a season, and keep it covered whenever you can.

Making old dull gelcoat shine is hard work.

Wash the hull with a non-scratching cleaner, like Soft Scrub. Make sure all the grime and dirt is removed.

Borrow, rent or purchase a high speed buffer. The rule of thumb is the heavier the buffer the better it will work. You will need a good buffing pad and rubbing compound. I recommend 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound. It works well with a high speed buffer. Don't use the small cans of paste, they are too thick and do not work well with a buffer. The trick to buffing is using enough compound. More is better than less. (You should wear old clothes and eye protection). It's the combination of the compound and buffer that does the work. Buff a small area at a time, working your way around the hull. Warning. Only buff gelcoat. Painted and vinyl names, stripes or decals will be damaged if you buff them too hard. Beware of your bottom paint. The buffer will remove the paint. Do the waterline and around names by hand. Plan on spending a full day on washing and buffing a 30 foot boat.

Apply two coats of wax. I recommend Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #50. It is a cleaner—wax that is easy to apply. Wipe it on and wipe it off. Apply two coats of wax before you launch the boat. For best results, apply another coat of wax half way through the season. Mirror Glaze #50 has a cleaning compound in it which allows it to remove some of those stubborn stains you get on the hull.

Next season, all you have to do is wash & wax and the hull will continue to shine.

Warning
The above recommendation is for white hulls only. If you have a colored hull that needs attention, and you are bound and determined to make it shine, this procedure will work. Unfortunately, the shine will quickly fade and that chalky look will reappear. The only cure for a colored hull is to have it painted.