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June 2018
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boatingonthehudson.com
F
requently people call me about fade on their
boat and want the gelcoat to look shiny and nice
again. There are many variables and steps involved
in order to get gelcoat looking good again. You will
not find a remedy to get rid of fade at a big box
store! Most importantly the popular boat related
forums relating to color restoration are often terrible
advice!
A boat, very well known and well built in 2006
was brought to me for color restoration and gelcoat
repairs. The gelcoat colors on it are mainly white
with black accent stripes.
Above the rub rail the narrow black gelcoat faded
and chalked to a grey and was in badly need of color
restoration. The owner told me he compounded
and buffed it each year but it never really looked
good and the fade always came back quickly. He
also had a boat repair facility try to get rid of the
fade and improve the gelcoat on it as well. Photos
show their process didn’t work very well.
I began to examine the surface closely and
noticed paint brush like strokes on the surface and
thought some type of substance was applied for a
quick fix. As the boat owner watched I compounded
a small section to see if I could get the color back.
As I continued a layer of white oxidation began
to disappear revealing the original color. The
brush strokes diminished but they and a fine misty
discoloration remained. The compound was not
aggressive enough so I went a step further and wet
sanded the section using a high quality1500 grit sand
paper. The nice rich gelcoat came back. It took sand
paper to get the mess off the boat. I determined some
type of “snake oil” solution I call it was applied and I
know what it is. All I can say is that it begins with the
letter “V”. I tested this “V” product many years ago and
determined it was nothing but a short lived mask. It
may look good for a few weeks but it’s truly garbage
and advertizing misleading. By applying this junk it
added an extra expense to the boat restoration.
GELCOAT COLOR RESTORATION
Why does gel coat fade and chalk?
Gelcoat has a porous surface and fades because of
UV sunlight penetration.
Degrees of fading will vary depending on color;
darker colors, e.g.; red, maroon, green, dk. blue all
have large amounts of pigment will fade faster than
lighter colors. White and lighter tone gelcoat will often
appear “chalked” after years of sun exposure.
Can gelcoat be restored to its original color? In most
cases gelcoat color can be restored. I suggest doing
Test spot with compound -
notice brush marks in grey.
Sanded and polished.
Sanded and polished.
Test spot with compound -
notice brush marks in grey.