Gel Coat Restoration

[The_Breeze]

Has anybody happened upon a gelcoat restoration product they'd be willing to stake their reputation on?

 

[mountainsam]

I wish. I'll also be watching these responses. Its been discussed many times here but I have not succeeded in restoring mine. Heres what I have tried to date.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21549&stc=1&d=1574295165

 

[The_Breeze]

I wish. I'll also be watching these responses. Its been discussed many times here but I have not succeeded in restoring mine. Heres what I have tried to date.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21549&stc=1&d=1574295165

Ouch. Thank you. At least you have reckoned what to avoid. This could get interesting.

 

[99dart]

I have been using Menzerna polishing compounds for our cars for several years now. I have bottles of 1, 2 & 3000 grit. I used 2000, then 3000 with an orbital buffer. It's a tough job I won't kid you there. In the future I think I'll pay to have the MH done.

 

[rynosback]

My boat sat in the sun and brackish water for 7-8 months a year. I only waxed it once a year. And it would be oxidized after sitting in those conditions. Get a product called Miracle Cloth. It does not strip/take the layers of finish off like compounds. I then used new finish after the whole boat was done in it. My boat when I sold it was 17 years old and looked new.

https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Cloth-Purpose-Metal-Cleaning/dp/B000C0B3E0/ref=asc_df_B000C0B3E0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309748512677&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5339276674544888950&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014226&hvtargid=pla-470197604378&psc=1

 

[The_Breeze]

Update

My rig is gel coat. I'm hand waxing and noticed something. I only point out hand wax for one reason: You know when you use that overlapping circular motion to apply wax? I might have let it get too heavy in some places and my observation was revealing (to me?). Where it was a little heavy, there was no 'swirl', per se, but a 'C'.

Where the wax may have laid a little heavy, you can see where it provided enough of some kind of emollient to bring back the base in some of the dull spots.

What emollient does gel coat need to come back to life?

 

[Druff]

most RVs are not gel coat

The tan on the outside of many of these MHs is not gel coat paint. It is just color added to the plastic/fiberglass when produced. No amount of wax or other polishes are going to bring the shine back to them permanently. For years they were just white so no one noticed. I have seen that many companies are actually going back to white no as the colors do not last very long.

 

[mcr1010]

A couple or so years ago, I got an estimate on having a clear coat done on the coach. I think it was around $3200 for two coats of euro clear coat, what ever that is with life time warranty. I declined as I did not want to spend any more on my kit RV.

 

[z28]

I use a cleaning product called Trailer Bright. It is a detergent that will clean the gel coat, will not harm the decals and leaves the gel coat with a medium luster all in one step. Their website is www.trailerbright.com

 

[BASSMAN-THOR]

Its been my experience with gel coat in the past on boats and motorhomes, once it has a chance to oxidize it will only continue to get worse over time, a good fiberglass cleaner wax will some times restore the shine for a short period of time, keeping the coach covered or inside is your best bet, heavy oxidation needs a rubbing compound with a power polisher, I just bought one at Home Depot for $34.00, then a mix of pads and a gallon of cleaner wax from Amazon, its a lot of work but if its not done on a regular basis the finish will just get worse, I did run across a product at a boat show once and it is some kind of coating and was expensive, it could only be applied by hand and no circular motion, had to be a back and forth to avoid air bubbles forming, the finish did last about 5 years using the boat in salt water, if I run across the product I will post the information, cost back then on a 21 foot boat was almost $200.00 for the product and a weeks work in buffing out the finish and then applying the product.

 

[The_Breeze]

Thank you. I'm no stranger to hard work. Share what you gave when you're ready.

 

[ron1z]

I just had our coach detailed last week. The guy that did it was able to bring back the shine on the front cap with a buffer, he also said to either keep it waxed at least every 4 months or get a cover for it. After he left I applyed a coat of F 11 should last 3 to 6 months. Right now it looks like it did when it was in the showroom. Time will tell.

 

[TLeenhouts]

Renew any Gelcoat

I had a red boat that oxidized to an ugly mess. I also had a 40 year old catamaran sailboat that had oxidized badly. I tried every polish and renew product available and got lousy results. Finally, I went to a Corvette shop and asked them what they do. They recommended a product called Penetrol. A quart can is about $10 and you can get it at any paint store or Home Depot or Lowes. It is a plasticizer and it is amazing. Clean off any wax that is on the surface. Do a wax on wax off with a rag. Do small areas because you only want the stuff to stay on for a minute or two. Use a clean rag to wipe it off. Wait 24 hours and apply a new coat of wax and it will look brand new or better.

 

[Brakeman48]

Rynosback - did you use the cloth directly on the oxidized gelcoat. And then did you use a wax or polish afterwards. Please expand on your process. Thank you!

 

[TLeenhouts]

Any clean rag or towel is okay. You just want to get any excess off before it dries. A rub out with rubbing compound may help but I have never needed it.

 

[Full Moon Milt]

gel coat restoration

I have tried several different types and brands of wax and compounds. What I found works for me is meguires products. I can't put my hands on the bottles just yet. They recommend marine wax for motorhomes with gel coats. It's the only one with UV inhibitors, I was told. I park my Hurricane 35 in the sun, no cover and one side gets the afternoon sun. Look them up on the web and call them.
I am interested in trying the F11 and one other product that was mentioned in the thread. It usually takes me a week of compounding and waxing as I only wax 1 time a year.

 

[Jahood]

Has anybody happened upon a gelcoat restoration product they'd be willing to stake their reputation on?

Prism polish

 

[The_Breeze]

I have tried several different types and brands of wax and compounds. What I found works for me is meguires products. I can't put my hands on the bottles just yet. They recommend marine wax for motorhomes with gel coats. It's the only one with UV inhibitors, I was told. I park my Hurricane 35 in the sun, no cover and one side gets the afternoon sun. Look them up on the web and call them.
I am interested in trying the F11 and one other product that was mentioned in the thread. It usually takes me a week of compounding and waxing as I only wax 1 time a year.

Same here and I appreciate everyone's feedback. This is not a new topic. People have been chasing this for a while. I wanted to resurrect the topic in case something new hit the market that wasn't mentioned back then. F11 is something I'll be looking into.

I can vouch for McGuire's Cleaner wax. It did one heck of a job but not as well as I'd like for the amount of work and end result. Better than it was and I'll take it for now. The search continues...

Thanks again.

Penetrol:'Oil-Based Coating Additive...'. This would explain the brighter spots where the wax went on a little heavy in those circular movements - the emollient I mentioned. It reminds me of Thompson's Water Seal. I tread lightly into this territory. https://www.flood.com/products/paint-additives/penetrol-oil-based-paint-additive