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Wednesday 1 May 2013

Keeping your Gel Coat Sweet Year after Year

By: Capt. Doug Malat

Keeping that shine on your boat is not hard to do if you do it right. There are many different ways to keep that shine, but after 14 years and still seeing yourself in your hull like in a mirror, you got to be doing it right. It is easy to do and will set your boat apart from others. I used a lot of different products and came up with this technique that really lasts.
<BR><BR>When the Winter is over and Spring comes, I wash the boat down thoroughly with a good marine product. Soot from the air, all that grime, and other contaminates saturate your boats' gelcoat finish, giving it that dull worn-out look. Washing the hull with a vengeance, will remove that grime and sorts which has been laying there for months. After that great washing, you may see some wax from last season...That's telling you, the job was done right! Step two is to make up a solution to smooth out your hulls Gelcoat (microscopically) and also to get out those tougher blemishes and stains. Now this makes the whole hull look uniform and later when waxing, it will have the same luster evenly all over.
<BR><BR>I use the "Light White Polishing Compound", but not the way you think….You can use regular compound also…but just read a little further. I take bunch of the compound and put it in a pail and add water to it for a soupy mix. For boats that need more attention, you make the mix with a little less water. For better hulls that mix is pretty watery. I take a big sponge, stir it in the mix to keep the compound floating evenly in the mixture regularly (it likes to settle at the bottom) and apply it to the hull in small circular motions to get everything. I do a section of the hull at a time…two, three, four feet at a time, (keeping the sponge stirring in the mixture often as I use it) then move on to the next section. When I get done with the second section, I go back over the prior section I've done (should be hazy….a little dry), doing those circular motions once again. When that's done, the other section ahead of it is hazing…so do that one also again. Going over it the second time makes the sponge brag a little which is good (more drag for heavier applications)…keep putting the sponge into the mixture (stirring as you do it) so the sponge doesn't dry out. When those two sections are done and a bit hazy, take a hose and another big clean wet sponge and go over what you've done keeping the water flowing over the area your sponge is cleaning off…Do a good job cleaning it off. You'll be amazed at the difference, but not only that, the uniformity of it all looks Great!
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Bio:
Douglas Malat is a licensed captain, sailor, powerboater, and co-creator of Yacht Authority.com, where you will find numerous boat services and <a href=http://www.yachtauthority.com>boat accessories</a> in your area.
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