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>At this point I make-up a mixture of compound and water. I take bunch of the compound and a pail and add water to it for a soupy mix. For hulls that are in good shape, I'll make it pretty watery. For those hulls need more work or that have been neglected for a time, I use less water to make a thicker mix. I use a big sponge to stir the compound so it stays floating in the mixture. I do this regularly (it likes to settle at the bottom) and then with the sponge guppy and wet, apply it to the hull in small circular motions. This allows you to get everything. Doing a section of the hull at a time, (stirring the mixture with the sponge often) then move on to the next section works best. Finishing the second section, I go back over the last section I just did (should be a little hazy/dry). Again using those circular motions. When that section is done, the other section ahead is hazing...now do that one also again. Keep putting the sponge back into the mixture (stirring) so the sponge stays wet and guppy. With those two sections done and a bit hazy, take a water hose and another big clean sponge, nice and wet and clean off the mixture off the hull.... keep the water rinsing over the area you are cleaning off...Make sure you get everything off. You won't believe the difference, and the uniformity It will look 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>yachts for sale</a> in your area.
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