Am I injuring my gel-coat?

[prishi]

I've never quite done this before, therefore I ask.
I used compound to scrub off the normal oxidation. Is this too much of material used?
Also, the wax does not go away unless I use Bounty to wipe off; is that normal?
Lastly, some spots quite some blue paint came off. What happened here?
Should I just buff with an orbital buffer and be done with, or should I also use some wax withhe orbital buffer?
I definitely don't want to go crazy doing all this as it needs to be splashed soon.

Please see pics.

THANK YOUU IN ADVANCE

[Russ]

It's "normal" to have blue gelcoat come off, yes. Is it injuring? Probably to some extent. The process of removing oxidization is also removing some of the oxidized gelcoat. The gelcoat is already damaged so you have no choice to restore it, however it is removing some of the gelcoat and eventually you will wear it down to the underlying layers of glass.

With that said, welcome to the Macgregor blue hull. When it oxidizes, it looks bad.

I have always used a 3M product to restore the color. However, they don't seem to sell it anymore, so this year I went with a new product.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00029CYRG

This stuff worked great.

My system uses a buffer polisher with a wool pad

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W1WGIC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PRRW643

It's a good investment. The wool pad turns blue....very blue. But it washes out and is reusable.

The result is a bright shiny blue hull that looks new. Don't press too hard as you ARE removing some of the gelcoat.



This will leave your hull looking great....but wait...won't it just get messed up again? Indeed. So we need to protect it.

Next tool you need is a dual action polisher. (works great on cars, trucks, anything)
https://www.harborfreight.com/75-amp-6- ... 56367.html

I use a microfiber pad to apply

https://www.amazon.com/Jescar-Power-Pol ... B076ZWMD2G

This stuff is amazing. Goes on easy. Let it sit for 30 minutes to bond with the surface then simply wipe off with a microfiber rag.

This is what you are left with.
The Jascar product is the best I've found. It helps prevent spots by not creating water spots but sheeting water off the surface.

This is the result.

[prishi]

Russ,

Thank you very much for your timely and comprehensive response to my query!
I used the 3M Compound from my garage and didn't realize they don't make it any more.
I do have the Meguire compound and also Griot's line of products for cars, but have never done more than waxing and wheel cleaning on the cars - and that too was not a complete success! Here, the blue color coming off was making me worry a bit!

Once my 3M is empty, I'll switch to the Meguire whenever I need to.

So I did the 3M compound on the Port sdie, and then the rains came and the next week I switched to the Stod side and posted this question. By now the Port side has some water spots on it leaving me to wonder why I remove the other spots in the first place! But these will go with a single wipe of a wet rag.
I've already ordrered the Jescar Polymer Sealant as I think that's a definite way to go and hope to avoid more water-stains. I read about it in another post by you. I'm sure to lay it on thick and liberally, shining it off with a microfiber buffing cloth either by hand or using my orbital polisher. I assume this is the next best thing to gel-coat and hope it lasts more than a season (5 months on the water and 7 under a tarp in NY).

Presently, Boot-Topping is being applied.
Next, I attend to some Trailer Light issues.
Then, the Top and Deck of the boat gets a good wash.
And then the boat gets to float.

Thank you.
Enjoy your time on the water!

Prateek

[Ixneigh]

The macgregor gel coat is horrible. I’ve seen thirty year old boats that have better gel coat. How much do you suppose Roger saved per boat by using the cheapest vrs the best?

[Russ]

I agree with Ix, despite what Roger claims, the gelcoat on the mac is one of the worst. Ask how many Mac owners got blisters in their gelcoat.

Prishi, your boat looks great.

There are a zillion opinions on the best way to polish/wax/treat fiberglass boats and as many products.
What I have done is go to the pros. One of my favorite youtube channels is Drake's Detailing. The guy does this for a living and teaches how to detail boats.

That's where I learned my technique. As for water spots, he has a video for this too. I bought the Starke Venom water spot remover. It works great and I also use it on my glass shower door in my house.


For the black topside oxidization, per another member's suggestion, I bought some of this OWATROL Marine Polytrol. I'm going to give it a go.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7IMVDQ

[dustoff]

It’s a learning process to understand the steps, products, and techniques for application. The tools you use makes a difference as well. Hand application products don’t work the same way when using buffing, oscillating tools. My advice is to experiment with a system that includes the high quality tools and has product support that can answer questions.
Going in blind and just trying off-the-shelf products without understanding exactly how each product should work in sequence is risky. All-in-one products that advertise that you can combine steps may work sometimes, but may not depending on the state of your gel coat.
Think of it this way. You are investing an enormous amount of your time into the project, so you should invest the small amount of additional time and $ to achieve the results you want.

[prishi]

Prishi, your boat looks great.

Thanks for the encouragement! Was desparately needed.

For the black topside oxidization, per another member's suggestion, I bought some of this OWATROL Marine Polytrol. I'm going to give it a go.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7IMVDQ

Yes, ordered!
Back to doing the topside now.