How to remove scratches from boat gel coat

Of course start out by removing wax and grease from the area with acetone. Any suggestions or is this something that should be done by a professional.

If you have a variable speed buffer you can slow it down to about 1500 rpm and buff the sanding scratches out with fine grit compound.

How to remove scratches from boat gel coat. This short and sweet video will show you in detail how to remove scratches from your boats gelcoat. Daniel wet sands his own Chaparral and removes a cluste. In this video we go over the steps to remove scratches and to polish your gel coat to make your boat look new againList of things needed.

800 Grit Sanding P. If the gelcoat scratches arent too deep you may be able to eliminate them with a combination of wet-sanding and compounding. 3M makes a variety of products used by the pros.

If the scratches are deep youll need to know where to get the right gelcoat for your boat. Two of the biggest suppliers in the United States are Spectrum Color in Auburn. Once the scratch appears to be fading gradually move to a 320-grit followed by a 500-grit and finally a 1000-grit sandpaper.

When using 400-grit or higher make sure to wet sand. As youre working through the gelcoat do not remove too much and always use clean sandpaper. Do not use a circular motion but rather an X pattern.

Of course start out by removing wax and grease from the area with acetone. Use a gouge to provide a uniform shape profile to the scratch. Wipe the area down with acetone again to remove dust.

Fill the damaged area with a color-matched gel-coat paste. It pays to make up several small trial batches of the paste to MAKE SURE that the color matches. If you run your finger nail over the scratch and can just feel it you will be able to fix it.

What I do is wet sand the scratch with 1500 grit paper until I cant feel or see it. What your left with is an area the looks like it has been sanded but the scratch will be gone. The next thing you do is make the sanded gel coat look like new gel coat.

Do not put any pressure on the paper just enough that it makes contact with the gel coat. You will see the watersoap turn into the color of your gel coat and that lets you know you are removing material so lightly sand then polish then wax and you should be good. If you have a variable speed buffer you can slow it down to about 1500 rpm and buff the sanding scratches out with fine grit compound.

If doing it by hand sand with 1500 and then 2000 grit. Then hand compound it with fine grit compound. This is only doable for small areas your arms wont last to do the whole boat.

Scratches on fenders light ones can be improved a little with acetone if the fender can handle it. In most cases it will clean out the scratch making it virtually invisible. They are not going to cause the hull a problem as they are in the fender and not standing out of the surface causing scratches in the gel coat or paint finish.

The use of marine grade formulas such as Crush Liquid Compound or Riptide Liquid Compound will quickly and effectively remove oxidation from the surface exposing fresh gel coat and fiberglass. Selecting the appropriate pad for your dual action and rotary polisher is important for removing oxidation and scratches from gel coat and fiberglass surfaces. A 5 12-inch length of 1 x 2 makes a convenient sanding block for a scratch repair.

Wrap the block with a quarter sheet of 150-grit paper. Use the edge of the block to confine your sanding to the new gelcoat. Use short strokes taking care that the paper is sanding only the patch and not the surrounding surface.

Buffing out scratched boatUsing Flex Rotory buffer wool pad diamond cut by meguiars mixed with a synthetic polymer After scratch removal the entire hull i. Anyone know of any products to buff out surface scratches in a boats gel coat. I had my boat shrink wrapped last winter and the plastic cover rubbed and put noticeable surface scratches all around my boat.

I am looking for a good product to buff it out. Any suggestions or is this something that should be done by a professional. Thanks for the help the scratches are driving me crazy I.

From manufacturer of boat for perfect color match. Refrigerate or freeze for longer life. Treat this as you would acid.

If it gets in your eyes it could blind you. Dremel tool with ball end cutter nail razor blade knife or another method to clean out the repair. Waxed paper cup is the best.

It is a thick liquid with a very abrasive grit. When combined with a wool pad it makes for rapid material removal and scratch removal. Starting with a clean gel coat surface apply a thin film of compound using a damp rag to spread the material.

It is common to see boat owners use the more is better method. How to get rid of scuff marks on boat hull. Ive removed quite a few scuff marks and scratches by simply using a good polish.

Deeper ones I have got rid of by lightly using a rubbing compound and then polish. Difficult to tell but yours dont look too deep. When looking at a scratch in the gelcoat you need to determine whether it is a surface scratch or a deep scratch.

The reason being is that surface scratches can easily be buffed with a rubbing compound as opposed to deep scratches which take a couple more steps. As long as the gelcoat around the deep scratch is in good condition you will be able to use gelcoat putty requires mixing MEKP. Dust and dirt trapped between a boat and fender will etch away at the gel coat.

All gel coats require regular maintenance. Heres a 5-step maintenance plan from Sport Fishing magazine. Dark colors show scratches more easily.

Black and navy blue boats sure are pretty but youll also see every imperfection. Tiny scratches will speed oxidation and dull your boats gel coat quickly. Once a boat oxidizes the hull is vulnerable to greater damage from water penetration.

Additionally house cleaning products like toilet bowel cleaners are very harsh and tend to break down the oils in the gel coat which is a petroleum base thus speeding up the aging.