After safely and very comfortably delivering us from Florida to New Zealand, our good little ship Reverie – a 41’ Hans Christian cutter was grossly neglected while we became side-tracked with life for most of 20 years. It’s payback time and we are returning her to her original glory.
We aborted the restoration of the heavily oxidized and stained gelcoat with 3M product to Meguiar’s product line with magnificent results. Process being used is (1) Wet sand 1,000 – 2,000 grit (2) 91 Power Cut (3) 67 1 Step Compound, (4) 45 High Gloss Polish <2 applications> (5) 63 Premium Wax. Step 1 and 2 are eliminated for 90% of the area – and only used where extreme staining has occurred. Compound application of 91 and 67 are powered on with a Festool RO 90 & RO 150. Polish and Wax are applied by hand.
The results were amazing – the gelcoat returned to new boat condition. Each day we would wash the work done the day before plus the next section before starting the next Meguiar’s process. After about 2 weeks, following a heavy rain, wash of previously completed areas returned a significantly reduced lustre, and the return of staining. The staining is thought to be caused by airborne particles of steel as they appear as rust like speckles. Additional black streaks seem to be caused by other boat parts trapping water then slowly dripping dirty water across the hull area after the rain. Washing would not remove the staining and of course did not help the lustre.
We did sin during each washing. We used ArmorAll, Heavy Duty Car Wash – Sorry Mr. Meguiar – I’ve now purchased 54 – Gel Wash. Next wash will be with Meguiar product only.
Another application of 45 – with lots of hard rubbing has resolved the situation in a test area, removing the staining, and restoring the lustre. Whilst we’re keen and I own my beloved boat big time for the neglect previously inflicted, polishing ever 2 or 3 weeks is not an option.
Seeking technical support from the a Trade Shop run by the Meguiar’s importer, the advice received was – “gelcoat is porous – once it deteriorates to the state described, the restoration via polishing is short lived. PAINT it !” Someone please tell me this is not true ….. Meguiar’s must have another bottle of magic – or maybe I just need more of what I’m using.
We aborted the restoration of the heavily oxidized and stained gelcoat with 3M product to Meguiar’s product line with magnificent results. Process being used is (1) Wet sand 1,000 – 2,000 grit (2) 91 Power Cut (3) 67 1 Step Compound, (4) 45 High Gloss Polish <2 applications> (5) 63 Premium Wax. Step 1 and 2 are eliminated for 90% of the area – and only used where extreme staining has occurred. Compound application of 91 and 67 are powered on with a Festool RO 90 & RO 150. Polish and Wax are applied by hand.
The results were amazing – the gelcoat returned to new boat condition. Each day we would wash the work done the day before plus the next section before starting the next Meguiar’s process. After about 2 weeks, following a heavy rain, wash of previously completed areas returned a significantly reduced lustre, and the return of staining. The staining is thought to be caused by airborne particles of steel as they appear as rust like speckles. Additional black streaks seem to be caused by other boat parts trapping water then slowly dripping dirty water across the hull area after the rain. Washing would not remove the staining and of course did not help the lustre.
We did sin during each washing. We used ArmorAll, Heavy Duty Car Wash – Sorry Mr. Meguiar – I’ve now purchased 54 – Gel Wash. Next wash will be with Meguiar product only.
Another application of 45 – with lots of hard rubbing has resolved the situation in a test area, removing the staining, and restoring the lustre. Whilst we’re keen and I own my beloved boat big time for the neglect previously inflicted, polishing ever 2 or 3 weeks is not an option.
Seeking technical support from the a Trade Shop run by the Meguiar’s importer, the advice received was – “gelcoat is porous – once it deteriorates to the state described, the restoration via polishing is short lived. PAINT it !” Someone please tell me this is not true ….. Meguiar’s must have another bottle of magic – or maybe I just need more of what I’m using.
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