Fading Gelcoat

[Randy McCotter]

hey all... I was out yesterday and had a great sail. As I was getting onboard, I noticed the black gelcoat around the windows is looking a bit faded. What would be the best way to brighten up the Gelcoat on a 2002 MacX? I'm hoping that a good polish will bring back the shine. Any suggestions?

Randy

[Scott]

Click here

My .02 worth. Do a search too. This topic has been kicked around ad nauseum.

[Frank C]

H'lo Randy, 'n welcome abd! I often give same as Scott's advice, "Use the Search button!"

But the truth is that our Search button is more than a bit mysterious.
Here's a more detailed suggestion:

• - Click search button (top of most pages);
  - Enter exactly this string [ black gel* poly* ] ;
  - (note that an asterisk masks for various spellings in the threads);
  - Click the "all terms" button, then click "Search" button (at bottom).

You should get a list of 11 threads, maybe an hour of reading that pretty well addresses your topic. Feel free to post another question directly into one of those threads (unless locked),
or come back here to your thread and post added questions.

[Night Sailor]

The basic thing I think you will want to know are these:

Use nothing abrasive as the black gelcoat is very, very thin and is white underneath.

Nothing you do to make it look better is permanent. All commerical items require cleaning and reapplication to keep it looking nice. The only difference is in the length of time before it's needed again, and that is very subjective. You get to choose between very labor intensive but once per year, or easy and fast, but once per month.

I'd like a titanium Mac please.....

[Randy McCotter]

Thanks guys... I think I will have to take the generator and polisher down to the slip and buff the hull out of it with McGuiars marine shine. I'm sure that will do the trick. It will probably have to be redone in a month or two but I suppose that's half the fun (?) of owning a piece of freedom.

[Frank C]

Actually - not sure I completely agree w/ NS.

There are three approaches to maintaining the gelcoat:
- abrade to fresh shine, then wax;
- abrade to clean surface, then apply a polymer coating.
- abrade to clean surface, then apply epoxy paint.

I have not read of anyone yet going the painting route. I prefer the second approach, since once applied well for the first time, it just requires swabbing on a couple additional poly-coats each year - theoretically, no more abrading - yet it's much easier & cheaper than painting.

Most popular polymers are New Glass II or Polyglow. Research threads, draw your own conclusions.

[Scott]

New Glass II or Polyglow.

Frank, correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to recal threads discussing this stuff peeling up.

[Frank C]

Scott,

The product descriptions indicate that's not possible, but I also recall one peeling report here. But there are many more successful and satisfied reports on these two products, including a glowing test report by Practical Sailor magazine. I just realized I have mis-spelled the name (shd be Poli Glow or poliglow).

The PS report is available on their website for $15, but the Poliglow webpage has a copy of the '98 test report under the "Reviews" button.

Almost any liquid, including water, will provide a high gloss—for a while. The classic approach is wax. Our experience with waxes is that the best of them will keep a shine for six months or less, with three months being more typical. The most durable waxes we’ve found are the paste waxes, which contain more high-molecular-weight wax than liquid waxes; they’re also more labor intensive.

Fiberglass restorers use even higher molecular weight to form a more durable film. Typically they use acrylic or acrylic-urethane resin. Just about all of the fiberglass restorers we tested consist of water-based emulsions of resin droplets, which form a clear film when the restorer is applied and the water evaporates. These emulsions have very low viscosities—much like water or liquid floor wax—and dry rapidly. This combination of characteristics makes multiple coats necessary, but means that application is easy and you don’t have to wait for more than a few minutes before applying the next coat. Instructions usually call for about five coats, with three maintenance coats at the end of each year.

The most permanent fix for a loss of gloss is a good paint job, preferably with a two-part polyurethane.

A bit lower in cost, and possibly in durability, is dealer-applied Microshield. If it lasts for its claimed eight years (all we know is that it looks good after one year) its $90-$100 per linear foot becomes attractive, compared to Awlgrip’s $100-$200 per foot (when applied professionally).

Considerably lower in cost are the DIY restorers. These cost $35 to $60 for a kit ($15 to $40 for the restorer alone) that will cover a 25’ boat. The best of these will provide a reasonable gloss for at least a season; a maintenance application of another three coats at the end of the year will bring back the gloss. All are quick and easy to use, and dry in minutes.

We’ve heard reports of some of these products going milky, flaking, or cracking;
we’ve never experienced any of this in our five years of testing this type of product. We’ve also heard reports of difficulty in removing these restorers; again, we’ve encountered no problems.

Fiberglass restorers aren’t a good idea for new boats. Best to apply wax for surface protection.

For boats that have become dull and streaky, though, fiberglass restorers provide a moderate cost, moderately durable fix. Based on our tests, we prefer Poli-Glow, New Glass, TSRW, and Vertglas. And, while Microshield looks great, we’ll have to wait a while longer to see if it’s worth its stiffer price.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Of course, there is another option....which would be...do nothing.

Although it is well known that you should keep your bottom clean, legend has it that dirty chalky topsides are actually faster than clean shiny ones. Something about the extra friction in the air being like adding some extra sail area. And if you let it get good and green too, it may even be able to take one of those blue M boats.

[playmaker]

I can testify that when I put the poli-glow on it looked fantastic.(long process,6-8 coats especially to make the black looked good. 6-7 months later some was peeling away and it looked bad. Still trying to get some of the spots off. I would not use it again(I'm in Florida sun) but stick to regular waxing with a cleaner.

[Night Sailor]

Dimitri,
Maybe you care more about speed than I do, but I've been told and now believe that dust, mud, algae, spider and bird doo on the deck and cockpit makes it unacceptable for the girls. Girls are very handy if not fun crew sometimes, so be careful in your quest for speed.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Well, my girls don't mind mud, but they do not like spiders so I had to have a big ear tree cut down last year which was showering my boat with crap. Much cleaner now. Remember the old rule...Mac stays, tree leaves.

My former keel boat had so much teak that I had to slave over that when I bought my Mac, it was like a bra burning. "Wash it down with a wet sponge" was very appealing to me in my decision process seeing as I frequently have to clean up mushed potato chips, yogurt raisins (those are the worst), koolaid, and lots of other stains.

[Sloop John B]

Hey, the trim on a Mac is Grey.

If you got a new girlfriend or the boss wants a ride, get your New Glass II out. A lot of work preparing (depending) and then swash this stuff on. Looks great. Go out to look every day to see how nice it is.

I waited too long (several months) and it was Grey again.

BTW, ever notice how hot the black is when you're crawling around on the deck trying to do something?

[AWKIII]

I guess I'll weigh in on this subject since this is one of my pet peeves with the Mac.

I have seen so many of these boats where the black cabin trim has faded or oxidized. All of the potential solutions presented here require a lot of grunt work and in the end are just like the little boy sticking his finger in the in the dike. It is an uphill battle and you eill eventually lose.

There is only one way to bring it back to new. Mask off the area, purchase a can of black awlgrip and spray it on. I do not recommend using a brush unless you are VERY good with one. If you choose that route, do a lot of testing before applying it to the boat.

Awlgrip is an awesome product and you will be shocked when you see the results.

AWK

[Sloop John B]

Gees AWK, sounds like a lot of masking on a cloudy, windless day. How long does this AWLgrip last you figure?