New Owner Question 2; Restoring Gelcoat

[hriehl1]

My new to me DS II needs some work restoring the gelcoat... it is heavily oxidized but otherwise decent (no gouges).

I am planning to apply auto rubbing compound with a 9-inch orbital polisher, followed by a finer auto polishing compound, followed by auto wax.

Has anybody found that the marine product really do work any better than their less-expensive automobile counterparts? Anybody who has done this before to their own boat have any advice?

Thanks

[captaindad]

A couple of years ago I was restoring an abandoned Catalina 27 which had a lot of chauky oxidization. I struggled with trying to get her back to original gel coat shine(thankfully only on a small test area) using the compound followed by a good boat wax etc. but besides being a great workout for my arms failed to make it really look good.

Then one day while searching around the internet I came across what I view as a miracle product for boats. It is called New Glass 2. It is not a wax or polisher and does not require polishing etc. I liked what I read so I called the guy in FLorida who sold it and ended up ordering a quart plus a small bottle of their Pre-Treat.

First I used the pre-treat which is pretty strong and needs to be diluted wth water. Using a simple scrub brush I applied it to the hull and it removed the chaulky coating and most little blemishes marks etc. Now it is important to remove all imperfection marks as they will simply show through the new glass so I used a fine-grain(600 grit) wet-sandpaper to clean up any left over scuffs etc. being very carefull not to sand through the gel coat. Once everything was then completely washed and gone over with a cheesecloth and acetone it was ready for the New Glass.

This stuff is simply amazing and very easy to apply. With the applicator supplied( appears to be nothing more that a 4 inch piece of styrofoam water pipe insulator wrapped in a car chamoix material) you work in about 2-3 foot sections and simply wet the applicator and apply in vertical strokes. It dries in about a minute so go back and apply about 3 coats before moving on to the next section. It only took me about an hour and a half to completely do my 27 foot boat and what a result it had. It was like the day it rolled out of the factory. Everyone in the boat yard thought I had it re-painted.

The boat was in the water all summer(2004) and it lasted very well. I re-did it again last spring before commissioning but only because I had a tarp over the boat for the winter that had been rubbing on the sides so in less than an hour had her gleaming again. The best part is that I still have about half the original quart left and it was only $39. Once I paint my DSII I am restoring now I will have enough for a few more years.

Check it out and I for one can attest to all of the testimonials you see at the site. Highly recommended by me for sure.

http://www.newglass2.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi

If anyone would like to see a couple of pictures that clearly show the mirror-like finish I was getting send me an email and I will be glad to do so.