Gelcoat Scratches

[tigeaddict]

Hey Guys, went to Tahoe for two weeks and kept my boat on a buoy at Camp Richardson. Great marina but they have to take you to your boat on a small dingy (water taxi). Taking great pride in how my boat looks (as im sure all of us do) I would always be really cautious with how they brought the dingy alongside the boat. The one time I wasnt paying attention the guy slammed the dingy into the side of my boat, leaving some beautiful scratches in my black Gelcoat. Not huge ones but definitely visible and they really bug me.

I have watched a couple videos on how to get scratches out of gel coat but i'm nervous to do it myself. I would HATE to make the scratches worse. Any suggestions on getting them out or is wet sanding and then polishing with wool pads and a buffer the only option?

[Jetter]

Sorry this is not a solution but a 2nd for any ideas on how to fix them. While the dark gel coat colors are nice they sure scratch easy. We just spent 2 weeks at Hayden Lake in Idaho and my boat took a bit of a beating with little scratches. Most are not even deep enough to feel but they are noticeable. Here are a couple of pics.

scratch1.jpgscratch2.jpg

[tigeaddict]

reply

Sorry this is not a solution but a 2nd for any ideas on how to fix them. While the dark gel coat colors are nice they sure scratch easy. We just spent 2 weeks at Hayden Lake in Idaho and my boat took a bit of a beating with little scratches. Most are not even deep enough to feel but they are noticeable. Here are a couple of pics.


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Oh man, Ouch... a couple are like that and then I have a few that are multiple little up down scratches. Such a bummer and I want them gone!! Keep me posted if you come up with anything. I found this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjCFcIULh2g definitely helpful and I would do it, im just really afraid to make it worse. Ill find some pics of mine.

[Ewok]

You want to use the least abrasive compound that can fix your gelcoat. I would start with a dual action polisher and something like Performance Boat Candy Crystal Cut Polish or Crystal Cut Compound. If that doesn't fix it work your way up in various levels of cut. There are some good how to videos on the performance boat candy website and some other good videos here as well: http://www.ammonyc.com/

The AMMO NYC guy takes detailing to another level and has real good tips on using machines. The toughest part about using a machine is residue control. You want to have several pads of the same cut while you are working to let the product do its job.

So before jumping in with wet sanding I would try lighter compounds, then heavier cut compounds, then wet sanding as a last resort.

The boat in the picture looks like a nice gouge that went below the gelcoat into the fiberglass. You can try to patch that yourself with a kit from spectrum color.

[tigeaddict]

You want to use the least abrasive compound that can fix your gelcoat. I would start with a dual action polisher and something like Performance Boat Candy Crystal Cut Polish or Crystal Cut Compound. If that doesn't fix it work your way up in various levels of cut. There are some good how to videos on the performance boat candy website and some other good videos here as well: http://www.ammonyc.com/

The AMMO NYC guy takes detailing to another level and has real good tips on using machines. The toughest part about using a machine is residue control. You want to have several pads of the same cut while you are working to let the product do its job.

So before jumping in with wet sanding I would try lighter compounds, then heavier cut compounds, then wet sanding as a last resort.

The boat in the picture looks like a nice gouge that went below the gelcoat into the fiberglass. You can try to patch that yourself with a kit from spectrum color.

Thank you!! Im gonna give this a shot. Ill keep you posted on results. Maybe some before after pics!