gel coat

[oldschoolvdub]

I work at Boomers of Santa Maria, a family fun center. I have a fleet or 25 go karts and 10 bumper boats that were all gel coated. They have all been quite neglected and need alot of attention. There is alot of oxidation built up. What is the best way to go about this...?

[RamAirV1]

Check out the marine line at the online Meguiar's store. They have cleaners, polishes, and waxes designed for use on gel coat.

RamAirV1

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

When dealing with gel coats, I suggest you use the appropriate products from the Meguiar's Marine line, such as #44 Color Restorer or if the oxidation is quite bad, then #49 Heavy Duty Oxidation Remover.

Will you be using a rotary or a DA polisher?

Here is a link to the products:

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_list.cfm?store=meg&line=marine&catagory=1&subcatagory=2

Cheers!

Tim

[oldschoolvdub]

how do you describe a rotoary and a DA? I don't know the difference between those... and an orbital...?

[benhui86]

orbital = **** but very easy to use and probably wont do much damage.

PC = very effective for most problems and easy to use

Rotary = fix all ur problems in the world only if u know how to use it.......

[gb387]

Re: gel coat

Originally posted by oldschoolvdub
I work at Boomers of Santa Maria, a family fun center. I have a fleet or 25 go karts and 10 bumper boats that were all gel coated. They have all been quite neglected and need alot of attention. There is alot of oxidation built up. What is the best way to go about this...?

I work at Adventureland Amusement Park in Des Moines Iowa...

Here is a suggestion for your boats... We have a couple water rides at the end of the season we will use a product called "Zing" (there are a couple kinds one is for fiberglass in the red labeled bottle) to remove the build up from the fiberglass/gel coat. Works very well then we move on to either paint or buff/polish.

ZING... An effective chemical formula to remove lime deposits, marine stains and other foreign matter from boat hulls, outboard lower units, propellers and pontoons. Chemicals do the work. Safe when used as directed on fiberglass, wood, paint or aluminum. Also available is a handy swab mop to apply Zing on boats etc. Sold in Case Lots Only.

This can be found boat supply stores. It is an acid and works very well you have to be careful with it and wear all the proper protective clothing. It will remove all the water stains/build up.

And here is a suggestion mike posted for us for our other gel coat rides:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2983&highlight=Amusement+park

There are a couple photos here maybe your carts finish looks similar. We have not had a chance to use the products yet as the cold weather has beat us out on the waxing so its on the list for the spring.

[alanceperson]

hey guys, What is gel coat?

[RamAirV1]

Gel coat is the top layer used to give color and gloss to fiberglass boats (and water park rides). It is very thick, so you can get aggressive with a rotary buffer and the right Meguiar's marine products to bring back the gloss and color. They respond very well to Meguairs marine polishing oils too.

RamAirV1

[oldschoolvdub]

Hey GB, thanks a ton man. I am definately going to try that zing product and I have already ordered some of the meguiars marine products. I also hear that wet sanding using the meguiars 3000 grit sand paper is really a helpful option. As long as it isn't too far gone.

[RamAirV1]

What happens when gelcoat becomes unstable, what are the symptoms, and what causes it. On how old of a boat does it happen?

RC

[Tim Lingor]

Hey RamAirV1,

Gel coats start to oxidize quite badly over the years. At some point, depending on the exposure to the elements, the Gel coat will start to "chalk" (i.e. if you run your hand over it, you will get a chalk type residue all over your hand).

I have found that if you do routine maintenance, it will help the Gel coat tremendously.

As for wet sanding a Gel coat, unless you have experience in using a rotary, I would avoid it. Gel coat is a little tricky to deal with. You would be better off using a dedicated product for the task.

Tim

[RamAirV1]

I'm just theorizing but is it less risky to use a rotary, with the right diminishing abrasive, on a gel coat than on automotive paint. The gelcoat is so much thicker than paint. I suppose if you are too careless, bad things can still happen.

BTW, I do know other boaters who ruined their gelcoat by improper use of acid to remove the algae, zebra mussells, etc. from their hulls. Putting new gelcoat on a boat I hear is extremely expensive.

RamAirV1

[Tim Lingor]

Hey RamAirV1,

I personally prefer using a rotary on the Gel Coats rather than using an acid. My brother got very sick one time from using a special boat cleaning acid. He cleaned the boat outside, yet the fumes still made him very sick. Sure, he should have used a proper Niosh mask, but how many people would really use one? That is what scares me about using acid.



Tim

[RamAirV1]

Hi Tim,

In never even thought about the health dangers from using acid to clean boat hulls. I watched others do it and they never wear masks! I've seen marina employees wearing rubber overcoats and gloves when cleaning hulls though. They may have been wearing the masks too.

Acid washing is not something I will be doing in the near future. I have my hull bottom painted now every 2-3 years with an anti-fouling paint. It has practically eliminated the need for any acid cleaning. Plus it makes the boat faster too since marine growth does not adhere.

RamAirV1

[gb387]

I agree on the acid point, for the average home owner I am not to sure that I would recommend it more than likely they are not going to have access to the safety gear or want to spend any $$ on it. But if you take the proper percautions and mix it acording to the directions you shouldn't have any trouble.