My hulls are in pretty good shape, always covered, few bumps and scratches and a little bit faded.

Any recomendations for restoring to like new condition for upcomming season in the North East?

Wax? Buff? wash?
How? what type of materials? etc,,,
Thanks for the advise.

Craig

I have used rubbing compound and a electric buffer. Then I seal it with a good coat of wax. Then I spray the hulls with Sailcoat.

Dave

I've wetsanded with 600 on heavily oxidised finishes and then buffed with rubbing compound (Starbrite), followed by Nu-Finish car polish from Walmart ('cause I'm too cheap to spray McLube on the hulls).

It does make the hulls rather slippery when you try and climb back on after flipping!

Chris.

Wetsand with progressive grits (320 / 400 / 600 / 1000 - start with 600 if it's not too bad to begin with)

3M Rubbing Compound w/electric buffer
3M Finesse-It II polishing compound w/electric buffer

Wax

It's a lot of elbow grease, but it'll put a shine on it like it just came out of the mold.

Hack
I second what Matt Bounds said. That is what I have been doing for five years now. I am at the sanding with 600 step now. Should be done by the end of the month.

If they are not that bad I wouldn't sand, 3M makes a compound with wax in it. If your into wax. Apply it using a high speed buffer with a wool bonnet. If that doesn't do it then wet sand them with 600 or even 800 wet-dry paper then buff with the polish-wax. 3M makes sanding pads that are foam backed. they come in various grits. I've seen them at Depot. I have some that are 1200 grit. I'll take a couple of them sailing and during a break I'll spend some time sanding while the boat is at anchor. Then after a couple weekends of that they are ready to polish.

I do what mbounds does
that 3M finess-it is da stuff
try a spray bottle with water and a SMALL amount off liquid detergent, lightly spray 3-4 feet of hull then take a chip brush and apply the 3M Finesse-It II polishing compound(I buy it by the gallon) ,high speed buff in,let stand ,buff again with DRY wool bonnet,to keep the bonnet dry and clean turn bonnet on side and hold a small square piece of wood on it while the high speed buffer is on preferably away from the boat because this slings all the excess off the bonnet , takes practice ,kinda dangerous be carefull.I use 2 or 3 bonnets on both hulls just to keep them clean and dry
Then of course clean rags with your elbows behind it!
Dave
this works on fairly new hulls

I was told that naval jelly works wonders! Just wipe it on, give it a few minutes and wipe it off.

TRowe

good disussion.

What can be used to protect a brand new gell coat finish?

Wax. Go with a high tech wax like "Nufinish" and it will help preserve the gel coat nicely (and make it easier to wash).

As far as restoring the shine, I recommend looking at a product called "Vertglas". I used it on my monohull and the outcome was spectacular. I had two people think that the boat was brand new (It's 21 years old). You have to be careful what you clean it with but even that's not a big deal once you get the right stuff.

Here is a comparison/instructions on the product Jake mentioned....
www.diy-boat.com/Pages/Archives/links/demosgr.html

Greg

I would add that to wash the boat, use BonAmi from any grocery store. I worked in a boat yard, and never found a product that worked better at removing acid rain, slime, or serious dirt, and it doesn't scratch the gel coat! Only trick is to rinse it off well and quickly or it may leave a temporary white residue. If you are waxing or wetsanding afterwards, this isn't as crucial. I always considered buying the stuff in bulk, repackaging it with the word 'marine' in on it and selling it for five times the cost!
Hey Hacket,
Great shot in the latest catalog for APS pg 26 and 27. Just came to the house yesterday and was psyched to see they got you in there.
Chris
www.acceleratedchaos.com

Chris, You are the first other person I've seen recommend Bon Ami for boats! When I got my first H17 the blue hulls were faded from years in the sun. I went to the marine store, and got a lot of products, even got a buffing machine. Nothing worked. Then I tried the Bon Ami. What a difference! Hope to see you in June. Brian

Pretty cool advice. I usually buff them out with medium grade rubbing compound that I get in a gallon size at an auto parts store, then seal it with a good marine wax. During the summer, a quick wipe-down with the marine cleaner/wax, then the wax, and she's good to go. It may not go faster, but it always looks pretty.

Wyatt