How can I restore the oxidized red gelcoat on my hull & Can I apply VS721 over bottom paint

Skipper February 28, 2017 Ask The Skipper

BRUCE VINEBERG asked:

Just heard about your great products.

Hull currently has intecoat bottom kote. Can I apply your VS721 over this? What prep?

Upper hull: badly oxidized red, now pale orange. How can I restore.

Where can I buy it in Montreal.

Answer:

For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink to get more information about the selected product.

Our VS721^® cannot be applied over anti-fouling paint. It must be completely removed and the VS721^® applied to a clean fiberglass surface.

To determine if your boat has enough gelcoat left to restore the color, you need to do the “Aurora Spit Test”. Spit on your finger tips and rub a small area of the area that you want to restore. Look at the area, while it’s still wet. That’s the best shine you will be able to get. If your happy with what you see, then proceed.

If your hull is so badly faded that the color is dull, faded or there is no shine then there is no color left to restore and you will have to refinish with gelcoat, or paint, to get the color back.

To restore the color and bring back the shine, use our EZ Buff System^®. We have two kit variations: 1. EZ Buff Package^® for Fresh Water Boats, and 2. EZ Buff Package^® for Salt Water Boats. You can choose the size of package you need depending on the size of your boat.

The EZ Buff System^® is designed for DIY without compounding experience. The big challenge when using traditional rubbing compounds is the risk of residue swirl marks, which remain visible and burn through, which ruins the finish and will require re-gelling, which is expensive.

The kit consists of: Two different specialty cleaners; Boat Clean Plus^® to remove soiling and oily pollutants and Boat Scrub^® to deep clean and remove heavy oxidation, to get the surface as clean as possible andeliminate driving pollutants and dead, oxidized gelcoat into the pores as this can shorten the life of the finish and promote future oxidation to occur.

A Marine Power Mitt^® to use with the two cleaners. It acts as a scrubber but doesn’t scratch and it literally cuts your labor in ½. It’s reusable so just rinse it out and let it air dry and it will last for years.

EZ Buff^® buffing cream which does the course, medium, fine and seal all in one shot, so you don’t have to go over it again and again, and EZ Buff Extender^®, which eliminates swirls and burn through and gives you extended buffing time, which is important for first timers.

Either Premium Boat Shine^® for fresh water boats or Blue Water Hull Polish^® for salt water boats. These are easy to apply, long lasting boat polishes that offer superior UV Protection and are used to lock in the shine. Regular use of these polishes will extend the shine for years.

For more information, watch out How To Video:

“You Too Can Restore the Shine and Color to Your Gelcoat with EZ Buff Polishing Compounds”