[Carl Perry]

I have a 2003 Red Gelcoat hull. Obviously the sun is my worst nightmare. Last year I used a basic color restorer, then went with a Teflon wax. Periodically I wiped it down with Woody's and it seemed to be the best combination I have found to keep the boat looking great. Anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks for all thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Darren]

I've never done a colored hull so this might not be the best for you but I always use Collinite Feelt wax. It does the job for a year before it's time to do it again. I use Woody Wax on the decks and it does a great job there keeping them easy to clean up.

 

[maestro]

I like the Teflon wax but it doesn't seem to hold up well to frequent washings. I still use it on the outside hull below the rubrail since that doesn't get soap and water as often as the top sides. I actually still had water beading up this spring from last seasons coat of Teflon. I also heard that while collinite is awesome stuff it does not contain UV inhibitors like the teflon polishes. For that reason some people wax then put a second coat with polish.

I love Woody Wax for non-skid fiberglass and aluminum. I don't use it on the hull because it seems to cause black streaks after a while from dirt actually sticking to it.

Once gelcoat starts fading, it's difficult to keep it looking good without painting it.

 

[Topfish]

I use my Woody on on non skid only. Tried it in other areas and was not satisfied. I am still a Collinite paste wax kind of guy. I love to wax and try to apply Collinite every 6 weeks to hull. It has stuff in it that is supposed to inhibit color degradation on colored gel coat. Love the shine. Not to hard to use with my Makita 2000 variable buffer with big wool bonnet.

 

[Darren]

Every 6 weeks? Good lord man, mine gets waxed once a year whether she needs it or not. Why don't you leave yours alone for a couple of weeks and come on down and do mine? [grin] Seriously though, tell me about that buffer. I have been nosing around to find a good one.

 

[Topfish]

Hi Darren,
Be right over, actually I visit Tidewater several times a year for work. Bought Makita a long time ago. It will max out at 2000 RPM so will not burn too much (on car paint anyway). Gel coat bears up well under buffing. I buy the professional wool bonnets from NAPA. You can buy a pad that attaches to buffer that has velcro type surface so pads can easily be removed. I assume Makita still makes this buffer but probably available from some of the good mfg. I bought the Makita because I did a survey of what the pros were using in the boatyards around Annapolis. This particular buffer seemed to be the most popular at the time. I think most of the body shops use air compressor buffers today. However, if you have a chance to visit a body shop they would probably give you advice on what mfg. to buy. I think the RPM thing is most important. I bought my Makita buffer in 1987 and it still works great and has many hours of use on it. I have 3 vehicles, 2 of which are black so I use the Makita on them a lot.

Checked out Makita site and this is the present day model that would be a good choice:

http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=9227C

Checked out Ebay and there were a couple on site for sale this was best priced you might want to check out Amazon and see what the charge would be on their site:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Makita-Polisher-Kit-9227-CX3_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35000QQitemZ4577074967QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V