New Boat - What Wax - Gelcoat - Also what do you to wash with?

[specboatops]

Please be more specific are u asking about re-clearing over old metalflake or ?? All metalflake boats come from the factory with clear over the top of the flake however I have worked on many older boats that were left out in the sun with no cover and the metalflake was surfaced therefore it would make a person think there is no clear over the flake and yes I have cleared many flake boats that looked horrible with the flake surfaced and have had great success with the outcome. Yes u want clear over the top of flake it is a must. Please be more specific so I know how to give u the correct answer !!

Waxing/ sealing it - sorry for the confusion.

[yrite1]

If It was my boat it would get scrubbed with wax and grease remover then wash with Dawn detergent a couple of good times then apply a non sealing product like 3M hand glaze, your boat will look just as good actually better and it will extend the life of your gel coat

[XstreamVking]

How about some 303 spray protectant on clean gell? What good or bad would that do? I use it on everything.....Except plexiglass...

[specboatops]

Hell I've even used PLedge on it before lol looked great AND smelled good too!

[yrite1]

Hell I've even used PLedge on it before lol looked great AND smelled good too!

Pledge contains wax!! It does smell good though, I wish the guys at 3M would get it together and incorporate some good smell into their products!! I have come across some buffing compounds that smelled like banana which made it much more desirable to use however it didn't work worth of crap !!

[yrite1]

How about some 303 spray protectant on clean gell? What good or bad would that do? I use it on everything.....Except plexiglass...

I'm not real familiar with 303 whether or not it contains wax or silicones so I cant answer that however u need to remember that gel coat is a plastic so if there are products you wont use on plexiglass is pretty safe to say you shouldn't put it on your gel. Who makes the 303?

[XstreamVking]

303 corporation out of calif. Has uv protection. An emulsion of some sort....

[croSSed]

I'm not real familiar with 303 whether or not it contains wax or silicones so I cant answer that however u need to remember that gel coat is a plastic so if there are products you wont use on plexiglass is pretty safe to say you shouldn't put it on your gel. Who makes the 303?

yrite - Outstanding information. I notice you are in Kennewick; I'm on the west side of the mountains, Tacoma area. I found 303 Aerospace Protectant a couple of years ago. I have an older boat that has aging metal flake gelcoat. I have tried many things to protect it and bring it back. Two years ago I color sanded all of the metal flake with 1200 grit wet sandpaper, then machine cut the surface with 3M Finesse It II. Then I went over the whole boat with 303 Aerospace Protectant and the boat looked great. Here's a link to what this 303 Aerospace Protectant is:
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303...ace-protectant

BTW, if wax degrades even polyurethane automotive paint finishes, what should be used to protect the surface, like for show cars (I have one of those)? Just keep it clean and out of the outside elements?

[croSSed]

Here's pics of my boat right after I finished with the regimen I described above:

[yrite1]

yrite - Outstanding information. I notice you are in Kennewick; I'm on the west side of the mountains, Tacoma area. I found 303 Aerospace Protectant a couple of years ago. I have an older boat that has aging metal flake gelcoat. I have tried many things to protect it and bring it back. Two years ago I color sanded all of the metal flake with 1200 grit wet sandpaper, then machine cut the surface with 3M Finesse It II. Then I went over the whole boat with 303 Aerospace Protectant and the boat looked great. Here's a link to what this 303 Aerospace Protectant is:
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303...ace-protectant

BTW, if wax degrades even polyurethane automotive paint finishes, what should be used to protect the surface, like for show cars (I have one of those)? Just keep it clean and out of the outside elements?

3M Hand Glaze is great stuff and is marketed for paint not gelcoat. I have painted many show cars and that is what they all use on them and they all look beautiful to this day !! Come show your car at Cool Desert Nights this summer in Richland it is one hell of a good car show.

[croSSed]

3M Hand Glaze is great stuff and is marketed for paint not gelcoat. I have painted many show cars and that is what they all use on them and they all look beautiful to this day !! Come show your car at Cool Desert Nights this summer in Richland it is one hell of a good car show.

Sounds like fun. What is the date for that? My car isn't strictly "show"; as a matter of fact it is more street than show. It's just a really nice street car. I restored it over a couple of years. It only gets driven on nice days, maybe a dozen times a year. Here's a thread to show it's resto. It's a '67 VW:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/vie...er=asc&start=0

[jpf091959]

hey yrite, you from Kennewick, that is great. I live in Richland. I should be on the water this weekend if it warms up a little bit.

3M Hand Glaze is great stuff and is marketed for paint not gelcoat. I have painted many show cars and that is what they all use on them and they all look beautiful to this day !! Come show your car at Cool Desert Nights this summer in Richland it is one hell of a good car show.

[yrite1]

Sounds like fun. What is the date for that? My car isn't strictly "show"; as a matter of fact it is more street than show. It's just a really nice street car. I restored it over a couple of years. It only gets driven on nice days, maybe a dozen times a year. Here's a thread to show it's resto. It's a '67 VW:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/vie...er=asc&start=0

Cool Desert Nights is June 23rd - 26th and your car would probably win the 1st place trophy for your class so with that said I would say 80% of the whole show is street driven weekend warrior rides like yours so sign up and come over the mountain!! I have built several bugs in the past and yes they can be quite challenging at times but it looks to me like u did an incredible job for that being your first time especially.

[yrite1]

hey yrite, you from Kennewick, that is great. I live in Richland. I should be on the water this weekend if it warms up a little bit.

Hey there do u spend much time on the water because I don't recognize your boat and that is one I wouldn't forget about !! Unfortunately I will not be on the water for at least 3 to 4 weeks as I just got out of the hospital with 5 broken ribs and a broken left arm and the worst part is the damage to my HST to which I will post pics. Some idiot drunk in a wakeboard boat thought he would be funny and make a left hand turn right in front of me as I was flying up river. I was able to avoid hitting him broadside however I did catch the very rear and I went airborn off his wake and stuffed the nose into the other side wake and that's how my nightmare from hell has began. Talk about misery these broken ribs are no joke !!

[croSSed]

Cool Desert Nights is June 23rd - 26th and your car would probably win the 1st place trophy for your class so with that said I would say 80% of the whole show is street driven weekend warrior rides like yours so sign up and come over the mountain!! I have built several bugs in the past and yes they can be quite challenging at times but it looks to me like u did an incredible job for that being your first time especially.

Four days. Wow. Which day is the car show? All four? I wouldn't be able to make it until the 25th anyway.
Also, my '67 isn't my first build. I did a '71 back in the late 90's. Sold that car in 2004. Was literally my daily driver.