Yellowing of clear gelcoat? Normal over time?

[imq707s]

I’ve noticed that over the last few years, the clear gelcoat that is over the silver flake on my Vegas has started to get some yellowing on some of the edges and corners of the boat. The boat is kept indoors, never exposed to the weather…so it’s not the sun that’s doing it. I’m assuming that as the gel gets older with time, it’s just natural for it to get that hazy yellowish hue to it? It comes off very easy with some buffing compound, but I was just wondering if anything specific is causing it. I’ve had the boat for a long time, and I didn’t really start noticing it under the last year or two. I’ve always waxed it several times a year, but I’ve never really taken a buffer too it…maybe it’s about that time, it is 22 years old after all.

What’s the best type of compound to get rid of that hazy yellowish color on top? I’ve been using 3M gelcoat gloss restorer compound, and it seems to work ok. Has anyone else had this problem with clear gelcoat?

[2.5_stoker]

the clear on the deck of my dads eliminator has yelloed quite a bit over the years and so did the clear on the deck of my uncles stoker...seems to be just fact of life when the clear gets old...if you have a compound that is taking it off then stick with it...i always figured it was heat that made it yellow but it just may be age...when we had the eliminator in northern utah the yellowing seemed to be a slow process but when we moved to arizona the yellowing became such a rappid thing that it was next to imposible to keep up with...i dont know for a fact that the heat is the cause but it sure seems that way

[TUNNEL T]

MY 07 DCB is going back a second time for this same exact thing .i'm not understanding the process but why do the autos not ever seem to have this prob unless you completly neglect it! i believe its a catalyst between the fiberglass and clear ,there has to be a solution to this ???? TUNNEL T

[gfinch]

I have a 1994 Champion bass boat that has a Gunmetal flake hull. It has done the same thing. Greenish yellow. I used compound on the top cap and brought it back. It's always been inside the garage unless it's on the lake.

[Ted Stryker]

I had a Bullet like this, and it was the gel under the clear so there was no getting down to it to remove the yellowing... I think it's inevitable with age, but my best novice detailer advice is to NEVER USE automotive compounds/ waxes, be careful to not heat the surface with the buffer, keep a touch of water on it while buffing, and not buff in the direct sunlight during warm months... Again, no car products unless a hull is painted...

[RobF]

I had a Bullet like this, and it was the gel under the clear so there was no getting down to it to remove the yellowing... I think it's inevitable with age, but my best novice detailer advice is to NEVER USE automotive compounds/ waxes, be careful to not heat the surface with the buffer, keep a touch of water on it while buffing, and not buff in the direct sunlight during warm months... Again, no car products unless a hull is painted...

im confused by this statement, what exactly about "automotive" products makes it such a no-no?
they are always less abrasive and less harsh then marine products

[Ted Stryker]

Sorry for the delay, I had forgotten all about this thread... This was brought to my attention by an experienced full-time boat detailer... The car products have a slightly different chemistry and acids I believe along with different abrasives... I find they take longer to produce the desired effect, I'll guess because gelcoat is decidedly harder than auto paint and the chemistry of the paint products will begin to produce a haze in the gel... While the car stuff will produce a shine that looks pretty good while buffing and for a short while, it will begin to look foggy to a discriminating eye... I've always found that the immediate and long term shine from the gel coat products win every time compared to the car stuff...

[RobF]

what chemicals exactly are we talking about that makes one better then the other?
Are we talking silicone? Most professional compounds are silicone free, aka "body shop safe", be it marine or auto, and having been in both the auto and the marine end of this business I can tell you there is very little differences besides marine soaps being harsher and marine compounds are usually more aggressive

gelcoats yellow over time, period. If its white its obviously yellowing, if its clear you will lose that crystal clear look when it was new, this is the nature of the gelcoat+ mother nature and time. Keeping the boat out of the sun is the best way to prolong this process

[Ted Stryker]

I was told that there was a difference between the two products in regard to the different type or strength of acidity, although slight... He told me this when I showed him the haze that always seem to form after a week or so, and since I've changed products I don't have the same haze... The haze I'm talking about isn't obvious to most people at a quick look, but I notice it along the edges of a reflection of an inspection light and mainly on darker colors... May be bogus all the way around, but I repsected the man that advised it and I've had better results since...

[RobF]

was it the one product you switched from or were the several?

[Ted Stryker]

was it the one product you switched from or were the several?

For the most part I was raised on MeGuire's from my Dad who was always restoring and old vehicle or repainting something... I typically just used the stuff he had in regard to the compounds, fine cut, cleaners, polishes, glazes, wax's etc... For my boats now I have stayed with Meguire's but I use their marine restoration kit, with the exception that I substitute the wax that comes with the kit with their (MeGuire's) Flagship product... I have also used the Aqua-Buff 2-step products for surface correction, and finished off with the MeGuire's marine polish and flagship wax with good results...

I may be blowing smoke up my own rear, but it just seems to be a better result but I'm definitely not a person that's afraid to learn something new and abandon old misconceptions... I'm certainly not a paid pro, and will read with an open mind what you know about this stuff that I may have turned a blind eye to... I love this kind of stuff...

[RobF]

it sounds more like you switched to marine products that are a little more aggressive, perhaps they have removed the haze better rather then covering it up for a while like maybe your old process was doing?

[Ted Stryker]

it sounds more like you switched to marine products that are a little more aggressive, perhaps they have removed the haze better rather then covering it up for a while like maybe your old process was doing?

No way I could argue against that without a stronger background in the real chemistry of these products... The results that I've had are after color sanding up to a 2000 paper before going to a compound and machine..? I could still be missing something for sure though, I'm always willing to learn past first impressions...

[JR IN JAX]

My top-secret method for polishing gel coat.......................Take it to Jack Barsh.