Question on my finish?

[mn79vector]

I just traded in the jetski's and bought a 1979 Hydrostream vector. The finish of the boat is a brown metal flake and it shines pretty good, but in some areas it looks like there is a clear film that is flaking off. Maybe this is like a clear coat I dont know? I have waxed the car many times but I have never sanded anything. What should I try? The surface of the boat still feels smooth and it really doesn't look completly faded or anything it just has various areas that are bubbling/flaking off which is a transparant material. I would appreciate any help thanks Justin:)

[SKATER241]

IT IS VERY COMMON FOR GEL COAT TO FADE.PEOPLE THINK A SOLUTION IS TO LIGHTLY WET SAND AND THEN CLEAR COAT THE HULL.THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE.THERE ISNT REALLY A GOOD WAY TO FIX THIS IN SPOTS.AS IT IS HAPPENING ON PARTS OF THE HULL IT WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN ON THE REST OF THE HULL.TRY EITHER HIGH AIR PRESSURE OR A PRESSURE WASHER TO STRIP IT OFF.AFTER THAT YOU CAN TRY BUFFING THE GEL COAT TO GET THE SHINE BACK AND IF IT IS REALLY BAD TRY COLOR SANDING WITH A DA SANDER AND 1200-1500 GRIT PAPER AND THEN BUFF.

[Techno]

There is one minor problem though.
It sounds like the boat was cleared with clear paint already. If you remove this clear coat and sand the boat you risk destroying the existing finish. Flake can't be exposed, once it is the finish is shot and it all has to be redone.
If the clear is all that is bad a painter can re-coat it with gel or paint. Hopefully there is enough gell over the flake for him to sand for a bond.
If you try a quick glamour fix for now and expose the flake your stuck with not only a worse looking area but no way to fix it. Even if there is enough to get away with it once your borrowing from the protective film over the flake. You might only have one shot at it.

Think of it like a whole bunch of BBs encased in glass. This glass has a thin film of plastic over it. If you take the film off and try fixing the scratches in the glass you could expose the BBs making them flat instead of round. Only the flat flake is ripped up instead of being flattened (its sitting in the glass every which a way not just flat). If instead the scratched glass has another film layed over it the plastic bonds to the scratches and they disapear.