This years gel treatment results...........

[Pismo]

Started with mild oxidation on a red 22.

First I tried 3M product 09005 as in this ad.

http://www.marineandmore.com/findsku.cfm/sku=664

This product is for "Heavy oxidation" I used a Milwaukee rotary polisher with a wool pad. It did absolutely nothing. Multiple applications with no results. I even skipped a section just to compare and after all was done I could not tell where I skipped.

I then tried Supercoat Aircraft Surface Treatment as per a recommendation on another thread.

http://www.supercoat.com/one.htm

It worked to some degree. Did it magically remove oxidation like the manufacturer claims? Of course not, but it did look better. It is the best product I have tried. It certainly did more than the 3M above or Aquabuff 2000. No major buffing required either, just apply and remove like a wax. I applied it liberally and took it off with the wool rotary polisher. It was so easy and quick I did 3 apps and though it did not look new or even remarkably better when done this is certainly the best oxidation treatment product I have tried.

Waxed with Collinite insulator on one side and Meguiars 56 on the other. We'll see how they perform.

I am absolutely amazed at how bad these products are. The "Best" ones barely do anything. I guess I have to go much heavier on the grit and many, many more apps. My expectations are far too high. I expect results, silly me.........

I still believe clearcoat or colored Imron paint will be the long term answer someday, but very $$ and it still looks pretty good so not this year.

Any thoughts, feedback, or recommendations appreciated.

[Mr X]

Neither one of those work very well.
I have used another 3M product with a 2200 RPM buffer
and literally turned faded old pink gel back into new bright red.
I will try to post a 3M part number soon. It really works like magic.

[smokediver]

3m 5954 super duty compound . great for dock boxes ... You really need to wet sand at this point . 800/1200/1500/2000 . follow that with 3m 5933 then machine glaze . The new 3m scotchgaurd marine wax is awesome ..

[oilman]

Pismo,
Sorry the supercoat didn't meet your expectations. Best I've been able to find for the effort though. Sounds like Mr X may have the answer

It really works like magic

[Kirbyvv]

Pismo:
I used 3m super duty (don't know the #, but found it on Ebay), followed by 3M finesse It II, then wax. Worked real well on a highly faded orange/red color. Bought a gallon of the super duty. Kind of pricey but it doesn't take much. Its kinda like liquid sand. I still have the deck to do, hopefully this week if the rain stops, then if you want to try some of it I'm just down the road in Queensbury. A good quality IPA (Davidsons preffered) always works as a trade.

[Pismo]

Do you let the compound dry completely then buff (like some say to do with AquaBuff) or do you buff right away while wet? What pad on the rotary buffer. Wool?, I tried a yellow foam pad and it just loaded up immediately and stopped working.

[windansea]

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...play.php?f=167

try the above forum...lots of threads on gel restoring etc

[billy22zx]

any good products out there for repairing fine scratches? My 99 zx is i believe Mattador white. I was wondering if there was anything available such as a filler to fix minor blemishes.

[gcarter]

Try Minicraft. They have a color matched patch paste. It's hard to do, but I've managed to fill scratches. It's really better for chips.

https://www.minicraft.com/retail/donzimarine.htm

[Kirbyvv]

Pismo:
Buff the compound while wet. Only work a small area at a time. The instrutions on the 3M super duty are pretty minimal. I used infor from the offshore posts referenced above. The 3M super duty was the only one I found that really did something. But you have to follow it up with a finer polishing compound. It is almost like a very fine wet sand.

[joem]

The best way to go is like smokediver said it,s work but you get results....I,ve used 1500 wet sandpaper with liquid soap in the water to keep the paper clean then follow up with 3m finess with a wool bonnet...Keep sanding until you get some gloss then buff until the finess is dryed up and the shine is there....Works great lasts for a while but algrip or imron would be the ticket....Joem

[Mr X]

Neither one of those work very well.
I have used another 3M product with a 2200 RPM buffer
and literally turned faded old pink gel back into new bright red.
I will try to post a 3M part number soon. It really works like magic.

Here it is. 3M Marine High Gloss Gelcoat Compound
Part Number 051131-06025

Sometimes hard to find, I buy it in 1 Gal. cans from the local
Automotive paint and body shop supply store.

It is important to use the thickest lambs wool style buffing pad you can find
and clean it about every 15 minutes of use.
I put the compound directly on the boat and spread it on evenly by hand, about 3 sq ft area at a time max. and not in direct sunlight. Dont be affraid to apply firm pressure but keep the buffer moving, do not let it stay in one place.

You will be amazed !

[oilman]

3M Marine High Gloss Gelcoat Compound
Part Number 051131-06025

The old bow stripe is in need of a good once over. I'll give it a try and report back.

[blue-z]

Wet sanding is the best method without question. It is easy and creates less deep cut swirls than heavy duty compound. Keep the hose out rinse and squeegie to check it regularly for progress. Finish with 2000 grit and buff like some of the previous posts suggest. Work in small areas. The soap mixture is awesome. You can even polish your props this way. Keep the boat covered and wax it often.

[Mr X]

Sanding is faster BUT it removes gel-coat. Thats OK if the Gel-coat is damaged or burned.

The oxidation is from Oxygen molicules that are bonded to the gel-coat. Buffing them off is usually all that is required...
without ever removing any gel-coat.