Posted by tedious on 08/13/10 - 8:14 AM
#2
Congratulations on your acquisition!
As far as cleanup and restoring shine, a lot will depend on the current condition of the boat. Is it just faded and chalky, with perhaps a few spider cracks, or is it heavily cracked, to the point where you're going to want to deal with that?
For general cleanup, I have found that household products work pretty well. Barkeeper's Friend cleanser works particularly well on rust and other stains, but just try what you have first - nothing abrasive, of course. Whatever you use, be sure to rinse it clean with water afterwards - you don't want the chemicals sitting on your gelcoat or metal over the long term.
There are a lot of posts here on restoring lustre, if you get to that point - just do a search. I bought this kit http://properboatcare.com/bowtostgelco2.html with the Porter-Cable 7424 polisher, and I am pretty happy with the results.
If your gelcoat is heavily cracked, then you get into significantly more work, and you'll have to decide between re-gelcoating and repainting with a 2-part marine finish (Awlgrip and the like).
Tim