HELP With Gel Coat

[JaySchulz]

Pretty disappointed. I bought a GTR 215 about 2 months ago brand new. I'm very anal and meticulous when it comes to the cleanliness and look of my cars, boat, and now a ski. I have had boats for years so I'm not new to the basic upkeep of gel coats. I never leave my boats in the water for more than a weekend. They come home, get washed, and waxed three or four times a year. So to my issue.

2 weeks I took my boat and ski to the lake like I do every weekend. Put them in the water on Saturday. Had fun and docked them at the end of the day and go home. Saturday night we get a call that my wife's grandmother is about to pass away. I'm unable to get the boat and ski out of the water and we leave out of state Sunday morning on the first flight. I get back two days ago and take the boat and ski out of the water and bring them home.

Off course they are both caked with organic matter, algae, etc. I start working on getting the crap off and the sections I've cleaned are now smooth and free of the impossibly stubborn crap. But the hull that is under the waterline is completely stained and dis colored. The black gel coat is now splotchy gray as if the ski has been neglected for years. I'm so disappointed. I've tried a few products in small unseen areas and nothing is working.

So if this normal to see this kind of wear on the black gel coat from the short period it was in the water? Is it right for me to think that brand new gel coat shouldn't discolor like this in freshwater?

I'm wondering what my next step should be. Maybe calling the dealership and try and see if they will do anything about it. I'm curious what everyone's opinion is. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[devonte007]

Gelcoat is actually a very porous substance. Because of this, it provide a great habitat for all sorts of foreign matter to attach it self or fill the voids and look dirty. Every body of water has a different ecology and can turn your gelcoat pretty ugly in a matter of days. Therefore I doubt it is any sort of defect or something the dealer is going to help you with.

Our lake is one of the cleanest around, but any boat (especially white) left in the water or more than 2 weeks will stain a bit yellow under the water line due to the tannins in the water. It can be a real pain to get clean again. What you do not want to do is use any sort of abrasives, lots of people make this mistake. You need to remove any material build up with something non abrasive (try a piece of carpet). As for the discoloration, you need to use a chemical hull cleaner. I use starbrite products myself, but there are all sorts of recommendations out there. I have never cleaned a non-white hull, so not sure how this all works with black. You may need to experiment.

The only way to prevent this (or lessen the severity) is to make sure you have a good coat of good wax made for gelcoat/fiberglass. It really does help, and any buildup usually wipes right off.

Post some pics of your hull, might help us understand the problem better...

 

[Sea Dood]

All you need to do is to buy some hull cleaner from any marine store. It contains strong oxalic acid. Try this first and report back.