Once a white boat, now off white!!! Help!!!

I have a 2004 Stratos 285 Pro XL...It is almost all white,has black and silver accents...The white looks a little dingy, I took a magic eraser to some of the places, they came clean, but in the sun you can see that the spots where I used the eraser are now dull...There is no shine to these spots....Will buffing make these places shine again?...i bought some Meguiars boat wax/cleaner at Gander Mountain (blue bottle)...will it do the job?...The boat really doesnt have any oxidation, just minor scratches and dull in places...im thinking a good buff job would work, is this correct?...Any recommendations on what to use??

bassboat saver works wonders. also meguiars makes that fiberglass restore kit if nothing else works im sure that will.

Magic Erasers are great for taking of roller marks on the bow, etc. But if you rub too hard with one, it is the same as using around 1200 grit sandpaper and it will dull the finish which will then need to be brought back up..

White gelcaot generally has no clear gel on top as the polyflake colors do.
You can compound the gel and it should come back up to a shine.

If you have access to a electric buffer that will do a beter job than by hand.
Any good white rubbing compound, then a good polish, then a good wax.

3M Rubbing Compound, 3M Finesse it 2, and a coat of Collinite Fleetwax. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif

Hey basscat7, I'm about to do the compound.polish. and wax and my boat is white in most places but also has black flake in some places...I just bought that 3m compound like u suggested on the pinned thread..will that be ok on white?

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by jbt083 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Hey basscat7, I'm about to do the compound.polish. and wax and my boat is white in most places but also has black flake in some places...I just bought that 3m compound like u suggested on the pinned thread..will that be ok on white?</td></tr></table>

Yes.

The clear, colored and polyflake gelcoats are the same. Only difference is the pigments/polyflake added.

Thanks!!

You might want to try something like Starbrite Hull Cleaner. It is a enzyme cleaner that I use to take the yellowing stain off my Saltwater boat that is all white and it works great but use gloves and don't spill it on anything. I use gloves and cover my trailer with a towel where I am working just in case. Plan on doing the whole boat since the place you do will be whiter that the other areas you don't. There are also other brands, I believe Westmarine has several. Good Luck! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/smile.gif

Starbrite is great for cleaning white hulls.

It is Oxalic Acid so like said, do not get it on anything but the white hull.

It will take out stains in the gelcoat, but it will still look dull. You'll need to buff out the areas that were rubbed out with the magic eraser still.

Thanks guys for all the information, I will definetley use the Hull Cleaner on the white...Then use the 3 step procedure by 3M...My wife bought me a Craftsman 10" Buffer this year..I think that should be good enough for buffing...

Any of the hull cleaners with muratic or oxalic acid this will take the stains out of the gel pores and make it white again.
Any of the commercial cleaners like Starbrite hull Cleaner, Nu Hull, etc.

Sno Bowl toilet bowl cleaner is virtually the same ingredients and will also work.

When using any of them, try not too get it on the carpeted inside of the trailer fenders or parts of the trailer if you can .

Wipe it on, let it sit a bit and rinse off with the hose. Will take the stains out of gelcoat.
Then do the compound/wax

Great Idea on the Toilet Bowl cleaner!!!! I think I'll just try that....Any ideas on what to use when stripping the old glue off my lids and floor?..I'll also be installing new carpet on my boat this winter.

Acetone or Xylene both will work, acetone evaporaes faster. Use rubber gloves as both will remove the skin oils and dry out your hands.

Don't sit a rag soaked with either on any of the top cap gelcoat, just use it on the carpeted areas.
Acetone is great for cleaning any marks off the boat, roller marks, scuffs, as it evaporates real quick, you just don't want it soaking on any gelcoat for a long period. Don't use it on any windscreens or plastic as it might react with them.

Couple of large scrapers, soak the areas that are stuck and scrape.

thanks