Wax over Paint

[Bassman3]

I recently bought a 20 year old Jefferson 48 MY. I was informed that the boat was "factory painted". The upper areas i.e. the bridge and super structure are clearly painted and not gelcoat. But the toe rail and hull, which is iron stained at the bow, seem to have the dull look of older gelcoat that needs some compounding/sanding and waxing. I tried to search the forum to get some information but couldn't find the info I wanted.
So my questions for the more experienced:
1) Is there quick and easy way to tell gelcoat from paint?
2) Is the wax used over older paint the same wax used on Gelcoat or, if I determine there are some painted areas and some gelcoat surface areas, does each one require its own type of wax?
3) Does one ever compound rub or sand paint to get a little more shine?
4) Is there otherwise any special management of the painted areas?

Mostly I do not want to inadvertently damage the paint anywhere.

Any comments are appreciated.

[GordMay]

Manufacturers almost always discourage waxing linear polyurethane (LPU) paint. The paint does not need a protective coating, and its surface is slicker and harder than wax. The waxed surface is more likely to attract dirt, which, when moisture is added, creates the black streaks you’re seeing. Softer liquid waxes tend to be most susceptible.
If the paint is beginning to lose its gloss, applying a polymer sealer such as Awlgrip Awlcare should give better results than wax. Some boat owners buff an aging polyurethane finish with an ultra-fine polish like 3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material. This cleans rather than coats, but it also cuts the hard surface of the polyurethane paint, and therefore is only suitable late in the life of the finish.

Maintaining Awlgrip topcoat ➥ https://www.awlgrip.com/support/main...awlgrip-finish

See also
➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ons-74376.html
➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ip-112061.html

[a64pilot]

You can usually tell a single stage paint from gel coat by rubbing a small area with paint thinner and a clean white rag, if it’s paint the rag will take some of the color, gel coat won’t be affected.
Won’t work on white though, unless maybe you used a colored rag?
This won’t work on clear coat paint of course, but I’ve not seen a boat clear coated.

[Bassman3]

Thanks for the replies. I read through the links so kindly offered.
So I guess a more important question may be how do I tell what KIND of paint is present e.g. polyester, acrylic, non marine because each different kind requires a different approach.
I plan to have a marina team do the work to try to bring the finish back up to a higher gloss and I don't trust them to figure out the best approach themselves. I have some Awlcare to try and maybe the results of that attempt will help give some more information.
I will try the paint thinner trick on a colored cloth since the boat is white.

[model 10]

You can dump all the thinner you want on an LPU surface and it shouldn't do squat. Find a remote area and put a wet rag of strong thinner under a piece of plastic for while. It will soften LPU and not gel.
I spilled a pint can of contact cement on a wing with a brand new LPU paint job once. It cleaned right up.