"Permanent" gel coat sealant

[westwon]

Hi all.
Doing my after-trip cleanup of the deck and cockpit today, and was reminded of the shape my gelcoat is in! My 30 year old gelcoat is very porous, and because of the disgusting amount of coal dust that the Vancouver Port Authority allows to become airborne from their Robert's bank facility, my gelcoat gets contaminated.
I know there are a large number of non-permanent solutions available, but does anyone know of a spray on or even brush-on permanent solution to stop the coal dust getting in to the coating?
Yes, I know I could paint it!

Thanks all!

Steve

[Sailmonkey]

The permanent gel coat sealant is in fact called paint!

[westwon]

Thanks Sailmonkey. I'm really hoping to not have a paint job on my hands right now. If there's no other solution, I'll continue to bide my time with the 'miracle' products out there.

Steve

[Captsteve53]

Try some of the Gel coat restore products on the market, depending on the severity of your old gel coat it may provide some help until your miracle product comes on the market,

I have restored several top sides this way where the water would just sit on the top sides but after a good gel coat polish the water would just run off

[westwon]

Thanks Steve.

I'm looking at a BUNCH of 'miracle' products right now. My concern is that I may have to remove them once I finds something more permanent (and perhaps Sailmonkey is right and paint is THE way to go) to apply. And this may cause an even larger problem

Steve

[Martkimwat]

Whatever you use to seal the surface won't last for ever and proper prep for painting will include sanding to provide a key, if done properly, this will remove any trace of wax.

[HopCar]

There are several acrylic sealers on the market that are pretty good but none of them claim to be permanent. I think some sell a remover as well. Practical Sailor Magazine has written about them.

[chris4911]

Marinemax claims their Vantage product seals for 5 years? Not cheap and no reviews I can find?

[Ida_Lewis]

I too have 30-yo gelcoat. I'm thinking about paint topped with this:

Nanovere Technologies, LLC. MARINE

It's supposed to last 10 years and works on teak also. If it's good enough for Cunard and the Navy, it's good enough for me. We are just doing some tests at my yard. My teak swim ladder steps are nice and shiny, a high-gloss finish.

[David M]

I agree with SailMonkey. The best sealant for old gelcoat is going to be paint. More specifically, a two part LPU like Awlgrip. It is tougher than gelcoat and the gloss holds up for much longer.

It's almost a crime that gelcoat is still used for new boats.

[hobopacket]

I would do like I am doing. Lots of compounding. Lots. Then a good coat of wax. After that it should wash away a lot of easy.

If it is severe pitting then a light sanding prior to compounding might be required. And then it depends on how much gel is actually left.

Remember, once you paint you can never go back.

[hobopacket]

Forgot to mention, I am in sugar cane country and where they burn. Tons of ash, a ton better clean up after the wax coat.

[David M]

Originally Posted by hobopacket

Remember, once you paint you can never go back.

Once you paint you never have to go back to gelcoat.

[hobopacket]

Originally Posted by David M

Once you paint you never have to go back to gelcoat.

True dat, just have to keep repainting.

Pick your poison huh?

[David M]

Not if you paint the boat the same color as the gelcoat. Scratches typically don't show unless you look carefully.

With a proper paint job (Awlgrip or something similar sprayed on professionally), the gloss stays there almost forever.

I would much rather go at it with SoftScrub and a soft deck brush on LPU than to have to break out the power buffer, rubbing compound and wax at least once per year.

I have a boat sprayed with Awlgrip for the past 26 years, so I can vouch for it.

Trust me on this, paint is far less hassle and it looks much better than gelcoat. I have also had newer and older boats with gelcoat.